A family is celebrating victory after finally winning a place for their 11-year-old son at a school with his friends.

Louis Mitchell has spent the last seven months at home after refusing to go to the school allotted to him by Brighton and Hove education authority. Now he is looking forward to his first day at Dorothy Stringer School in a week's time after an independent panel overturned an earlier decision to refuse him a place.

It was the fourth appeal the Mitchell family has made after attempts to get him into other schools nearby all failed. His mother Sarah Winder, 31, said: "Louis was just so happy. You couldn't have given him better news."

Louis, of The Avenue, Bevendean, has not been to school since July last year because he refused to take up a place at Falmer School. He wanted to be with his friends at nearby Varndean School but his application was rejected because it was sent in too late.

His family appealed against the decision without success and subsequent appeals for Patcham and Dorothy Stringer also failed. In desperation, she appe-aled for a second time to win a place at Dorothy Stringer.

Sarah said: "He was top of his class at primary school and although he's got some catching up to do I'm sure he will be fine because he is so keen to do well."

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