THE parents of a five-year-old who has been shunted around three schools in two years say they are at their wits' end.

Nasir Marwat and his wife Dr Safia Rehman moved to Oxford last summer when she took up a job at the John Radcliffe Hospital as a registrar.

But their son Abdullah did not get a place at any of the four schools they wanted him to go to, instead ending up three miles away.

Now, a week after pupils starting school in September found out where they would be going, Mr Marwat said he and his wife still did not know where Abdullah would be educated next academic year.

The 37-year-old said: "I work in Hounslow and I have a long journey there every morning.

"My wife works different shifts, it is not a nine-to-five job.

"Because of this it would be our preference to have a school in the local area.

"It has had a really big impact, it is a nightmare.

"It is not good for Abdullah in terms of the effect of moving school.

"He gets upset with a new school, new friends and in terms of his development it has affected him."

When the family moved to Headington from Hounslow, their first choice was their catchment school, Windmill Primary School.

Abdullah did not get offered a place there or at their other choices – St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, St Michael's CE Primary School and New Marston Primary School.

Instead he was offered a place at Cutteslowe Primary School, but then moved to St Francis CE Primary School in Cowley as Cutteslowe had no places in its after school club.

Mr Marwat said: "We found out on his first day at Cutteslowe that there were no places.

"We had to take annual leave then on very short notice because I could not get back from Hounslow in time to pick him up.

"It has been very stressful.

"Ideally I would like the county council to get in touch with us and let us know what is going on.

"We are hoping at least for this year we can get a place in one of the schools in Headington that we applied for that will be convenient for us."

Oxfordshire County Council announced last week that 93.68 per cent of primary age children received their parents' first choice school for next year,

County council spokesman Owen Morton said: "Unfortunately when the family moved to Oxford all the places at their three preferred schools had already been allocated.

"We therefore offered a place at St Francis School which is just under two miles from the home address.

"The family accepted this place and remain on the 'continued interest lists' for the other three schools.

"Oxfordshire has a strong record on school place-planning and we are continuing to work in close partnership with all schools to ensure that families can continue to access good local places for their children."