An 11-year-old boy is facing a two hour daily round-trip to get to classes after failing to get a place at any secondary school in his home town.

Bailey Wilson has been kept at home since September waiting for a space to come available at the schools near his home so that he can join his friends.

He has now been homeschooled for three months since being rejected by three different secondaries in Kettering, Northants.

Instead, he was offered a Year 7 place at a school in Rothwell, Northants., - which is more than seven miles away and a round-trip of two hours and 12 minutes.

Mum Freya Sturdy, 34, says she has been left heartbroken by the decision after Bailey told her all he wants for Christmas is to be able to go to school.

Freya, a customer services advisor, said: "When I asked him what he wanted for Christmas, all his reply to me was ‘to go to school'."

"It broke my heart. This is not what an 11-year-old boy should be asking for at Christmas time."

"This has affected all of the family beyond belief. "

"Bailey watches his friends travel to and from school daily and gets so upset that he cannot be with them or even have a chance at any school in Kettering, it's really affected him."

"I'm so worried if we don't get him into a school soon how he is going to carry on – he's missed three months of school already."

"I don't think we're being overly picky, we just want a school in his home town and I don't think that is an unreasonable thing to ask for. "

"But he's been told there's no place at any school in the whole of Kettering. It's not right."

Bailey had wanted to attend Kettering Buccleuch Academy (KBA), but not only was this application unsuccessful, he was not allocated Latimer Arts College or Kettering Science Academy (KSA).

Instead, he was given a place at Montsaye Academy in Rothwell and offered a bus pass to travel from Kettering to Rothwell.

But Freya and partner Russ, 37, an electrician, feel its unsafe for Bailey to walk for 35 minutes into Kettering to catch the bus up the A6 by himself.

The couple have three other children, aged one, three and nine, who need to be taken to school and nursery in the mornings, making a trip to Rothwell impossible.

Having exhausted the appeals process, the family are hoping that a December re-set of the waiting lists could see Bailey allocated a place in Kettering.

During the most recent conversation with NNC's admissions team, Freya was told there are 110 pupils waiting for a space at KBA, and 40 at both KSA and Latimer.

She said: "When I spoke to admissions last week, I was told the schools were all full and over subscribed."

"But just this week we have been told a girl who was previously in Brambleside who was allocated Southfields has just been given a place in KBA. How is that fair?"

"Bailey is absolutely heartbroken. He wants to know why he's not important, why he's being missed and not a priority, and I have nothing to tell him."

The family has been in touch with their local MP and councillors to try to help find a solution.

Meanwhile Bailey is trying to keep in touch with his friends through football training and with sleepovers.

He is using revision guides to go though core subjects of English, maths and science.

Bailey said: "I want to be able to walk to school. At first I thought ‘hooray, I don't have to go to school', now it's mid-school year and people are getting into friend groups."

"All I want for Christmas is to go to school."

Labour MP for Kettering Rosie Wrighting said: "The lack of school places in Kettering is something that has been raised with me by a number of constituents and I understand the impact this is having on local families. "

"Every child deserves an education that will give them the best possible start in life and I have written to North Northamptonshire Council about Bailey's case. "

"I am in conversation with the government about steps to improve the wider issue of school places and will continue to fight for investment to improve education locally."

North Northamptonshire Council has been asked for a comment.