A boy from North Somerset has been given a place at a mainstream school despite his mum saying he needs specialist education.
Nash, 4, has autism and global developmental delay among other ‘very complex needs’ which can cause him to be a "danger to himself and others", according to mum Natasha.
She claims that due to the council's SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) team not updating his Education and Health Care Plan he’s been placed into a mainstream school which she says has admitted ‘cannot meet his needs.’
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Natasha is appealing to North Somerset Council to give Nash a place at a specialist school which she says has the facilities to keep him safe. The council says it always tries "to match a child's individual needs with a placement in the most appropriate school."
Natasha said: “Nash is disabled, he is autistic, has global developmental delay and very complex needs. He is non-verbal, and does not understand emotions.
“We applied for a specialist school place this year, which has all the therapy that Nash requires. They have staff qualified to meet his needs, and on site is all the equipment he would need."
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Natasha says the environment in a specialist school has been adapted for children like Nash.
"They gear the curriculum to the individual," she continued. "He would not be segregated from his peers, as a class has only five other pupils.
“With Nash’s EHCP, our preferred specialist school said they could meet his needs. The mainstream confirmed they could not meet his needs.
“We are thankful for the honesty of the mainstream school. It can’t be easy to say no to a child. However the local authority has chosen the mainstream school for Nash, that cannot meet his care needs. The mainstream school said no, and the local authority chose to ignore this fact.”
Natasha says that at the time a panel came together to decide on Nash’s school place, they were “presented with out-of-date information.” She says Nash had a review on November 26, but the changes were not put into Nash’s EHCP before the board came together.
She added: “We are appealing this decision imposed by the local authority, as we know it will be detrimental to Nash, his mental health and wellbeing, along with the safety of others.
“Nash will affect the education of other children at a mainstream school. He will be disruptive and physical not only with his peers, but teachers too.
“His education should consist of life skills. I hope one day he can brush his hair, put on his own clothes and shoes, to learn how to feed himself without adult support. The dream would be for him to call me mummy.
“Our preferred specialist school can provide an individual play-based curriculum. They would teach Nash life skills, they already have an environment geared up for children like Nash. “His care needs should be met. His educational right should be met. He shouldn’t be forced into a mainstream environment that he simply cannot handle.”
Natasha has set up a petition, which has amassed nearly 1,000 signatures, to help Nash get a place at a specialist school.
A North Somerset Council spokesperson said: "We always try to match a child’s individual needs with a placement in the most appropriate school. North Somerset has a full range of provision to meet the needs of children and young people, whatever their level of autism. We will continue to work with the parents but, in the interests of all those involved, we are unable to comment on an individual case."
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