Parents will have to prove address for admissions to popular Northumberland schools

Allegations were made that three sets of parents whose children were allowed in had obtained places by fraudulently claiming to live in the school's catchment area.

The council investigated and decided there were no grounds for action, after obtaining assurances the children would be living in the catchment area by the time they started going to Burnside.

Mrs Seex has found no maladminstration in the way the council conducted the probe - but suggested it should consider asking parents to provide proof of residence when they apply for a place.

Yesterday the county council said it has already acted on all of Mrs Seex's recommendations, meaning parents applying for places at over-subscribed schools are having to provide proof of residence.

In her official report into the Cramlington affair, Mrs Seex said the council had no policy on how it would decide whether there has been fraud in an application for a school place.

In the case of Burnside Primary, officials were satisfied by assurances from the accused parents, supported by third party corroboration in the form of a bank statement, estate agent's confirmation of an intention to move and a solicitor's letter.

The Ombudsman found the county council guilty of maladministration in the way it handled appeals by the four families against the refusal of places for their children at Burnside - and recommended they should receive £250 for their time and trouble.

She said the parents were caused injustice by not having their appeals handled in the way specified by the Appeals Code. The council also failed to meet the statutory timescale for publishing a notice school admission arrangements could be inspected, and any objections made to the Schools Adjudicator.

One of those awarded £250 is single mum Clare Russell, who complained after her son Harvey, five, was refused a place at Burnside despite his sister Abby, seven, being a pupil there.

Last night Clare said: "We have proved we suffered maladministration and injustice, yet I still don't have a place for Harvey at the school. This has been a very lengthy process and the money is irrelevant, but £250 is no compensation for all the stress we have suffered.

"I now have children at two different schools, yet I know there are children at Burnside who don't even live in Cramlington."

Local Conservative county councillor Wayne Daley said: "The council failed in its duty to ensure that children were given a fair and equal opportunity to have the school of their choice.

"This failure has had a dramatic effect on many of the local parents I represent, who must now pick up children, including brothers and sisters, from different schools in different parts of Cramlington."

A council spokeswoman said: "We are pleased that the integrity of the council's process was upheld. However, we have recognised the three recommendations in the Ombudsman's report. All have been in place for some time, and we implemented a new admissions' appeals code in February.

"We would like to apologise to the parents involved for any concern caused."