THE mother of a four-year-old girl has been educating her daughter at home because she says the road to the nearest school is too dangerous for them to walk.

Anna-Marie Smith moved with daughter Tasmin to Beaworthy recently, enrolling her at the nearest school, Halwill Primary, one and threequarter miles away.

Mrs Smith does not drive and was left with the option of walking her daughter to school on a busy road or paying for school transport she says she cannot afford.

While other pupils have been back to school for almost a fortnight, Tasmin, who will be five in March, is currently staying at home.

Mrs Smith said: 'I have tried to walk the road without my children and even by myself I found it pretty dangerous because there is no pavement at all.

'It is a busy road and there is no way I can walk with her to school.'

Mrs Smith said although the first part of the walk to school was along a safe road out of the village, the last threequarters of a mile was along a busy road with no pavement, used by vehicles travelling between Okehampton and Holsworthy.

Mrs Smith said she was concerned the route would only become more dangerous during the winter months as there was no lighting along the road.

She said she contacted Devon County Council, but was told because her daughter was only attending school on a part-time basis she was not entitled to any help with transport costs.

Mrs Smith said she was told the cost of regular bus journeys to school for her daughter for a year, would be £244 — a sum she could not afford to pay.

Tasmin currently goes to nursery school, but was due to begin attending Halwill Primary two afternoons a week earlier this month.

David Jones, headteacher at Halwill Primary, said he felt no child should miss school because of problems with transport bureaucracy. He said he was concerned to learn of the case and hoped some arrangements could be made so that Tasmin could begin attending school soon.

A spokesperson for Devon County Council said: 'We are not obliged to provide free school transport to part-time students. There is a bus service between Beaworthy and Halwill Primary School.'

The spokesperson added: 'Everyone has the right to take a matter to the School Transport (Appeals) committee.'

Tasmin may yet be able to take up her place at the school, as Mrs Smith's father has stepped in to say he will pay the school bus charge to make sure his grand-daughter can attend.

But Mrs Smith says she is still waiting for Devon County Council to send her an application form so she can register Tasmin for school transport, and she fears it could be another couple of weeks before arrangements are made.