SEND in the spotlight: Three families' struggles to secure schooling
Michael Billington reports
The families of three children from Yorkshire who have autism have spoken to ITV News about their ongoing battle to secure the education they need.
Toby Walmsley, Junior Udris and Charlie Bestwick come from different parts of the county but share similar frustrations.
From travelling miles across county boundaries, to being forced to choose from mainstream schools which cannot meet their needs, their parents have all faced lengthy and stressful challenges to get their children a suitable school place.
They spoke to ITV News as part of an investigation into the gaps in provision for children with special educational needs.
Lauren Bestwick had to quit work to care for her son - seven-year-old Charlie who, because of ADHD and autism spectrum disorder, could only cope with two hours of schooling a day. Lauren believes that in total he's missed 18 months of education.
After a lengthy search, she finally found a school which could support his needs. But she says she had to threaten to take his case to a tribunal before the council relented and granted him a place.
The family live near Skipton. Charlie's new school is in Lancaster, a 62-mile, two-hour round-trip every day.
"There are no settings within an hour's distance of this house that said, 'yeah, we can meet his needs'. It's taken one that's an hour away to say we can educate your child” Lauren told us.
Charlie's family claim at one school, less than ten miles away, they were told Charlie was too intelligent because the other children there have very low cognition, while Charlie's needs are focused around his social, emotional and mental health.
Lauren said: "That's why most of these schools have said they can’t take him, because he’s too smart for them now, but how can that be a problem? That doesn't make sense. So all of these special schools, they're not actually built for this sort of generation of special children.
“I don't understand why we aren't trying to be more inclusive and we're just trying to push them all aside. It's not the Victorian times anymore. You don't need to hide people because they've got a disability. We need to change the community to make it inclusive for them.”
Amanda Newbold, North Yorkshire Council's assistant director for education, told ITV News: “We always ensure that children with special educational needs in North Yorkshire receive the support they need as close to their own community as possible.
“We are increasing specialist provision that is intended to meet children’s needs more locally through the opening of new special schools in Selby, Harrogate and Northallerton."
Toby's story
It was after the pandemic that Alex and Olivia Walmsley realised that their son, Toby - who they called their "rainbow baby" - might be autistic.
Despite starting the process more than a year ago, they are still waiting for a diagnosis.
“As time has gone on, it's clear that he's got further needs and additional support needs." Alex told us. "There's a lot of what looks like potential autism, but we're waiting for assessments on that.”
This week Toby, now aged four, and his family received an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP), which details Toby’s needs and, in theory, unlocks the support he’ll need when he starts school.
His EHCP is 21 pages long, outlining that Toby requires - among other things - a special curriculum, one-on-one support and a sensory room for him to avoid noise which could lead to a sensory overload.
The family, from Heckmondwike in West Yorkshire, has been told by Kirklees Council that he should go to a mainstream school, but three such schools and a specialist school have already said they can't meet Toby's needs.
Alex said: “I felt relief when the ECHP came through. I read it and multiple times I broke down in tears because you’re reading how difficult life is for your child, and now someone has made a decision to make his life harder.
"There’s this long, drawn-out process, multiple forms, suits making decisions in offices, and there’s a child there at the end of the day that’s not getting the right service and the right support to become a fully functioning member of society in the future.
"They want you to give up, to beat you into submission so you accept what they’re saying so they don’t have to spend money on Toby that he needs. It’s not appropriate, it’s not what he needs, it’s not applicable to him. But they expect us to just accept that and move forward.”
A spokesperson for Kirklees Council said that "a range of assessments have taken place with this family.
“Supporting those with special educational needs and disabilities, and helping them to achieve their potential, is a council priority.“We want all children and young people with SEND to achieve the best outcomes and we will continue working with the family.”
Junior's story
Five-year-old Junior Udris, from Bradford, is autistic and non-verbal.
His mum, Jacqueline Madden, believed a diagnosis and an EHCP would unlock extra support for her son. But he's due to start his second year in a mainstream primary school in just a few weeks.
"We're still at the same chapter trying to get him the support he needs, and nothing's really happening” Jacqueline said.
Since he was in nursery, Jacqueline's been fighting to get him an SEN place instead.
“It was decided by the SENCO (special educational needs co-ordinator) at the school at the time that he will need that special provision. But it all comes down to no places, I’ve been told there's no places.
"There was a place and then they gave it to another child of greater need. So are my son's needs not any greater? He's been pushed aside to give it to someone else. And that's very frustrating.
“You feel like you're letting your child down. And even though I know I'm not letting them down myself, I just can't help but think I can do more. More needs to be done.”
A spokesperson for Bradford Council said: “All decisions around SEN places are made carefully and based on provided and assessed evidence. We are in contact with the family concerned and will continue to work with them to establish the most appropriate provision and support for their child through the gathering of that information."We have created over 1,200 additional places over the past five years and we’re creating around a further 250. Our specialist teachers and special school outreach service also provide support to local authority schools across the district.”
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