A mum is outraged after her 11-year-old daughter was refused transport to school due to her disability.
Shari Richards said her daughter Nevaeh was rejected for transport to Devonport High School for Girls (DHSG) because she is partially blind.
The bright schoolgirl was within the top 50 out of 300 pupils accepted at the grammar school after passing the challenging 11+ test.
She was due to start in September but her dreams have since been dashed after the council denied her the right to public transport and her subsequent appeal.
Shari, from Plymouth, Devon, believed her daughter deserved to attend a school that met her academic needs after ranking among the top 50 applicants.
Shari raised concerns about her daughter having to attend the nearest mainstream school rather than the grammar school she worked hard for and sat extra exams to attend.
The mum explained that her daughter also had mental health issues and needed full-time adult supervision "at all times" while she's outdoors.
She called the council's rejection "ridiculous" and believed something must change within the policy to better suit children's needs across the city.
"I feel angry, disappointed and upset for my daughter. It shouldn’t have come to this," Shari said.
“Nevaeh was refused transport by the council despite medical evidence, and when we appealed it, they said no again.
"We are not exaggerating. She can’t be outside on her own without supervision which all of the professionals have said in the evidence report.
"She has mental health issues and suffers with severe social anxiety and generalised anxiety and uses the mental health team at Livewell Southwest.
"All of the professionals that work with her have said there's no reason why she shouldn’t be granted school transport by the council.
"Especially on a sunny day, she can’t see at all. I either have to hold her hand, or guide her with my son’s pram when we are out.
“Recently she couldn’t even go on a school trip because the teachers didn’t think she would cope in the hot weather, so she missed out on that."
The school transport team also suggested that if Nevaeh was to attend the nearest mainstream school - UTC Plymouth - she would be accepted for the free transport.
Shari added: “One reason was because we live 1.9 miles from the DHSG and you need to live two miles or more from the school to be accepted. It’s ridiculous.
“The other reasons were because she hasn’t got an EHC plan. It is actually going through the motions now and will be finalised on August 10, which the council knows.
“I think they should be able to make exceptions for my daughter.
"In the first letter they sent me refusing the transport, they said if she was going to free nearest schools, for example UTC, she would get it.
"They have admitted that she needs the transport for one of the nearest mainstream schools. I think it is ridiculous.
"She is very mature and clever but even when catching a bus she can’t even see a bus or what number is coming.
"If she missed a bus or caught the wrong bus, she would be so upset and wouldn’t know what to do.
"I don’t understand how they can refuse her to be honest.”
Shari said that she will always do the best for her children and will get Nevaeh to DHFG somehow.
She said: “I will do my best for her to attend DHSG because she has done extra transitions, and what the school has done and put in place for her so far has been amazing.
“To make it work for her, I will have to take the bus with her every morning," she stressed.
"I have two other children in year six and four and will have to put them in the breakfast club and then take my three-year-old on the bus with me. I’m a single mum so it’s difficult.
“I can only reapply when her ECH has gone through, but that still can’t be promised because we live 1.9 miles away from the school.
"It is a constant battle for what she deserves. I told her I will get her there somehow, and I'm like that with all my children.
"If they want to do something and if I can get them there, I will do my best.”
The council said the policy followed national guidance and locally agreed protocol, but it's happy to consider a new application if Neveah's circumstances change.
A spokesperson said: "Our policy and criteria for support with school transport follow national guidance and locally agreed protocol.
"Under the current policy, if a child is eligible for support for medical reasons, this will only be provided for the nearest school that meets that child’s medical needs.
"If a parent chooses to send their child to a school that is further away they will not be eligible for that support.
“If a parent believes their circumstances have changed since their last unsuccessful application or appeal we would, of course, be happy to consider a new application with the additional supporting evidence.”
