A SCHOOL place has been made available for a family whose children were set to be separated in different schools across the city.

Three-year-old Charlotte Lane, from Nunnery Wood, who currently attends the nursery at Northwick Manor Infants School, will now be able to travel to the school with her older brother Joseph, who is five.

In April the Evening News revealed that due to a sudden influx of school-aged children to the city Charlotte had been refused a place because the family now lives in the Nunnery Wood area.

This would have meant her parents, Dominic and Lisa, would have had to drive the children to schools at different ends of the city every day.

But due to a child dropping out she will be able to start lessons at Northwick in September.

"It's brilliant news," said dad Dominic.

"We had a phone call from the head, Sue Curphey, saying a child place had become available and we were offered a position. We've now had a

letter from the education authority confirming it.

"It's all worked out really well."

Because the family moved out of Northwick to Nunnery Wood Charlotte fell lower in the criteria for school places.

Mr Lane told the Evening News they had been encouraged to keep her at the nursery and apply for a place there.

But because there were more "in-area" applications she was turned down and instead offered a place at either Redhill CE Primary School or Ronkswood Infants School.

It would have meant Mr Lane trying to get both children to school at the same time but on different sides of the city.

At the time of the problem Northwick Manor Infants School said this year had seen an unusual amount of applications for places in the reception class.

"I was pleased to be able to tell the Lanes myself," said Mrs Curphey.

"It's nice to be the bearer of good news. We're delighted that this has happened and they've got both children in the same school, which is what the situation should be."

n The Lane family's school dilemma reported in the Evening News on April 4, 2003.