Maldon mum Wendy Garside has lost her appeal against Essex Education authority's refusal of a place for her son at Maldon Primary School.

Now she is asking parents whose children have been granted places whether they still need them - and if not, could they offer one to Todd, four.

Having won the support of friends and neighbours, she is also considering a petition to Education Secretary Estelle Morris.

Mrs Garside, of Fitches Crescent, Maldon, missed the spring deadline for registering Todd at the popular school in Wantz Road, where her two older children, Lana and Daniel, are pupils.

Now Todd is bottom of a waiting list of 12 children wanting places at the school - but Mrs Garside refuses to bus her "very nervous" son to a school with vacancies in Burnham, Southminster or Latchingdon as has been suggested.

Instead she will teach Todd at home and telephone Maldon Primary School regularly to check for vacancies before the new term starts in September.

Mrs Garside felt the education system had let her down "just because my form was late."

Her appeal was heard at Maldon District Council offices last week and she was informed by letter of its failure.z

Essex education authority spokesman Mike Barnett said there were too many children to fit into the school.

But he added: "If Mrs Garside had applied on time there would not have been a problem."

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