MORE than 50 children in Workington have been left disappointed after not getting into their chosen secondary school, with the MP hitting out at the council over a 'lack' of school places.

Workington MP Mark Jenkinson has written to Cumberland Council regarding the issue around school places after it emerged that 56 children who named Workington Academy - the town's only 'secular' secondary - as their first choice have not been awarded a place.

The MP said he has received complaints from parents who have been given the news that their child has missed out on their chosen school.

Mr Jenkinson, who claimed he has been warning successive authorities of the issue for several years, said: “That we have arrived at this point is as deeply regrettable as it was avoidable.

“Section 14 of the Education Act 1996 places on Cumberland Council a duty to secure sufficient secondary school places, and to make sure that there is diversity of provision and of choice for parents.

"The council could have and should have created new school places in Workington Academy by securing the additional funding for new developments using Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Instead, they’ve let developers off the hook."

He added that, though he's a supporter of the faith school model: “School choice includes the inalienable right of a parent to choose a school close to their community that is not of religious character."

Parents say they have been told the intake at Workington Academy has been 'significantly lower' this year than last and if they had been informed this they would have been able to prepare their children more and look more in depth at second choice schools.

One parent affected by the situation said: "It’s very upsetting to be fair. This is the first time we have done this, we have looked round the schools and it was almost set out as, 'Come shopping at our schools and decide which one you like the best'.

"That was the way it was portrayed to us - that we had the right to chose whichever school we wanted.

“Obviously we chose Workington Academy and we didn’t for one second think we would ever not get a place there. Had we been aware, we would definitely have looked more closely at second choices.

“We didn’t put a second and third choice, because we didn’t realise it was that important, we thought we would just get into our local school, we are literally just over two miles away.

“Now [my son] is being forced into a school that he hasn’t chosen and he really doesn’t want to go to and is having sleepless nights as all of his friends have been accepted at Workington Academy and he hasn't.”

A Cumberland Council spokesperson said: “We understand parents’ frustration. We would like to meet parental demand for places in specific schools but this is, unfortunately not always possible.

“The legislation around school places requires that sufficient places are available to pupils within an agreed planning area.  This is determined by reviewing how pupils currently access schools across a planning area and is regularly reviewed to ensure it meets changing demands.

"Over 99 per cent of Cumberland pupils who applied on time have been offered one of their preference schools. 

"If parents are unhappy with the allocated school they have the right to submit an appeal for a place at their school of preference."