JUST days until the end of the summer term, some children with special educational needs have still not been allocated school places for the start of the next academic year.
Two families with youngsters in this position have contacted Wokingham.Today to share their frustrations.
We are protecting both families’ identities.
“We’ve been dropped,” said one child’s mother, who we’ll call Parent A.
“It’s unbelievable that my little boy has no school to go to.”
Parent A and her husband followed the borough’s secondary school application process, and in April their son was offered a place at a borough school.
“He loved it,” she said.
“And when he got a place, he was over the moon.”
But an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP) was in the process of being drawn up for him.
This is a legal document outlining a child’s special educational needs, the support they require, and what they’d like to achieve.
“Once the school read the EHCP, they withdrew their offer of a place, saying that they couldn’t support his need for one-to-one teaching,” Parent A said.
“We were told everything would be easier once we had this plan.
“We had the impression it was a golden ticket to get him the help he needs, but it has made things so much harder.”
Having lost their school place, the family contacted their EHCP officer at Wokingham Borough Council to find out about specialist schools in the area, and alternative educational provision for their son.
“Our first EHCP officer put things in place and gave us daily updates, but then at half term she went on maternity leave,” said Parent A.
“We were told a hand-over would take place within a week or two, but everything went quiet.”
Eventually the family received the unwelcome news that a hand-over had not been possible.
“I was given a contact telephone number to call,” she said, “But it was just for the borough council front desk.
“I couldn’t believe it – I was so distraught I was sent home from work.”
Even visiting the council’s Shute End offices in person got her nowhere.
“I was told that no-one works in the building any more, so I couldn’t speak to anyone.
“I felt like we’d been dropped.”
Councillor Nagi Nagella was helpful, however, and put her in contact with an EHCP manager.
“What they said was vague, but resulted in a zoom meeting with our primary school SENCO,” Parent A said.
However, the family was not invited to join this meeting, and since June 19, despite repeated requests for information, they have faced a wall of silence from Wokingham Borough Council’s education department.
“We still have no EHCP officer, and we’ve had no call backs, no emails, nothing whatsoever from them,” she said.
“I need their help, because while I can contact specialist schools myself, they can’t accept an EHCP from a parent – it has to come from the local authority.”
A Wokingham Borough Council spokesperson, said: “Our SEND team has been working hard to find places for all pupils with EHCPs that are moving between two key stages of education.
“This includes moving from an infant school to a junior school or moving from a primary school to a secondary school.
“So far, they have found places for over 90% of children that this process applies to and we are committed to finding places for all children before the start of the new school year in September.
“Where suitable places are identified, we consider these quickly and let families know as soon as possible, as we recognise that this is an anxious time for all children and families affected.
“We aim to respond to all parent and carer queries within five working days, however demand for the service is exceptional at this time of year, so some families may experience a longer wait to hear from us as we work to prioritise securing places for these children.”
Councils have a range of responsibilities to support children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND), including making sure that they can access a suitable education.
But according to the Local Government Association (LGA), a surge in primary school pupil numbers has created pressure on places that is now reaching secondary schools.
Many councils face enormous challenges to make sure there are enough school places available for children and young people in their areas.
Another parent, we’ll call her Parent B, has recently received a final decision from the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) after Wokingham Borough Council failed to provide her then eight year old son with a full time education over four school terms.
“They also failed to provide him with the special educational needs laid out in his EHCP,” she said.
“The council has made a payment for a financial remedy just short of £7,800, but this doesn’t make up for the loss of education, or the fact that my child is unable to return to school because of the trauma caused by the process.”
Parent B says that children with special educational needs are in a desperate situation; let down and left without suitable education for considerable periods of time.
“There are many other families having to fight on a daily basis to ensure their children receive an appropriate education,” she said.
“We want to highlight the faults of the council as they don’t seem to take action to solve the situation and ensure children receive the support needed.
“We are currently making a second complaint as our child is still not receiving a full time education.
“This is a third year of lost provision with very little support.”
Regarding this second case, a council spokesperson, said: “We are committed to improving our services for children and families.
“We have apologised to the family for their experience.
“As an organisation committed to learning and continuous improvement, we have accepted the Ombudsman’s recommendations and are working with partners to address the findings of this investigation.”
Parent A summed up what it means to be without a school place.
“We’re still getting emails in error from the school we lost, inviting us to their welcome events, and it’s just heartbreaking,” she said.
“While other families are thinking about school uniforms, and sharing the excitement of the next step, we’re still in the dark.
“It’s so infuriating that we hear nothing at all from the Local Education Authority.
“They may be doing something, but no-one’s telling me.
“As far as I’m aware, It’s just me and my lovely SENCO teacher trying to sort this out by ourselves.
“We’re fighting against a wave of treacle, and I feel so alone.”
While these two families battle to win school places for their children, one question is: How many other families are facing this uncertainty in the borough?
Another is: Why are these parents facing a wall of silence?
For information about the borough’s educational policy, visit: www.wokingham.gov.uk/schools-and-education
For the LGA website, visit: www.local.gov.uk and search for Education Provision.
