PARTIALLY-SIGHTED Daniel Paxford has missed classes for the past five months because of a row over which school he goes to.

His mother Janine claims the council is putting Daniel, who also has hearing problems, in danger by sending him to a school miles from his home.

Charles Clarke, the Government Minister responsible for special needs, has asked Bolton for an official explanation about why they did not take Daniel's problems into account when they allocated him a secondary school place.

Janine, of Broadwalk, Westhoughton, believes Daniel should be made a special case because his hearing and sight problems make it dangerous for him to travel to school alone.

She wants him to go to Rivington and Blackrod so he can make the journey with his older brother Christopher, 14, who already attends the popular school. The family would also settle for a place at Westhoughton High, but the council insists the 12-year-old attends The Deane School.

Janine said: "Daniel has a statement of special needs which states that he has difficulty locating moving objects. He uses his peripheral vision so if there is a car coming down the road Daniel does not know where it is - he cannot judge where things are.

"He also suffers from constant background noise in his ears which sounds like traffic. This makes it difficult for him to pick out cars. It means Daniel cannot get to school under his own steam but it is difficult for me to take him because I have two babies."

Appeals to both Rivington and Westhoughton schools have been turned down and Bolton West MP Ruth Kelly has taken up Daniel's case.

A council spokesman said it was difficult to comment on individual cases but Daniel's statement said any of Bolton's mainstream schools could meet his needs.

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