A Watford mother condemned the school places allocation process in Hertfordshire as an “absolute farce” after finally getting her daughter a place at the school she requested.

Joanne Brisbane has home schooled her four-year-old daughter Eve since the beginning of the school term after she failed to get a place at Parkgate Infant and Nursery School – despite attending its nursery for a year and having an older sister there.

Mrs Brisbane, 34, initially lost an appeal with Hertfordshire County Council – but despite being told at one point she should move her family out of Watford to get Eve into reception she is now enrolled at the primary school.

The police officer from North Watford said: “We got the outcome we wanted, but I don’t think it needed to be like this.

“The system is an absolute farce. It’s all too automated now, there’s no common sense – nothing personal about the process. It’s felt like a struggle, it doesn’t feel like we have won – it shouldn’t have to be like this.”

After losing her appeal, Mrs Brisbane waited until the school year started and completed a mid-term application for Eve. Two weeks ago she started at Parkgate.

Mrs Brisbane said Parkgate was the only primary school her daughter could attend because of child care arrangements. Her older daughter Grace, 11, has also just finished at the school.

Mrs Brisbane She phoned the council every week to find out Eve’s position on the waiting list for Parkgate.

She said she was told something different every call, and sometimes felt the responses were rude and dismissive.

She said: “Each person we spoke to had a different response. One time we were advised to move out of Watford, which clearly was not a helpful suggestion.

“It was incredibly frustrating, we were constantly being fobbed off.

"Possibly there are people out there who are unhappy about what happened to their child’s schooling and were told that’s tough and took it as fact.

"If we had done that, where would we have ended up? We have had to fight the council to get something done but it’s been a lot harder than it needed to be."

In a statement, Hertfordshire County Council said: “We’re pleased that Eve has now been allocated a place at Parkgate Infant School. We can understand the family’s frustration that she did not originally get a place at her preferred school. However, we have to apply our rules fairly to all children.

“Like Eve, the vast majority of children in Hertfordshire were allocated one of their ranked schools. We want all children to have access to a good education so they can reach their full potential, with the right number of school places in the right location.”