Mum of four-year-old with special needs 'at wit's end' after school delay his start date

  • Mia Drysdale tells ITV Central's Rosie Dowsing how desperate she is for her son Alfie to start school

The mother of a four-year-old boy who has yet to start at his school says she feels like he has been discriminated against and is being left behind due to his special needs.

Alfie Drysdale, from Worcestershire, has had over 20 operations during his short life with various conditions including in the heart, lungs and spine. 

Now he is fed through a tube, but apart from that his mum says he is like any other child and has the right to play and learn at school like his peers. 

Westlands First School in Droitwich Spa was Mia’s first choice of schools for Alfie, and someone from the school came to visit him at nursery to get to know him and his needs.

It was decided he would start on the first day of the new academic year last month, but Mia says she received a call at 7pm the night before her son was due to start at the school, to say he could not start at the same time as the other children.

Alfie’s start date kept getting pushed back, and now weeks later Mia says she is still no clearer about when the school will let Alfie join. 

The problem appeared to be a lack of specialist training around the tube-feeding, which the school needed time to work on. 

Mia says she feels helpless as a mother after having tried ‘every possible avenue’, having repeatedly called the council, headteacher and SEND coordinator. 

She said: “Alfie is a very bright and confident little boy. The pieces of paper they have about Alfie do not define him as a child. 

“I understand he has several conditions that can be worrying for school but his conditions are fixed and under control. I have no issues with them at all whatsoever at home.

"I’m honestly at my wits end. I feel as if he’s being discriminated against and he’s being pushed aside.”

Alfie was due to start school at the beginning of this year's academic year, but weeks later and he still does not have a start date Credit: Family handout

Alfie, who loves playing football video games and Pokemon cards, says he is looking forward to ‘big boy school.’

His family members go to the same school, so Mia says it has been hard for him to understand that he cannot go yet.

Mia says she understands that schools are under pressure, especially at the start of term, but it ‘shouldn't mean Alfie is left behind’.

Alfie is fed through a tube, but apart from that, his mother Mia said he is like any other child and has a right to play and learn at school Credit: Family handout

She said: “He’s a child, he deserves an education regardless of his conditions. 

“This is really affecting his mental health and he’s had enough of a traumatic life he doesn’t need to feel like he’s not welcome or wanted or cared for by a school.

“They aren’t doing anything in regards to training for his feeding. They aren’t sending any work or reading home. They haven’t invited him into the school.”

In response to Mia and Alfie’s situation, Rachel Roberts, headteacher of Westlands First School, said: “Parent carers have a statutory right to ask for a particular educational setting and support for their child. 

“We are continuing to work with Alfie’s mother, health professionals and the local authority to ensure the right level of support is provided in an appropriate environment that fully meets his assessed needs.”

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