School heartache adds to grief of losing big brother
A FIVE-year-old girl has been left heartbroken after her dream of going to the same primary school as her late brother was denied.
Stacey Molloy has been fighting to have her daughter, Paige, accepted to Spittal Primary school, where her son Ryan attended before his death in 2014.
Her son Reece, seven, is currently a pupil at the school in Rutherglen, having moved there to be closer to his big brother Ryan.
Sadly, Ryan died in October 2014 after bravely battling with a brain tumour since birth.
His death has taken a huge toll on the family, including Paige and Reece, but one thing that has helped them is the knowledge they would be close to their brother and his memory at primary school.
The school has a special bench in tribute to Ryan, where Reece goes to sit when he feels upset and angry.
However Stacey had her placing request for little Paige rejected and after appealing the verdict with South Lanarkshire Council, it was again refused.
Stacey, 29, from Castlemilk said: “The school has been so important to Reece, they have helped him hugely to deal with losing Ryan.
“He used to be really disruptive in the school but the teachers and support he has been given has really helped his behaviour.
“He still has bad days, and when that happens he goes to the bench for Ryan and sits on it, and he feels comforted.
“I can hardly take him, and the bench, out of the school because Paige can’t go.”
Mum Stacey said she is now at a loss as to what to do, as all her local schools are full and she will be unable to travel to two schools every morning to drop both children off.
Stacey said: “I’m worried about Paige and how she would cope at a new school as she was so looking forward to going to the same school as Reece, and the same school Ryan went to.
“[The council] said I can go in front of a sheriff, but that will take months and it won’t be done before school starts on August 18.
“Because I was determined Paige was getting in the school, there are no places left locally. The closest is now in Toryglen.
“I don’t know how I would get two children to two different primary schools every morning, on time. It’s not manageable.”
Stacey and her children are not the only family affected by their placements being rejected, with angry parents staging a protest outside the school this month.
The Evening Times understands the school plans to to merge the P1 and P2 classes next year, with only nine spaces allocated for new P1 pupils.
South Lanarkshire Council Head of Education Des Dickson said: “We can confirm there are a number of placing request refusals for Spittal Primary School.
“The council is continuing to review the situation. Where spaces become available they will be allocated in line with the council’s Priorities for Admission. The council is unable to comment on individual cases.”