A mum in Edinburgh has hit out at the council after her little boy's place at an additional support needs school was rejected due to the fact his attendance would "overstretch" staff .
Senga Ross, 32, and partner Remi Fee, 35, took extra care to look around Edinburgh's Additional Support Need schools before applying for their five-year-old son's place back in January.
Many didn't seem suitable for the youngster who cannot walk or talk but finally the parents found a school where they believed he could get the right support and thrive.
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But to their astonishment their application was rejected for a couple of reasons including "her son's presence at the school would have a detrimental effect on others at the school."
The mum says her mental health and well-being has been damaged as a result and she is now signed off work, worrying about what the future holds for her little boy.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Senga said: "Ayden has been at Fort Early Years Centre for around four years, but he had a break during Covid.
"He has always been on a one to two adults ratio for manual handling and it took two years for the staff to be trained for this. Ayden has cerebral palsy so he can't sit, walk, talk, eat or look after himself.
"He has a special buggy just now but in a few weeks will be getting a wheelchair. He has a lot of equipment both in the house and at nursery so I worry how that will work at a busy mainstream school.
"Ayden absolutely loves the other kids but he can be introverted and get overwhelmed easily and have meltdowns which I am worried about.
"My main concern is he will be left out at school, all his friends will be running about having the time of their life while he is stuck there."
She continued: "We visited a lot of special schools but none were quite right until we got to Braidburn. They teach life skills there and there is plenty of staff on hand to help Ayden with anything he needs.
"We knew he would thrive there."
But the process is not as simple as choosing a school that suits Ayden's needs.
Senga explained: "The application is very stressful. You have to discuss every little thing about your child and so do all the medical professionals involved in his life like occupational therapists, psychiatrists, and speech therapists.
"Then at the end of April, we got a really disappointing response. It was a refusal letter with the same reasons as every other family has had - the only thing that had changed was the name.
"It was so disheartening and I was very upset which was mostly down to the wording - the letter described my son's presence at a school I knew he would thrive in as 'detrimental' to the other kids there.
"It's really tough because even if you appeal it can take up to a year to change and they hardly ever get accepted plus he would have to be in his catchment school during the process.
"I just don't know what to do now it's such a difficult decision and I'm losing sleep over it."
She continued: "I get so frustrated - they didn't talk to my son or spend time at the nursery or getting to know him - it's just a board made up of people deciding whether he is disabled enough on paper and ticking boxes."
Senga is preparing for the fact that Ayden will most likely attend his catchment area school Hermitage Park Primary School even though the thought of Ayden struggling fills her with fear.
"When I first visited the school I felt positive, it was mostly accessible, all on one level and there was only one part with a step that Ayden would still be able to get around in his wheelchair.
"It was when I met the teachers at a meeting on how the school would adapt to Ayden's needs that I got worried. They seemed overwhelmed, out of their depth and like they did not know what they were doing."
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The mum has been signed off work due to the impact on her mental health and is unable to get sick pay so it also has a financial toll on the family's life.
Senga said: "It has affected me a lot, it's continuous checks, appointments, and applications and now I need to decide what to do about his place at Braidburn being rejected.
"I don't get the excitement and joy most other parents do of starting school after summer because I'm terrified thinking about how he will cope.
"Instead I am stressed, scared and facing the thought of handing him over to strangers in an overwhelming environment because we have no other choice.
"I don't think he will cope."
A Council spokesperson said: “We have procedures in place to fully assess and moderate all requests for specialist provision through our Educational Placement Group.
"These include a review of the Assessments of Need and plans for learners by a team of experienced specialist staff. Places are allocated based on need. This is a fair and transparent process which is well established."
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