A TORFAEN mother has spoken out after her daughter, who suffers with epilepsy, has been refused entry to their local primary school.

Three year-old Tillie-Mae Felton is currently a pupil of the nursery at Garnteg Primary School but has been turned down for its September intake due to ‘not being in the catchment area’ even though her family live less than a mile away.

Her mother Sara Stephens appealed Torfaen County Borough Council's decision, but she received a letter on Tuesday confirming that the school would not be accommodating her daughter.

Ms Stephens has said she feels ‘saddened’ by the decision, after a nurse wrote a letter in support of the appeal to Torfaen County Borough Council.

The same nurse visited the school last year to instruct teachers on what to do with regard to a student having an epileptic fit in connection with Tillie-Mae being considered for a place at the school.

Ms Stephens, of Varteg Road, said: “She can have up to ten seizures a day and we don’t know yet what is the trigger. Obviously I want her life to be as easy and as happy as possible, when she is nervous it can be worse.

“We live 0.53 miles away and they said the reason was that we are out of the catchment area and she has no siblings at the school, I find it really worrying and quite bad.”

She explained her sister, Katie, lives around the corner and her two boys, aged six and seven, go to Garnteg Primary.

Ms Stephens, 28, added: “From speaking to other parents, I know several that live out of the catchment area.

"I have been offered other schools but I don’t want her having to travel to Pontypool or Blaenavon.

“My partner Gavin works away but my parents also live nearby so if anything happens we can be there pretty quickly at Garnteg."

She would have liked her daughter to go to Victoria Primary School, but added: "With Victoria School closing then she would be moved and I want her to feel as settled as possible.”

A Torfaen council spokesman said: “This decision is in line with council policy on school admissions. The reception class at Garnteg is oversubscribed and in this case the pupil was refused admission based on the criteria of distance from home to school and having no sibling at the school.

“The family have been informed that schools with places currently available in the vicinity for September are Victoria Primary, Penygarn Primary and Blaenavon Heritage VC Primary.”