A FURIOUS mother whose son was allocated a place at a failing school nearly three miles away from her home said would rather her child was home-schooled.

Stacey Greenough was stunned when Dominic Junior was allocated a space at John Madejski Academy in Hartland Road, Whitley, despite living just short of a mile away from Highdown in Caversham.

Ms Greenough, of Rhine Close, Caversham, said she has no way of getting 10-year-old Dominic Junior to Whitley and stressed she would fear for his safety if he was to take two buses on his own to get to school.

The 30-year-old said: “I have four children, three of them go to Micklands Primary in Caversham. My little girl will also be starting Micklands in September.

“I can’t take them to Micklands and take DJ to the other side of Reading.

“He can’t take two buses across town on his own. I’m concerned for his safety. You hear all these stories about people snatching children.

“He’s not going to John Madejski Academy. I will get his grandad to home school him until Reading Borough Council sort it out.”

Ms Greenough did not put Chiltern Edge School down as an option because she feared it would close following its recent troubles.

She has since placed Dominic Junior on the waiting list at the Sonning Common School and appealed Reading Borough Council’s allocation.

She added: “I didn’t pick Chiltern Edge School as an option because I thought it was going to shut down.

“Dominic Junior has been going to sleep crying because he’s worried that he’s going to have to take two buses on his own. I’m not going to let that happen.”

Laura Ellener, principal at JMA, said: "Since I joined John Madejski Academy in 2016 the school has been through a period of rapid transformation.

"Ofsted highlighted the exceptional progress the school has made in its recent inspection and this is being further accelerated having joined the White Horse Federation a large Academy Trust.

"An information evening is being held for new parents on Thursday 22nd March from 6-7pm."