A father has branded a council policy sexist after being told he is unlikely to get help getting his son to a specialist school.

John Corley-Greenaway lives in Great Easthall, Sittingbourne, with his 11-year-old Milo, his partner Danielle and their other four children.

Milo spends half of his time with his dad and the other half with his mum, Annemarie Barker, who lives in Tonbridge.

He will be starting school at Snowfields Academy in Cranbrook in September which is 28 miles from his father's home. The school has been picked due to a lack of special education places in Swale.

The 52-year-old said: "The council have told us that they won't pay for him to have a taxi or contribute to transport to his new specialist secondary from our address, only his mum's."

John and Danielle understand other parents in the area, whose children are going to same school, are having a minibus arranged.

They don't understand why Milo can't have a seat.

John, a self-employed handyman, said: "The council have said they will offer a taxi service from his mother's house, as their policy states that transport can only be arranged from one parent, and it's the parent that is closest to the school and the one who receives the child benefit.

"I feel it's unfair. Milo lives with Danielle and I half the time so what's the difference?

"Normally, after a separation the mother will get the child benefit so to some extent I do think this is a sexist policy.

"Milo's mum is amazing but she does get all the benefits and everything for him. We don't get a penny from the Government for him despite Milo living here half the time, which is court ordered."

Annemarie agrees with John and fears the policy will have a strain on separated parents.

The 38-year-old said: "I think it’s unfair KCC will only provide transportation from one address.

"I believe it’s putting pressure on parents of two households and it could cause issues within a co-parenting family.

"I feel one of our households will be discriminated against, and that we may be left thousands of pounds out of pocket and unable to work if this issue isn’t resolved."

John has worked out that taking Milo to school himself would cost him about £7,000 a year.

With travel time taking up to 90 minutes each way during rush hour it would also leave the dad having to half his working hours.

He said: "To take Milo to school I'll have to somehow make more money while cutting my working hours.

"It just isn't doable, the residence order will not change and he will always be with myself half of the time.

"If this is not resolved Milo will not be able to attend school half of the time."

John, Annemarie and Danielle have not applied for the taxi service after being told by KCCs transport eligibility department that the council does not provide transport from two addresses.

In an email sent to the parents a KCC transport assistant said: "Unfortunately we do not provide transport from two addresses, even if a parent has a court order like the one you have issued.

"Once the application has been processed (if it has been correctly submitted) we would require the request to be made if it wasn’t mentioned on the application.

"If it’s a refusal which I imagine it would be, it would need to be officially appealed."

However, KCC has stressed they should still apply despite this email.

A spokesman said: "“The process for SEND home-to-school transport on 50/50 residency is that we would consider assessments on a case-by-case basis.

"A request has to be formally made for this before we consider an individual’s circumstances.”

John finished: "As it stands with the council's decision I am having to tell them that I'm having to refuse to take him.

"We just cannot physically afford to do it.

"Even if we went on benefits we still couldn't do it, we would physically not have the money.

"We're stumped, we don't know what we're going to do."