A desperate mother so appalled at the poor standard of schools in her area is asking for people to fund her six-year-old daughter’s education – by putting her on EBAY.
Clare Allington, 42, is asking bidders on the internet auction site to donate cash so she can send little Darcy to a private school.
Mum-of-two Clare pays for her daughter’s education because nearby state schools are either over-subscribed or badly run-down.
Clare, from Hillfields, Coventry, said: ”I cried for hours after leaving her at one school because there we so many pupils in a class.
”It’s okay for people in nicer areas, who can afford to drive their child to school, or even pay for their education, but every child in this city should have the same quality.
”Darcy is ahead of her years in reading and writing. She loves history and wants to be an archaeologist.
”I, like every parent, want the best for my children and I refuse to send Darcy out to one of those ghettos.”
Clare, a trainee teacher, was forced to move her family to another area of Coventry after her mixed race son Darius, 12, suffered racist bullying at school.
She said: ”Never in a million years did I think my children would experience and see the things they did.
”To me, part of childhood is going out and playing with friends and Darius missed out on that.”
Darius has now settled into a new secondary school but she has struggled to find a school for Darcy and been forced to educate her at home.
Clare contacted Tory-controlled Coventry City Council but was told many of her first choice primary schools were full.
She said: ”I called two primary schools in the local catchment area and was told they were both full.
”We accepted a place at another school but I pulled Darcy out two days later because there were simply too many pupils in the classes for me to feel she would get a decent education.”
Clare now has Darcy on waiting lists at four schools but says she will put her daughter on eBay in September if she does not find a school before then.
”She’ll be on in September if I can’t find her a decent school,” Clare added.
”The reward for someone willing to pay for Darcy to go to private school will be the satisfaction of knowing they’ve given her the good start in life she deserves.
”She is from a deprived family through no fault of her own.”
Colin Green, Coventry City Council’s director of children, learning and young people, said: ”There is great pressure on places in the city’s primary schools, particularly in Reception and Years 1 and 2.
”Our admissions advisers have been working with Miss Allington to find a place that suits her and her daughter.
”We are confident every school in the city can offer a good standard of education.”
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I raised two smart girls as a single mum who are now both successful in their chosen fields, after completing college degrees with honours. You will find help for your gorgeous children: they both deserve the best education for their unique abilities and interests – as do all children. Would help financially if I could: you're all in my heart now.
I raised two smart girls as a single mum who are now both successful in their chosen fields, after completing college degrees with honours. You will find help for your gorgeous children: they both deserve the best education for their unique abilities and interests – as do all children. Would help financially if I could: you're all in my heart now.