A mother battling stage four cancer is campaigning for reforms to her local authority's school allocation policy and the national schools admissions code. Christine Lote, 41, from Bristol, was diagnosed in 2022 with chondrosarcoma, a rare bone cancer in her heel that does not respond to chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Her leg was amputated in June 2023, but a year later the cancer had spread to her lungs and was deemed incurable.
Mrs Lote and her husband Damien, parents to Sophie, four, and Chloe, three, went through the standard process to secure a primary school place for Sophie last year. Their preferred school was chosen for two critical reasons: its proximity would enable Mrs Lote, an amputee, to walk her daughter to school, and the school employs bereavement-trained staff, a vital consideration as Mrs Lote does not expect to live long enough to see Sophie finish primary school.
Despite these circumstances, Sophie was assigned to the family's third-choice school, which is further away and lacks specialist bereavement support. The family appealed but were turned down because medical conditions are not considered by South Gloucestershire Council under its admissions criteria. Mrs Lote said: 'I felt that that was slightly unfair, and we've since been on a bit of a crusade about trying to get the council to consider their policy and review that.'
Other local authorities do have a 'social or medical need exemption' written into their policies, and South Gloucestershire Council is consulting its community on the policy this year. While any change would be too late for Sophie, it could help other families. Mrs Lote's MP Claire Hazelgrove said the situation 'feels wrong' but the council is 'legally tied' because of its policy. She is 'confident that it will change' once the statutory consultation has taken place.
Mrs Lote also wants to end the 'postcode lottery' nationally. Ms Hazelgrove arranged for her constituent to meet schools minister Georgia Gould in December, who said the Government will look at how to 'promote fairness for all families' as part of a consultation on changes to the schools admissions code. Mrs Lote and her MP will make a submission to the consultation.
