A boy with autism who faced a 90-minute journey on three buses to get to school after a shortage of secondary places in the Dartford area has now been offered an alternative.

Calum Hayward was originally offered a place outside Kent, which would have meant catching his first bus from Temple Hill at 6.45am.

The 11-year-old would then have had to change twice before reaching Erith School at 8.15am.

The school was not among Calum’s mum Kate Hayward’s four choices when she applied for a secondary school for her son.

But she is one of several parents who, without prior warning, have been given places outside the county.

The Messenger revealed last month that it is the first time Kent County Council has had to offer schools that are in the London boroughs of Bexley and Bromley.

It is the result of the decision by the Department for Education (DfE), and opposed by KCC, to shut Oasis Academy in Hextable next year.

The shortage of places in Dartford, Hextable and Swanley is so critical that a KCC report has warned more children leaving primary school in the next two to three years may have to attend schools outside Kent as most secondary schools in the three towns will be “full to capacity” once displaced pupils from Oasis Academy have been accommodated.

The situation was branded “absolutely ridiculous” by Miss Hayward, 33, who discovered her son’s educational fate in standard school admission emails sent out in March.

However, since speaking to the Messenger last week, Miss Hayward has been offered an alternative place at Ebbsfleet Academy in Swanscombe.

It comes after parents contacted KCC about the difficulties their children faced getting to Erith School.

Although Ebbsfleet Academy was not one of Miss Hayward’s four choices for Calum, she is happier that his journey each day from his home in Henderson Drive will be much easier.

“Although it is a bit further away from home, it is the difference between having to get three buses or just one,” she said.

“Calum will be able to get a school bus which goes straight from our road to the school.

“The whole situation is madness. The letter we were originally sent told us there were no places in Kent, but there obviously are, and I’m sure we were allocated Erith School simply by postcode.”

Despite accepting the place at Ebbsfleet Academy, the mum-of-one still plans to go ahead with her appeal against the original school allocation.

“As a parent you are told to put down your four choices but Erith School was not our choice, and Ebbsfleet Academy is now our only choice, pending the appeal.

“The ideal outcome would be getting my first choice of Leigh Academy but I would rather take the Ebbsfleet offer and at least I know Calum has the place, rather than not accepting, losing the appeal and having to send him to Erith School.”