ANGRY parents have hit out after their child was denied a place at the new school on a flagship Cambridge housing development.

Orchard Park Primary School opened last year to cater for youngsters on the Arbury Park site, currently in the process of being built.

But despite the Searle family being due to move to Arbury Park in August, four-year-old Vienna has not been offered a place at the school.

She will instead have to travel out of Cambridge by taxi to Histon and Impington Infant School, as her place has been filled by a youngster who does not even live in Orchard Park's catchment area.

Mum Linda, 40, said: "We are supposed to be sending a four-year-old girl in a taxi all by herself to Histon. It's just not safe.

"We are looking forward to moving, the house is lovely, but the school is supposed to be for people living here, and I know some of the kids live elsewhere."

Vienna's dad David, 52, said: "It's not good enough - we want to walk our daughter to school. It's ridiculous."

Paula Edwards, housing officer at King Street Housing Society, which is letting out a number of homes at Arbury Park, said: "We have still got lots of houses to fill with families who may have children looking to go to the school."

A county council spokesman said it had offered places in Orchard Park's reception class to youngsters living out of its catchment area because places were still available in April.

He said: "We are required by law to fill reception classes, so at that point we offered places to children living out of catchment. By April 21, therefore, the reception class was full - albeit with some of the children living out of the catchment area.

"Two families subsequently moved into the Arbury Park development but, because the reception class was already full, their children were offered places at other nearby schools.

"They are welcome to appeal against this decision, and one of them has opted to do so."

Clare Blair, chairman of governors, said the school was bound by a legislative timetable for school admissions and could not keep places open for those families moving in over the summer.

She said: "We are there to grow, we were built at the beginning of the development. We will always have a percentage of children who are out of catchment as long as the legal position is that parents have choice."

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