A MOTHER is fighting for her daughter to attend one of their six local primary schools - after being allocated a place at one half way across Swindon.

Rebekka McGhee's four-year-old daughter Cailin is due to start primary school in September and the family went through Swindon Council's application process last autumn.

A place at Red Oaks Primary School was at the top of their list.

The family lives in Oakhurst, Priory Vale, and selected Orchid Vale and Bridlewood schools as their second and third choices.

They also live within the council's designated area for Abbey Meads, Catherine Wayte and Haydonleigh primary schools.

But, because of over-subscriptions at Red Oaks, with Orchid Vale and Bridlewood taking up much of the overspill in the area, Cailin has been allocated a place at Rodbourne Cheney Primary School.

The school is five miles away by car from the family's home, compared with a mile-long walk to Red Oaks.

And the family is appealing in a bid to gain a place at one of their first preference schools.

They even considered selling their Mayfly Road home to move nearer to Orchid Vale, where they have been told that Cailin is at the top of the waiting list.

The McGhee family moved to the area three years ago, hoping for a more rural way of life and leisurely walks to the local primary school, meeting friends along the way.

"That scenario has been destroyed and we feel completely cheated, and utterly let down by Swindon Council," said Rebekka.

"Had we have been made aware of this problem, we never would have moved to the area.

"Yet house builders and the council were always so positive with the proposal of new schools in this area."

Rebekka is also questioning why the proposed Oakhurst PS7 primary school has not been built as initially planned, as she says a large chunk of land is now going unused.

"A school should have been built in Oakhurst," she said.

"They decided not to build it as there were not enough children, but I have spoken to school admissions and they say the school could now be built.

"Building is still going on at Priory Vale, so why not have built it before?"

The council has recently discussed adding an extra reception class at Red Oaks, but no decision has been made as yet, with the power being delegated to the lead member for education, Coun Garry Perkins.

Rebekka is so determined to make people aware of the problem, that she has set up an online petition on the Prime Minister's Downing Street website at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/PrioryVale/.

In the petition she calls for temporary facilities to be added to Red Oaks until the Oakhurst school could be built to cope with current and future demand in the area.

"I just didn't know how else to make people aware of this," she said.

"We did view Red Oaks, and nobody said they were predicting to be over-subscribed."