(UK) Suffolk: 6yo with suspected ASD/ADHD out of school for 4 months
- 25 minutes ago
- 3 min read
A Suffolk child with special educational needs has been out of school for four months as Suffolk County Council admits it has a "long way to go" to improve provision.
Six-year-old Freya Sirin, from Woodbridge, has been out of school since December 5, after being removed from Kyson Primary School following behavioural difficulties linked to her suspected autism and ADHD.
For the first two months, she was left with no provision at all, but since then, she has been given limited animal-based sessions in a farm setting and short lessons at an alternative provision site.
Her mother, Samantha Serin, is "really scared" for her daughter, and says Freya is "really falling behind" with reading and writing skills. No school has been identified for her by the council at this time.
Mrs Serin said: "I don't see any end in sight for this.
"I just want my little girl to have the education she deserves. . . .
The family is now going to tribunal over Freya's Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), which they believe does not fit her needs.
Meanwhile, her mother, Samantha, added that she has also been unable to work since December, while trying to fight for her daughter's education.
Freya currently receives 21 hours of education a week, predominantly at an informal farm-based site with animals, while a normal full-time education would be 25 hours a week.
Suffolk County Council has acknowledged that it is a priority that Freya is put into an educational setting.
However, the council says a specialist provision would be most appropriate for her at this time and it is still looking to fill the missing four hours of education she is missing.
A council spokesman added: “We are very sorry for the difficulties this family has experienced. We know that we have not always got things right, particularly when it comes to communicating with parents, and we recognise how frustrating that can be. We are taking steps to improve this.
“Improving SEND services, alongside our partners, remains a key priority. Progress has been slower than we would like and is not yet being felt by all families, but we are starting to see positive changes coming through.
“We understand there is still a long way to go, but we are confident that our detailed improvement plans, and the way we are using data and evidence to track progress, will help us continue to make improvements.”
What is the situation with SEND provision in Suffolk?
Suffolk County Council has been struggling with addressing issues with special educational needs and disabilities for a number of years, with the authority feeling the backlash of various scathing OFSTED reports.
A report published in January 2024 said that Children and young people in Suffolk face a "system that has not worked well for a long time", saying that urgent improvements were required.
Following this, three senior Suffolk county councillors stepped down from their roles in the cabinet and deputy cabinet due to the failures. . . .
Meanwhile, Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) have seen huge backlogs, with 33.9% of reports currently missing their statutory deadline. However, this number has fallen since the summer.
Suffolk County Council also spent £615,806.94 [$826K] from October 2024 to Sept 2025 for the loss of support service and educational provision to families of children with special needs.
Parents have described these payments as a "delay tactic" against complaints to prevent them from taking tribunal cases further.
However, the council says reform is being made and that data shows recent improvements in services.
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