(UK) Kent: Autistic boy rejected by 29 special schools; 'too complex' to handle

Mar 23, 2022, Plainsman Post: Mum claims special schools ‘cherry picking cases’ after they are rejected 29 times https://plainsmenpost.com/mum-claims-special-schools-cherry-picking-cases-after-they-are-rejected-29-times/

SE England Leanne Dale’s son Jack, 13, who has autism, ADHD and anxiety issues, was removed from Bradfields Academy in Chatham, Kent, last year and has since been rejected by 29 special schools Leanne Dale says special schools are ‘cherry picking easy cases’ A mum is at her wits end after her special needs son was rejected from 29 schools without them ever even meeting him. Leanne Dale’s 13-year-old son Jack has autism, ADHD and anxiety issues, and was deemed ‘too complex’ for his last school, Bradfields Academy in Chatham, Kent, she said. The teen has been without full-time education since April last year and his mum said it’s taken a toll on his mental health. Leanne – who has had to take unpaid leave to look after Jack – said she was given little warning before the decision was made. The school and Medway Council didn’t initially offer any kind of alternative educational program while he waited for a new permanent school place, she claims. Jack had been at Bradfields – which caters for pupils with complex needs – for two years, which included pandemic lockdowns....

Jack has spent nearly a year without any schooling