Twin sisters told they must go to SEPARATE secondary schools

A mum has spoken of her anger after being told her “inseparable” twin daughters must go to different secondary schools.

Lucy Hall, 29, was heartbroken when she learnt her 11-year-olds Ella and Tia would be separated for the first time in their lives.

Ella has got a place at Northampton School for Girls while Tia must attend Moulton School – almost three miles away.

It will mean Lucy and husband Michael, 35, will now be forced to make one of their daughters late for school when they start next September.

Northamptonshire County Council said that only one girl had been successful in applying to Northampton School for Girls because it was oversubscribed.

But Lucy, from Abington, Northants., blasted the schools for their ‘random’ admissions system and claims her children’s education will suffer as a result.

Lucy, a bank worker said: “The reason we were given is that twins are not dependant on each other.

“I don’t want to be treated differently because I have twins, but I thought Northampton School for Girls admissions policy was about keeping family members together.

“They told us in a meeting before we made the application that keeping siblings together was their most important criteria.

“They said if one sibling is at the school the other is guaranteed.

“But because they are twins they don’t count them in their sibling policy, which seems ludicrous

“They are siblings, but because they are the same age they get treated differently.

“They are not identical twins, but they are as close as any twin I have ever met.

“They have never been apart before, always been in the same school, always been together, they are inseparable.

“Ella has even now said she doesn’t want to go to the school that she wanted to go to if Tia can’t go too.

“It’s not about Northampton School for Girls, we would be happy to send both to Moulton, as long as they were together.

“I will have to drive them both to school, and either leave one of them where a school isn’t open yet or make the other one late – I don’t think it’s right for a child to be late to school.

“Northampton School for Girls is within walking distance, which would be fine, but I don’t want one of them walking on their own.

“I know the decision has been made as we have failed on appeal, but I want to highlight this issue for other parents of twins.”

A spokesman for Northamptonshire County Council said because the school was oversubscribed they had used a system of ‘random allocation.’

The spokesman said: “We stress very strongly that if parents of twins and triplets make a preference for a school which uses random allocation as part of the oversubscription criteria, there is a real possibility that only one child could be allocated a place.

“An independent appeal panel has reviewed the case, but has not upheld the appeal.”