Amione Reynolds misses four months of school after move
00:01, 18 July 2016
A six-year-old girl is thrilled to be back at school after being away from the classroom for almost four months.
Amione Reynolds now has a place at the same school as her big brother Theo after a mix-up led to her being taught at home by her mum Stacey since the beginning of April.
Miss Reynolds, a 26-year-old single mum, took her children out of their former school after the family had to move from Gillingham to Rainham at short notice.
She told Barnsole Primary School that her children would not be back after the Easter holiday and applied for both of them to go to St Margaret’s Infants, near their new home in Maidstone Road, Rainham.
Miss Reynolds got Theo, seven, into the school, but education bosses said there was no room for Amione. Her second and third choice of school were also full so she had no choice but to start home schooling her daughter.
The children were not officially taken off the register at Barnsole for more than a month, so when Miss Reynolds applied for her children to go to St Margaret’s, the authority had not been informed the children were not registered with a school. That led to Medway Council closing the case.
Miss Reynolds appealed but when that also failed, she contacted our sister paper the Medway Messenger to highlight her problem.
“I am so pleased, it’s been horrendous trying to sort it out" - Stacey Reynolds
Miss Reynolds said: “I had to move very quickly from Windsor Road, Gillingham, to the new house in Maidstone Road, as it was a much better property.
“I took the children out of school and applied for them both to go to St Margaret’s Infants as there was no way I could get them to Barnsole after I had moved, as I don’t drive.
After the Messenger contacted Medway Council and explained Amione’s situation, a place was found for her at St Margaret’s and she started there on Tuesday.
A spokesman said: “Our admissions team works hard to find appropriate school places for children in Medway and we are pleased to have been able to secure a place for this child at their preferred primary school.”
Miss Reynolds added: “I am so pleased, it’s been horrendous trying to sort it out. “I can’t thank the paper enough for its help.”
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