Wollescote family's plea to stay together (From Halesowen News)

Wollescote family's plea to stay together

10:21am Thursday 9th July 2009

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INSEPARABLE Wollescote twins are pleading with education bosses to help keep their family together for the new school term.

Little Thomas and Emily Farmer, aged four, face the possibility of starting their education at different primary schools because Dudley Council is refusing to offer both children places at Oldswinford CE Primary School, where their older sister is already a pupil.

Their outraged mother, Mandy Farmer, aged 41, blames education “bureaucrats” for a ruling which will cause heartache for her family.

Mandy said: “I just can’t believe it, at the moment I don’t know where to turn. It’s ludicrous - they are twins, they are four-years-old, how can I split them up?

“It’s bureaucrats, the council have got their rules and they are not going to budge.”

Problems began after Mandy missed ticking a box on an online application form to say the twins’ sister, six-year-old Ellie, already attends the Oldswinford school in Field Lane.

Twin Emily was eventually offered a place at her sister’s school but Thomas was not and Mandy says splitting them up will have a “massive effect” on children who have never been apart.

The twins were offered places together at other schools in the area but Mandy says it would be impossible to get her young children to separate sites on time.

Despite already losing an appeal Mandy has put her career as a trainee teaching assistant on hold while she continues her campaign.

Dudley Council says policies on infant class sizes which impose a limit of 30 mean they cannot offer both twins a place at Oldswinford.

A Dudley Council spokesman said: “This decision was taken to an independent appeals panel by the parents where the decision of the authority was upheld.

"While the twins are unable to attend Oldswinford primary together due to the infant class size policy, both children could go to school together at Gig Mill."

The family, from Sandon Road, has the support of Cradley and Foxcote councillor Tim Crumpton who says officers should consider suspending the class size rule.

Cllr Crumpton said: “I want the council and the school to get together and sort this out, I’m not blaming anybody here but we can’t have twins split up.”

“The ideal solution would be to make an exception to the 30 rule, twins are not that common.

“People are likely to move on and that turnover would allow the school to go back to 30.”

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