MY POSTBAG this week has been dominated by disappointed parents who have failed to get their child into the school of their choice. Often, siblings are being sent to different schools some distance apart.

Clearly this is going to cause a logistical nightmare for parents trying to take their children to school.

There is a real problem with school places in Thurrock. Put simply, the delivery of school places has not kept up with the changing population needs of the borough. The result is there is under-provision in some areas and over-provision in others. So many children have to travel around the borough for school. In the case of my child, Harris Academy Chafford Hundred is easily the closest school, but instead he travels daily to Stanford-le-Hope.

The Government’s free schools programme gives us the opportunity to fix this. We have already seen the Gateway Academy take advantage of this programme to establish a new primary school in Tilbury. But there is an acute need for a new primary school in Chafford Hundred. There has been a need for a number of years and it is time we got it sorted.

So I will be lobbying the Government for the cash to establish a new free school in Chafford, but I need your help. In order to make the best case and ensure we get the money, I need to be able to show there is local demand for a new school.

If you feel strongly that we need a new school in Chafford, please write to me at the House of Commons or at Jackie.doyleprice.mp@parliament.uk We are seeing some excellent partnerships emerging between our successful academy secondary schools and their supporting primaries. We have the ability to deliver a great change in education provision. Let’s grab it with both hands.