EDUCATION Secretary Michael Gove has intervened in a row between a Bournemouth school and a local mum.

Andrea Jarman, a law lecturer at Bournemouth University, had hoped daughter Eibhlís, four, would be able to attend St Mark’s Primary School in Talbot Rise this September following early years education at private school Yarrells.

But the voluntary aided school will only allow pupils to enrol part-time during the first term.

The school also switches between mornings and afternoons of teaching during the first term, which Ms Jarman said would make childcare arrangements almost impossible for many parents.

In what could become a landmark case, she is now considering legal action against the Department for Education (DfE).

Now it is believed education secretary Michael Gove has intervened to tell the school it must offer Eibhlís a place. Lesley Jones of the DfE has written to both the head of St Mark’s, Caroline Burn, and executive director for adult and children services at Bournemouth Council, Jane Portman.

The letter reads: “Some schools, like St Mark’s, choose to provide an induction period to allow children who are new to education the chance to settle in.

“That induction often involves a period of part-time attendance. The specific arrangements are for schools to determine and offer to parents.

“But that offer of an induction period cannot alter the entitlement to a full-time place.

“Given that position, the department would expect a full-time place to be offered to any parent who did not wish to take up the induction offer.”

Ms Jarman added: “Bournemouth Council have been brilliant – they have given us information and advice about this issue, but ultimately I believe they’re hamstrung by the Department for Education and the review.”

Ms Jarman said: “Schools act with impunity and that’s because parents don’t want to rock the boat.

“We don’t want to have a negative relationship with a school, and so they get away with making life much harder for families.”

St Mark’s has told Ms Jarman that the decision is now in the hands of the Office of the Schools Adjudicator.

Parents confused on rights

MANY parents have been left confused after education secretary Michael Gove scrapped the automatic right for four-year-olds to be given a full-time place in school.

A shortage of around 120,000 positions at primary schools nationally is expected in September, and record numbers of children will be taught in classes of 31 or more.

Gove’s 2012 school admissions code says authorities must offer places for four-year-olds, but has deleted a reference to full-time included in the foreword to the 2010 code written by the then education secretary, Ed Balls.