(UK) Wales: 5-y-o with severe autism denied special school place
- The end of childhood
- 35 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Dec 5, 2025, Denbighshire Free Press: North Wales mum urges autistic daughter to be moved schools
Mum-of-two Tegan Reid, 27, said her five-year-old, Everly, has global developmental delay, significant communication difficulties, and high sensory needs.
Everly currently attends Ysgol Cybi in Holyhead, but Mrs Reid has asked for a change of placement to Ysgol y Bont, a special school on Anglesey for children with ALN.
But Mrs Reid said her requests have been refused, firstly by Isle of Anglesey County Council, and then by the Education Tribunal for Wales, following a hearing in November.
She said she feels “really badly let down,” and as if her daughter is “too autistic for a mainstream school, but not autistic enough for a special school”.
Mrs Reid said: “For over a year, we have been asking the local authority to place Everly at Ysgol y Bont.
“Every professional involved with her, including her paediatrician and specialist children’s services observed that she thrives in sensory-rich, highly supported environments, and struggles significantly in busy, structured mainstream classrooms.
“At her mainstream school (Ysgol Cybi), she is working far below the level of her peers, requires constant adult supervision, and cannot access learning without one-to-one intervention.
“After school, the strain shows: she is exhausted, dysregulated, withdrawn, often in meltdown, and unable to interact with us for hours. She’s just a different little girl; it’s heart-breaking.” . . .
She said: “The decision has failed Everly. It sets a dangerous precedent for other vulnerable children whose needs risk being minimised to save resources.
“Everly cannot communicate how overwhelmed she is in school. Her distress happens at home, behind closed doors, making her struggles easy to ignore.
“Multiple professionals have raised concerns, yet their recommendations were not followed. As parents, we cannot watch her suffer through a system that isn’t meeting her needs.
“I feel like I’m fighting to get her into a school that doesn’t want her, but who has the capability to help her.
“It’s been about two years of me trying to get her into Ysgol y Bont. We shouldn’t have to go through all of this heartbreak to get to that point.”
Mrs Reid also contacted her MS, Rhun ap Iorwerth, to raise her concerns with him.
Mr ap Iorwerth said: “Access to ALN support is an issue facing more and more families on Ynys Môn and across Wales, and I’m grateful to parents like Tegan for their work in raising awareness of those challenges.
“I welcome the additional funding that’s recently been announced to help families navigate the ALN system, but the proof will be in whether it does make a difference to struggling families.
“Longer-term, we have to make sure we have a system in place that is both effective and sustainable.”
An Isle of Anglesey County Council spokesperson added: “We understand that Education Tribunal for Wales has heard the appeal in question and reached its own, independent, decision.
“We cannot discuss individual cases and, therefore, it would not be appropriate to comment further.”
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