A ROW has again broken out over school places in Poole with upset parents unable to get their children into their popular local schools.

Last year the Daily Echo reported on a child boom in Parkstone where 18 distressed families, all living within the catchment of oversubscribed Courthill First School, could not get a place for their four-year-olds.

“Like last year this is a disgrace and there are a lot of very angry parents,” said one mum, whose child is on a waiting list of 25 for Courthill and 47 for Lilliput.

“I know of several others who haven’t been offered places at either school, some live just off Penn Hill Avenue,” said the parent, who is going through the appeals process and doesn’t wish to be named.

Cllr Phil Eades, described having 72 families on the waiting list as a “debacle of planning and provision for the community”.

He said: “The 30 additional places at Lilliput were supposed to solve the problem this year but the numbers are even worse.” He questioned if the Borough of Poole had done all it could to weed out dubious applications.

“The council owes these families a full apology and must set out a plan for resolving these issues,” he said.

Cllr Tony Woodcock, cabinet portfolio holder for supporting children and young people said they did their best to help parents’ get their children into their preferred local school.

He said the 25 children living in the Courthill catchment area who had not received a place there, had all been offered a place in other schools.

All children living within the catchment area of Lilliput First, whose parents listed it as their preferred choice, were offered a place there, he said. The 47 on the waiting list were not in the catchment area.

“We recognise there is likely to be significant increase in the number of children for both catchment areas as well as pressures for school places in a number of other areas in Poole over the next four years,” he added.

“Based on these projections, officers are already putting plans into place that will look at school places overall.”