Mersea schoolchildren could face 15 hours travelling, say parents

Parents living on an island say their children's secondary school placement means they will spend more than 10 hours a week travelling by bus to get there. Lisa Ditchman and Jo Gipson, from Mersea Island in Essex, said they both hoped their daughters would start Year 7 at Thomas Lord Audley School in nearby Colchester, but have instead been offered places at a school about nine miles (14.5km) away. "Please just see the children as more than just a number on a spreadsheet," Ditchman pleaded with decision makers. Essex County Council said individual schools decided which children were offered places and that families could submit appeals. Both parents had applied only to Thomas Lord Audley, which is about seven miles (11.2km) from Mersea. Many pupils can travel on a free direct bus because there is no closer secondary school. But the pair, who did not provide a second or third choice, were offered places at Paxman Academy instead. Children going there would need to get a bus to Colchester city centre and another to the school. According to bus timetables, the journey would take just over an hour. But Gipson said her daughter would need to leave home at 06:40 to walk to the bus stop,