A “to do” over places at Bradley Stoke Community School more than two years ago is being blamed for a four-year-old girl being allocated a school place 50 minutes walk from her home.

The Evening Post has been reporting on the case of Gavin and Karen Peters, who live in Juniper Way, who have been refused entry to their first three school preferences.

This is despite one of those choices being less than half a mile away - at their end of their street.

The Peters wanted their daughter, Millie, to go to either Bailey’s Court, St Mary’s (on Juniper Way) or Wheatfield Schools but were turned down for all three because they were oversubscribed.

She has now been allocated a place at Bowsland Green which Mrs Peters says would take 50 minutes to walk and is along an unlit path.

In an email, seen by The Bradley Stoke Examiner, which was sent by an employee of South Gloucestershire Council, they claimed the “lake route was included after all the to do with Bradley Stoke [Community] School potential parents”.

The council worker is referring to a case in 2006 where a girl in Ormonds Close was refused entry to the community school despite being able to see it from her house.

At the time, the official council gazetteer showed that her nearest school would be Patchway if walked using official routes.

After a campaign those routes were changed to include the nature reserve. Two years later the consequence of this change is that Millie has been given a place at Bowsland Green.

Pictured: Three Brooks Nature Reserve, where Millie would be expected to walk to school

Since the fight between the district council and parents battling for places at the community school, new tarmac has been put down on the paths and street lighting installed - which is not the case for the route to Bowsland Green School.

A spokeswoman for South Gloucestershire Council, speaking to Evening Post, defended the latest decision: “The routes to school used in determining allocations are agreed and adopted as part of the Routes to School Gazetteer.

“Where parents are unsuccessful in gaining a place at one of their preferred schools, they are referred to their nearest available school with a place available.

“This is normally within the statutory walking distance of two miles for children under the age of eight.”