A FATHER has been denied the right to take his child to her nearest school even though walking her further may kill him.

Chris Harris has a crippling heart condition which means he can walk no further than Tregoze Primary School, just 100 yards from his home in Walter Close, The Prinnels, West Swindon.

But his application to send his three-year-old daughter Amber there in September was turned down because the family do not live in the school's catchment area.

Instead Amber has been told she has a place at Shaw Ridge Primary - over a mile away.

At just three years old Amber is blissfully unaware of the ordeal her dad would undertake to get her to school - instead she's upset that her best friend will be at Tregoze without her.

Chris, 37, said: "The fact of the matter is that if I try to walk her to Shaw I may collapse and die before even getting to the school gates."

Walking is already a chore for the father-of-two, who was left paralysed from the waist down after an accident in 1999.

He remained unable to use his legs for 18 months but even after learning to walk again Chris was left in constant pain.

Mum Kerry, 28, can't take Amber to school because she acts as the full-time carer to Chris and cannot leave him alone.

"I don't understand how we can possibly be out of the catchment area when we live so close to the school - our next-door neighbour even has daughters that go there." said Chris.

"We don't have a car, so driving is out of the question too. The whole situation is just a nightmare."

Chris has suffered with heart problems since childhood and has undergone open-heart surgery three times.

His condition is so serious he even missed the birth of seven-month-old son Charlie because he had to have emergency surgery to fit a prosthetic aorta in his heart.

The operation did not run smoothly and Chris had to have a pacemaker fitted over Christmas.

Now recovering from the latest surgery, the news of his daughter's school complications has been another bitter blow.

"What dad doesn't want to take his daughter to school and pick her up every day? That would be the highlight of my day and now I'm in doubt as to whether Amber will get to school at all.

"She has the same right to an education as any other little girl but now that education is in jeopardy because my health situation is dismissed as insignificant."

The council's response

EVEN if spaces do become available at Tregoze Primary School before September, Amber Harris must wait for 11 children to be accepted before she stands a chance.

Liz Richmond, of Swindon Council, said Amber's dad Chris could have named two alternative schools for his daughter before Shaw Ridge was chosen for her.

She said: "Mr Harris applied for his daughter Amber to attend Tregoze Primary School from September 2008. He had the opportunity to put three schools on the application, but named just one.

"The address in Walter Close is within the designated area of Shaw Ridge Primary School.

"Tregoze Primary School was heavily oversubscribed with 97 requests for the 30 places available. The 30 places were allocated to children within the designated area and those with siblings at the school.

"Because Mr Harris did not name another school on the application form the LA is under a duty to ensure Amber has a place for September. We have therefore provisionally offered a place at Shaw Ridge Primary School. We are happy to discuss alternatives with Mr Harris if Shaw Ridge is not suitable.

"Mr Harris emailed the council on February 16 to complain. In a return phone call the reasons for refusal were explained to Mr Harris in a professional and appropriate manner and an appeal form was sent to him.

"The appeals will be heard later this year. Amber is 12th on the waiting list for Tregoze."