A WORCESTER mum faced with taking her children to three different schools has welcomed the proposal to change the schools' admission policy in the county.

Tracey James will suffer a logistical nightmare when her 11-year-old son, Nicholas, changes school in September.

Nicholas has been refused a place at Hanley Castle High School, despite his older sister Katie already studying there.

Mrs James, of Tiree Avenue, St Peter's, was told that all the school's available places had been taken up by children from inside its catchment area.

Nicholas is now left with a choice between Elgar Technology College and Christopher Whitehead High School - but he will be separated from his friends whichever he opts for.

The youngster is currently at Kempsey Primary School, which Mrs James was told was the main feeder school for Hanley Castle.

Under the current admissions policy, pupils in a school's catchment area take priority over those from feeder schools.

However, Worcestershire County Council's Cabinet members approved the recommendation to change the policy on Thursday.

Persuade

It would mean that children at feeder schools would be given priority over those in a school's catchment area.

Mrs James said she hoped the change, which would come into effect in the 2003 to 2004 academic year, would persuade the authority to reconsider Nicholas' appeal.

"Nicholas is at a feeder school and he's the only one in his year who's not been given a place at the school," she said.

"I'd like to think that this change will help us to get him into the school. I think it's a sensible change - everyone will be aware of what's going on."

She said she also hoped it would make matters easier when it came to her younger son, seven-year-old Kieran, moving school.

"I said I would never go through this again with Kieran," she said. "Now, he will hopefully go to Hanley Castle automatically."

Worcester City Councillor Aubrey Tarbuck, who represents the St Peter's area, said he was also in favour of the change.

"Once children are in a feeder school, they will be able to look to the future, and they can look forward from the earliest stage," he said.

"It's unfortunate that this hasn't come in time for Mrs James. It's most distressing, both for the parents and the children."