A family has contacted the Education Ombudsman with claims their daughter has been unfairly treated by a schools appeal panel.

Meghan (correct) Jobes’ parents were stunned when their bid to get the 11-year-old into Grange Technology College for the next school year was rejected by the panel despite her having Grange’s full backing.

She also had another letter of support from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service who help her 12-year-old autistic brother Kyle, already a Grange student.

Meghan’s father Andrew said the family was shocked when its first choice of Grange, less than a mile from their home in Elmfield Drive, Wibsey, was refused. Instead, she was given a place at Queensbury School six miles away. The family went to an appeal with their ward Councillor Lynne Smith (Lab, Wibsey) but a letter arrived on Saturday from Bradford Council saying the panel was sticking with the original decision.

Four out of 20 appeals were upheld for youngsters wanting to get into the first year of Grange and Mr Jobes, 45, a father-of-four, said: “Meghan is not going to Queensbury. Our only other option is to home tutor her. We can’t manage to get the children to three different schools.

“Meghan is asthmatic and buses worry her. She nearly died from an attack last year. Grange is closest to us as the crow flies, our son is already there and is getting distressed Meghan won’t be joining him. The college also runs a law course which is something Meghan really wants to take up.”

Mr Jobes is on permanent sick with mobility problems and has severe depression. His wife Andrea, 34, is his carer.

He said: “It’s beyond us how we can have the support of our local councillors, Grange itself and the team who support Kyle but the appeal panel still goes against us - it just doesn’t make sense.”

The Jobes family had filled in just one of the five school preference boxes when they applied for the place at Grange last year.

“We were so sure because of all our circumstances that Meghan would get into Grange. It’s just so frustrating,” said Mr Jobes.

Bradford Council’s education webpage says the appeals panel has to look for “exceptional reasons” and added: “The Independent Appeals Panel considers each appeal on its own merit.”

Coun Smith (Lab) said: “The family have been put in a dreadful situation however I think the issue is that Grange is hugely oversubscribed and that they live just outside the preferred catchment area.

“Megan will be on a waiting list, I’m just hoping she will get in soon.”

There are currently 47 pupils on the waiting list and Meghan’s parents have been told she is in 30th place.