'We shouldn't have had to fight for an education for our son just because he's got ALN'

• Report by ITV Wales journalist Kate Lewis.

Parents of a four-year-old boy with additional learning needs say their fight to get him a place in a special school was "one of the most challenging times" of their lives.

Chloe and Craig Boulton, from Aberdare, refused to put their son Gabriel, who is autistic, into mainstream school as they felt a lack of specialised provision could have caused him to regress.

Instead, they paid for him to attend two private creches for a year while his place at a special school was finalised after his Individual Development Plan (IDP) was completed, a process the family claim was "too long-winded".

Every child who is identified as having ALN by a Welsh local authority must have a statutory IDP which should include additional learning provision (ALP) agreed by health services, social services and other services, including education.

The Boulton family is one of many to speak to ITV News about significant gaps in education provision for children with additional learning needs, and comes days after a Senedd committee report found that too many children with ALN in Wales are being denied their right to an education.

An exclusive poll of parents of children with ALN found that half of respondents in Wales said their child had had to take time out of school because their needs could not be met. Of those, 17% said their child had been out of school for between a month and a year.

Mum Chloe told ITV Cymru Wales: "It was probably one of the most challenging times of our lives. It was so distressing, we felt in the dark, felt like you were fighting for something that should have be a given right to your child: the right to an education.

"Just because he's got additional learning needs, he shouldn't have to fight.

"They said we needed to put his name down for a mainstream education provision, but as his carers we felt that wouldn't be meeting his needs and he would actually regress.

"So we decided to pay privately for our own education provision in two creche settings, and kept him out (of school) for a year. He missed a year, where other neurotypical children who went to school with all their other friends.

"For that year, he should have been in a provision. Because of his additional needs, we had to wait.

"He couldn't go into that mainstream setting. It would have set him back. It would have been dangerous, actually. It's not fair on him or the class teacher."

Gabriel started school in September 2023 when he was aged four.

"He's where he needs to be now but that hasn't come without probably the worst two years of my life," Chloe said.

"He's happy going to school, he's saying a few words. They're baby steps, but they're all steps in the right direction. They are a fantastic provision, the teachers go above and beyond, we've seen such progress in him.

"He's lovely, he's funny, happy, very placid, he's got lovely, lovely ways, he's an absolute pleasure to be around and we're so proud of him as his parents. Even though we have our challenges with him, I wouldn't change Gabriel for the world. He is our blue-eyed boy, he's beautiful."

Chloe and Craig say the wait for his autism diagnosis was also far too long.

"He actually got into a special school before we even had a diagnosis of autism," Chloe said.

"That was a separate challenge, trying to get him to be seen in the neurodevelopmental team took so long. His name went to them in December 2021 and he was diagnosed a couple of months ago."

Both parents are calling for more support for parents to navigate their way to accessing suitable support.

Dad Craig said: "It was a minefield, really. It was like being in a maze at night.

"The whole process is so difficult to get through. I think the local authority could do more to illuminate that maze and help you to get through it a bit easier. It is an emotional rollercoaster anyway, plus it's a very difficult system: deadlines, evidence needed.

"It's very difficult when you've got two full-time jobs and a family. It's a grind.

"Although it was difficult, we were quite fortunate because of the flexibility I had in my job - I run my own business. But most people haven't got that luxury.

"He is in the right place. As hard as it is, the journey was worth it."

A spokesperson for Rhondda Cynon Taf Council said: "Our policy is that all learners, as far as possible, should be educated in mainstream schools with support provided in these settings where necessary.

"However, where a specialist placement is required, there are no waiting lists for these in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

“We have processes in place in line ALN legislation to ensure that a learner’s needs are fully identified and appropriate support is put in place in a timely manner. Specialist placements are made available to pupils as necessary and in line with their identified ALN.”

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