A parent has launched a petition to give Sutton children priority in the borough’s schools.

Andrew Cady, 41, a technical claims consultant for Royal Bank of Scotland Insurance, launched the petition on the Downing Street website to counter the impact of overcrowding at both grammar and state schools, which left many Sutton children forced to learn out of the borough.

A census in May 2008 showed only 2,018 students from Sutton made up the 5,238 total population of the borough’s grammar school children.

The remaining 62 per cent of children came from other areas.

Mr Cady’s move also comes after parents protested at 2010 admission proposals for Nonsuch High School for Girls and Wallington High School for Girls, which gave a greater emphasis to students with the highest marks living outside the area.

Mr Cady, a father-of-two from Sutton, said: “Our grammar schools are extremely popular, but their current admissions policy means there are fewer places for Sutton children and increased pressure on our comprehensives.

“This is resulting in long journeys to school for many children and dissatisfaction among parents, who are disadvantaged by the unfair competition for their children’s school places.”

Fellow parent Angela Wilkins, of Beddington, said she had also been left “disheartened” by the current system after three children faced the prospect of being educated in different schools with her son forced to study outside of the borough.

Mrs Wilkins said she felt “totally let down”.

She said: “I hope their education doesn’t suffer by being in separate schools and separate boroughs.

“The process of children moving to secondary school is a very stressful time for any parent, but the situation I have found myself in has been causing a lot more stress than I could have ever imagined.”

Mr Cady’s petition already has 34 signatures including that of Wallington and Carshalton MP Tom Brake, who said he would try to raise the matter in Parliament.

He said: “Local schools must reflect the local community.”

• What do you think? Let us know by email here, phone the newsdesk on 020 8330 9555 or leave a comment below.