School place blow for pals

A GLASGOW boy has been denied a place at a school attended by every other child in his close.

The five-year-old is a victim of strict new capping of the number of children allowed to start primary one at Hillhead Primary.

This year that number has been set at 75.

WHEN Jamie McLauchlin starts school in August he will be dressed in smart navy blue and turn left from his home to walk to Dunard Primary.

But every other child in his close will be wearing bottle green and travelling right, together, to Hillhead Primary.

Despite living in the catchment area of the popular school, Jamie has been denied a place with his friends and neighbours.

The five-year-old is a victim of strict new capping of the number of children allowed to start primary one at Hillhead.

Four years ago 120 youngsters joined the Otago Street school.

This year that number has been set at 75 to try to begin to tackle the chronic overcrowding issue at the school.

As told in the Evening Times, education bosses have brought in a new catchment area for the school and capped new pupil numbers.

But Jamie has fallen foul of the system – and his parents are both furious at the education department’s decision.

His dad Athole, a teacher, said: “We have lived in this house for 10 years and Kathy’s family has lived here for 20. We are not one of these families who moves to try to get their child in to a school.

“There are four families in our close with eight children in total – and Jamie will be the only one not going to Hillhead.

“If the overcrowding issue is resolved by the time his little sister Rosyln goes to school then we could be looking at having the children at different primaries.”

The Evening Times has told repeatedly of the issues at the school, which merged with three others to become the largest primary in the city.

Education chiefs have capped the new intake at 75 and redrawn the catchment area in a bid to deal with the overcrowding issue in the short term.

They are also proposing a raft of changes to the school building, which will be debated at executive committee on Thursday, to try to free up more space for youngsters.

Meanwhile, figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show 29 children in the Hillhead catchment area have been refused a place, although two have since moved elsewhere.

Education chiefs rank children based on medical conditions, whether they come from single-parent families, distance from the school and whether they already have siblings there.

Athole, 40, added: “Jamie’s birthday falls in January and we made the decision to keep him back a year. The irony is