Nov 28, 2023, Suffolk News: Suffolk parent Stephanie Draves, from near Bury St Edmunds, speaks of frustration and stress as she fights for SEND son’s education https://www.suffolknews.co.uk/bury-st-edmunds/news/amp/i-didn-t-know-where-else-to-turn-mum-s-fight-for-educatio-9341501/
E. England
A mother says her young son with special needs is being ‘failed’ by Suffolk County Council (SCC) as he is missing out on school.
Stephanie Draves, from Brandon, near Thetford and Bury St Edmunds, is concerned that Tyler French, five, who should have started his reception year in September, does not yet have a specialist school place and is currently being homeschooled.
As well as losing out on his education, Stephanie, 39, is worried that Tyler is not socialising with other children, as he is not in a school environment, and says this is all having a negative impact on his behaviour.
Tyler has a range of diagnoses including autism, developmental delay and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, the latter of which affects the muscles in his face, shoulders and arms.
He is also wobbly walking and needs someone with him 24/7 and has a feeding tube in his stomach.
Stephanie said Tyler’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), a legal document which outlines the SEND (special educational needs and/or disabilities) support he must receive, says he must be in a specialist setting.
However, despite applications to six specialist schools, in Suffolk and Norfolk, they all turned him down, claims Stephanie, who also has two teenage children.
Stephanie had hoped Tyler could have gone to a special school in Bury St Edmunds, but she says it was at full capacity, and he ended up with a place for this academic year at a mainstream school.
However, the youngster didn’t even make it through his first induction day, just before the summer holidays, before she says his place was withdrawn as the school said ‘his needs were too great for them’…
She said her family was among those that had been ‘failed’ by SCC, the local education authority, over a lack of suitable education for their children….
She said he made so much progress at Brandon Pre-school Playgroup, adding when he started all he could do was bum shuffle across the floor and now he can say words. Stephanie complained to SCC in June this year about Tyler not having a specialist school place and over what she says was poor communication from the local authority.
The response from SCC admits they had, so far, been unable to secure a specialist placement for Tyler and also offers an apology ‘that you feel that your communications have not been responded to in a timely manner’….
Stephanie said, since SuffolkNews had got involved, the county council had been in contact about home tutoring for Tyler, but she added: “It’s not good enough. He needs to have an actual place at a school.”
Cllr Rachel Hood, cabinet member for education, SEND and skills at Suffolk County Council, said: “We recognise that it can be unsettling for families if there is a delay in finding a suitable school place or when waiting for a confirmed placement to begin, especially for children and young people with additional needs.
“For those children and young people with additional needs who are unable to attend school, whilst waiting for a placement, family services ensure they are supported with alternative education, such as tutoring and interim bespoke packages of education….
“I know lots of families are having difficulties, not just ours. I want to speak [out] for other people to try and help in some way.”
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