Local Weather

Sunshine and Showers

Sunshine and Showers

max temp: 11°C

min temp: 5°C

Five-day forecast

A Muswell Hill couple may leave Haringey after discovering their son was still 35th on the waiting list for a primary school place – despite three extra ‘bulge’ classes across the borough to cope with demand.

To send a link to this page to a friend, you must be logged in.

Dr Rebecca Olowookere, 31, and her husband Victor, 35, of Gilson Place, off Coppetts Road, were told by Haringey Council in April that their four-year-old son David was one of 42 children without a reception place for September.

So the couple – who originally applied to six primary schools – entered the council’s second round of allocations last month, which included three new bulge classes opened up to children without a place.

But after submitting their bulge class application well in advance of the May 18 deadline, they were again told that their application had been unsuccessful.

To make matters worse, a member of the council’s school admissions staff said there were still 34 children ahead of David in the queue for a reception class place.

Dr Olowookere, a GP locum at North Middlesex Hospital, said: “I feel hard done by – I work for the NHS, I do things in the community, I pay my council taxes – I’m completely shocked.

“I’m even considering moving; my husband has started looking at places in Hertfordshire.

“I’m really, really upset that our son might not get a school. If we don’t get a school we are going to have to move, even though our friends and family are here.

“We are losing out because we’d have to commute but we would have to do it because this is our child.”

The mother-of-two has been told to call every three weeks to find out how far David is moving up the waiting list.

A council spokeswoman said the authority was currently “working on the next round of offers, which will be sent out shortly”.

She added: “We have a requirement to offer every Haringey child a school place by September and we are committed to meeting that requirement.”

Share this article

Most Read News

Anoria Simmons

Tottenham school teacher is voted best in London and south-east

A ‘truly remarkable’ Tottenham primary school teacher has reached the final of a national teaching competition.

Read full story »

0 comments

   Local advertisers

Other News

Use our Wedding site to help you plan your big day!
At WeddingSite we know how much you have to organise for your wedding day, that's why we have designed a set of FREE, simple-to-use tools to make the planning process easy & hassle-free. FIND OUT MORE
Find a date using our online dating and friend finder
You can meet new friends, find romance or simply meet up online with people sharing similar interests and hobbies. FIND OUT MORE
Find a local business using our online directory search
Need a plumber? Or a florist? Or anything else? Search our business directory to find Tottenham businesses in just a few seconds. FIND OUT MORE
Family notices from the Tottenham Journal, with readers' tributes
In memoriam, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, best wishes & special days. FIND OUT MORE

Celebrity / Showbiz

Helen Mirren is shown around the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013. Picture: Keith Larby/iwitness

Picture gallery: Chelsea Flower Show 2013

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show opens to the public today, but celebrities and VIPs, including the Queen, have already had a look at the floral displays.

Read full story »