A YOUNG boy who was refused a place at his village primary school last year has finally been accepted. Rowan Stewart, aged four, had continued to attend his younger sister s playgroup because Herts County Council (HCC) couldn t find him a suitable school

A YOUNG boy who was refused a place at his village primary school last year has finally been accepted.

Rowan Stewart, aged four, had continued to attend his younger sister's playgroup because Herts County Council (HCC) couldn't find him a suitable school near his home in School Lane, Bricket Wood.

Rowan's parents, Ian and Sarah, listed Mount Pleasant Lane JMI as their first choice last October because, at one-and-a-half miles away, they believed it was the closest option.

But HCC allocated Rowan a place at Berrygrove School in Garston after the computerised mapping system listed it as a nearer alternative.

The route suggested by the council would have taken the Stewart family through dangerous spots, including the unlit Bricket Wood and the M1 motorway underpass.

Sarah refused the offer on the grounds that the walk was unsafe for her and her three young children, but her appeal was dismissed in March.

But now HCC has found space for Rowan at Mount Pleasant JMI and have told the Stewart's the good news.

Said Sarah: "I am so delighted and I have no doubt that The Herts Advertiser story helped in this sudden turn-around. After 11 months of arguing I can't believe it is over. It has really made my Christmas!