Schools Terminally ill mum forced to fight for daughter's primary place

A MOTHER from Stoke Gifford with incurable cancer says she feels “ignored” after her heartfelt appeal to secure a primary school place for her daughter was turned down by the local council - despite powerful backing from headteachers and her community.

- Lewis CLARKE

Christine Lote, who was diagnosed in 2022 with a rare bone cancer that led to the amputation of her right leg, was dealt another devastating blow in June 2024 when she was told the disease had spread to her lungs and was now terminal.

The diagnosis came on her daughter’s third birthday.

Now, facing an uncertain future, Christine is trying to ensure her four-year-old daughter Sophie begins school in a place that can support her emotionally - especially for the time when her mum is no longer there.

But her hopes were dashed when the council allocated Sophie a place at Little Stoke Primary, the family’s third choice, rather than their preferred school, St Michael's.

Christine said: “It would mean the world to know I have done my best to future-proof not only Sophie’s education but her emotional and psychological care for when the inevitable happens.”

She and her husband applied for Sophie's place in December through the normal admissions process, putting St Michael's first. It is not only the nearest school to their home - and within walking distance for Christine as an amputee - but it is also where Sophie has attended nursery for three years and where many of her closest friends are going.