SINGLE-PARENT families are getting a “raw deal” from Renfrewshire Council’s new admissions policy for schools, it is claimed.

At a meeting of the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board in January, Councillor Carolann Davidson highlighted that single-parent families were not included in the policy as a priority group for admissions, when they previously had been.

Priority groups are used to determine whether a pupil will get a place at a school if it is oversubscribed. Previously, children in single-parent families had been given priority if the request being refused would have had a serious effect on their wellbeing or care.

At the time, Councillor Davidson was told by officers the omission of the group was a mistake and would be fixed.

But when the board met again last month to rubber-stamp the policy, she discovered the group had still been omitted.

Councillor Davidson was then told by officers her request to change the policy had not been minuted and so had been forgotten about.

As meetings of the board are not broadcast live, there was no official record of the agreement being struck.

Councillor Davidson has insisted a whole group of children are now being penalised for an administrative error.

“The children of single parents are getting a raw deal from Renfrewshire Council in the newly-adopted admissions to schools and placing request policy,” she said.

“I was very concerned the new proposals took away the rights of single parents. I asked the convenor at the education board in January why they had removed this priority group and I was told it was an oversight and would be rectified, so when I received the papers for the August board, I was horrified to see it hadn’t been changed.

“I was told my request for the change at the January board and the confirmation it would be fixed had not been minuted, therefore they forgot to change the proposal.

“Because of this error, a whole group of children and their parents are being penalised, with possible long-lasting effects on their safety and wellbeing.”

Councillor Davidson has called for all board meetings that are open to the public to be broadcast online.

“I’m extremely concerned over the lack of transparency with board meetings,” added the Labour member.

A council spokesman said: “The school admissions and placing request policy was brought to the latest Education and Children’s Services Policy Board and was approved during that meeting.

“This meeting is available on the council website.”

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