A father whose daughter has been without a school since February claims he was told by education officials in Birmingham to get some books from the library and teach her at home.

Paul Reddington said he was "disgusted" by the advice he claimed to have received during a phone conversation to the education authority.

He claims the comments were made during an eight month battle to get a school place near his Hall Green home for 13 year-old Jodie following a family tragedy.

Jodie had been offered a place at Hall Green Secondary after finishing primary school.

But when her mother Amanda died 18 months ago, Paul, who was separated from Amanda and living in Spain, took Jodie to live with him.

She spent a year at a Spanish school until they returned to Hall Green in February this year to live with Mr Reddington's elderly parents.

"Before I returned, my parents phoned up to get school information packs from Birmingham and Solihull, which is just across the border," said the 40-year-old.

"I made a request to Hall Green School. I took my daughter there and asked if there were any places.

"They said there was nothing they could do for her."

Mr Reddington then phoned up Birmingham's education authority about getting an alternative school for Jodie near his home.

"They said there was nothing available around here," he said.

"The nearest place was in Erdington which is about 15 miles away."

Mr Reddington claims he then asked about alternative learning provision for his daughter.

"They said the best thing you could do is go down the library, get some books out of the library and you can teach her yourself at home.

"That was someone on the phone at Birmingham education."

Mr Reddington, who is unemployed, said he was appalled at the way his daughter was being treated.

"I am disgusted because they are arresting parents for not sending kids to school and we are trying to send her to school and hitting a brick wall everywhere we try," he said.

"This is the prime time for GCSEs and she is learning nothing at the moment.

"She keeps saying she wants to do reflexology when she leaves school but she is not learning anything to achieve that."

Mr Reddington feared his daughter was also missing out on vital social skills through being at home.

"She needs to mix with people her own age which she is not doing at all. I am trying to do as much as I can at home, but when it comes to maths I left school many years ago and I don't understand it anymore."

Mr Reddington said the place in Erdington was offered just before the start of the summer holidays.

A week before the start of the new year, Solihull informed him Jodie was on a waiting list at nearby Lighthall and Alderbrook schools.

"They said it was more Birmingham education than Solihull education," said Mr Reddington.

Birmingham LEA said because Hall Green was a foundation school, admission appeals were handled directly by its staff rather than the authority.

"If they are unhappy with the school they lodge an appeal with the school," said a spokesman.

"If not they can speak to the admissions service at the council."

Mr Reddington claimed no one at the authority had informed him about the appeals procedure.

"I even went to the school personally and was told by the secretary there were no places," he said.

"The school said we could appeal but the board was not meeting until October."