(UK) London: Autistic young man out of school for 4 years

Mar 21, 2023, My London: 'My son with autism has been out of school for 4 years - it's been so long that he has no idea how to talk to other kids' https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/my-son-autism-been-out-26481575.amp

A concerned South London mum claims her local council has "failed" her 14-year-old son, who has autism and hasn't been to school for four years. Naureen Alyas told MyLondon that her son Muhammed Haroon Nasir has fallen behind and is now isolated from his friends.

Mum Naureen alleges that her son wasn't given adequate support when it was time for him to transition to secondary school. Muhammed has autism, but Naureen says he is verbal and was told that he would be too "advanced" for an additional needs school. However, she told MyLondon that Southwark Council has repeatedly ignored her emails, leading to her son not attending school for the last four years.

Naureen told MyLondon: "He's been at home for four years and he's in freefall. He's sat at home with adults and only speaks to adults - he's not going to know how to speak to children the same age at this rate. I've never heard of a child being out of school for four years. It's so unfair, and the way he is around children now, he doesn't know how to interact with them the same way. He doesn't know how to talk to them anymore.

"We've taken the council to court and then things will get better and he'll get some support. Then, like clockwork, it goes back to them forgetting him. Their communication has been terrible with us, it's like they don't want him to go to school. If I took him out of school, I'd get into trouble, but somehow they are allowed to."

Naureen claims that after Muhammed took his SATs exams, they were told he would be attending the City of London Academy. MyLondon has seen a letter from a Southwark Council case officer wishing Muhammed "every success at the City of London Academy".

However, when it was time for him to start secondary school, Naureen claims nothing ever came of it.

Now, four years later, Naureen is repeatedly asked by neighbours what is happening with her son's schooling. Muhammed himself is also always asking his mum when he will get to go to school - Naureen is "heartbroken" that she can't give him an answer.

She said: "It has emotionally affected me, this whole situation. I've had to take time off work, I got a letter from the GP due to my stress. When it was time for his SATs, he got really stressed seeing all the other children opening their letters and finding out where they are going and he had nothing.

Muhammed and his mum Naureen - she claims her son hasn't been in school consistently for the last four years(Image: Family handout)