Aug 20, 2023, Andover Advertiser: Parents prepare to march over care for children with extra needs https://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/news/23734927.parents-prepare-march-care-children-extra-needs/
S. England
Disappointed parents have hit out at Hampshire County Council, claiming the authority does not make enough effort to provide suitable provision for children with special needs
The parents claim that in some cases, children are out of school for months, or due to lack of assurance over their children’s needs, parents have refused mainstream school places.
Mum Kayleigh Fay says her daughter Rosie, 10, who has autism, separation anxiety and situational mutism, has not attended school since February.
She claims the school, Merdon Junior School in Eastleigh, made an “unattainable” Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and forced her into a situation that led her daughter to leave the school grounds by herself.
“Trying to force her into school is traumatic; anyone in education should know this. Her EHCP states the school needs to work closely with me to support this transition”, she said.
“I recommended a plan which we felt would be attainable for Rosie, and this wasn’t even discussed….
In July, Rosie went on a two-week trial at a special school. However, because she was on a reduced timetable, she could not meet the requirements for core subjects. Therefore, the special secondary school was unable to offer her a place.
Kayleigh said: “She’s not accessed any core subjects in the last 17/18 months now. I can’t even get a specialist school to take her on. How is she meant to get any better if she can’t get a school to even try to meet her needs?”
Rosie’s case is not an isolated one.
Another mum, Aimee Bradley, says her son Ashton's EHCP stipulated one-to-one support at all times. The youngster, who is four years old, is due to start primary school in September. He has been diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum disorder, global delay and possibly TDA. He is also classed as non-verbal.
"He is about 18-24 months mentally," Aimee, who is from Havant, told the LDRS.
"He is still in nappies, and we want him to go to Riverside School because they can meet his needs, but the Local Authority [Hampshire County Council] has placed him into Trosnant Infant School, a mainstream school."
She claims that in a meeting she attended with an independent witness, Trosnant School suggested they could not meet her son's needs, but they have to accept him regardless of his needs.
This led Aimee to file a tribunal case against Hampshire County Council to prove that her son is incompatible with learning alongside others at a mainstream school.
She said: "I have to go to court to prove that my son would be failed at a mainstream school.
He's got no understanding. He gets naked when he has meltdowns. He just won't cope. It would be an absolute disaster for his mental health.
"This situation has affected my whole family. It is so consuming. I would want nothing more than to have him be able to go to a mainstream school, but I know that won't benefit him in any way. "
Ashton should start reception in September. However, Aimee says the school hasn't employed anyone for her son at this point, and he requires a 1-to-1 "all the time".
"I have not heard from the mainstream school; they never contacted me or the nursery to visit him. There are no messages about transitions. We heard absolutely nothing.
"The nursery tried to contact the LA, but they never get back to you; they just don't get back to people. They should have sent someone to the nursery before he finished in July, and no one did. These people [officers from HCC] never met Ashton; they just looked at a piece of paper and made a decision about his future without even seeing him in person."
Aimee indicated that for September, she has no other option than to keep Asthon at home as she is unwilling to send him into an environment that won't be beneficial for his mental health. She knows he will end up on a reduced timetable, as "they won't be able to manage him".
"He doesn't have any communication techniques, he is refusing PECS, and he is not fluent at Makaton. I believe there is only one person at the school that is trained in autism and special needs to his level, one person. …
"People are just begging for the education that their children deserve."
The widespread issue has led to parents across the country protesting at Parliament Square Gardens in London in June, demanding educational reform for children with special needs.
SEND Reform England's Southampton branch, which Aimee leads, will peacefully protest in Southampton Guildhall Square from 11am to 2pm on October 12.
The initiative has already received more than 80,000 signatures supporting the reform. If you wish to submit your support, follow the link. …
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