PARENTS whose children have been refused places at three Worcester schools say they now live in a “toxic postcode”.

The group includes 14 families whose children were offered places at Pitmaston Primary School in St John’s, and one family whose son was offered Gorse Hill in Tolladine – even though they all live in the catchment for Red Hill CE Primary.

We reported how they fell foul of the admissions system because they live at the edge of the Red Hill catchment.

The school has 30 places but this year the council received 59 applications naming the school as a first choice, 55 as a second preference and 25 as third.

Those included applications from 45 families living within catchment.

After failing to secure places at Red Hill, the 15 families were not offered their other preferences – Cherry Orchard Primary School and Stanley Road Primary School – because they are also over-subscribed and they live outside of catchment.

Pitmason was offered as the next nearest school with places, but the parents say the two-mile walk across the river with four-year-olds and their younger siblings is too far.

They feel that unmet demand for school places in the Battenhall area of Worcester has effectively left a cluster of people living in Battenhall Road, The Hill Avenue, Woolhope Road, Bolston Road, St Dunstan’s Crescent and St Dunstan’s Close, without access to a local school.

A meeting between the families, Worcester city councillor Robert Rowden and Worcestershire county councillor John Cairns was told that estate agents RA Bennett and Partners had said house prices could suffer because the area was effectively not served by any local school.

Will Poole, whose daughter Nell has been offered a place at Pitmaston, said: “The woman I spoke to said she was horrified by having to sell a house on this basis.

“There would be an impact on saleability.”

Jeremy Hopkins, who has a four-year-old also offered Pitmaston, said: “Nobody who lives on these roads knew that school admissions would make it a toxic postcode.”

However, Richard Shelton, director of Shelton and Lines in Bath Road, disagreed.

He said: “There may be isolated cases here and there where it might be an issue, but generally I don’t think it would be.

“I wouldn’t see it as a problem unless the situation really gets out of control.”

John Edwards, the council’s head of learning and achievement, said: “Finding the right school and applying for a place can be an unsettling time for families with young children.

“We work closely with local schools to find suitable places and all children are offered a place in line with the national guidelines. Parents do have the opportunity to appeal and can apply to go on the waiting list at their chosen school.”