'Our autistic son hasn't been to school in 20 months'

Mum Hannah McKee says spending the past two years battling to get her nine-year-old autistic son a specialist school place has been emotionally and psychologically draining.

"Sometimes going into work is a break, which says a lot," says Dr McKee, who works in the A&E at Royal Stoke University Hospital.

She and husband Dan said they removed Ellis from mainstream education as it did not meet his needs, adding that in the 20 months he had been out of school, they had spent £6,000 in legal fees in the hope of persuading the local council to get him specialist provision.

However, according to a Staffordshire County Council Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), nine-year-old Ellis is able to continue in mainstream school with extra support.

The couple reject that view and accuse the authority of delays and poor communication. An online tutor provided to Ellis by the council did not suit his needs, the McKees said.

The Conservative-led authority says Staffordshire has seen a nearly 30% increase in the number of children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) requiring services in the past five years.

Analysis suggests that hundreds of children with special educational needs are missing from school across England.

According to Dr McKee, such absences take a toll on children and parents alike.

Explaining the background to her decision to remove Ellis from mainstream schooling, Dr McKee said: “This whole process in the last two years has been very emotionally and psychologically draining.

"Ellis had previously been a child who could mask a lot of stuff at school, but meltdowns at home started tipping into school time.

“In February 2023, Ellis was so incredibly distressed at the thought of going back to school.

“We started a reduced timetable... but by May, we had to put a stop to it because of the lifelong implications of this trauma."

She added: “We’ve had to consistently fight. It feels like nobody communicates and there genuinely feels like a lack of care.

“At the end of this is a nine-year-old boy who is bright and articulate but needs the right setting for him to flourish.”

Mr McKee, who currently cares for Ellis at home, said: “It has been relentless. I’m not equipped to educate someone with Ellis’s level of additional needs.

“I can’t work out why it has taken so long unless [the council is] trying to save money on a spreadsheet.”

Adam Jogee, Labour MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, plans to set up a forum to bring together people facing these issues.

He said: “Parents are constantly telling me they can’t get responses to their EHCPs or answers from the county council.

“That’s why I’ve decided to set up this forum because I want to make sure that parents, teachers and practitioners can get around the table to share their thoughts so I can make sure the education secretary is clear about the pressures here."

Jonathan Price, cabinet member for Education and SEND at the council, said it continued "to work with the family to find the most appropriate setting to meet Ellis’s needs".

He said: "Councils across the country have seen a significant increase in the number of children, like Ellis, who require an EHCP and we continue to work hard to try to meet the needs of our children within the resources we’ve got."

He said despite the rise in children with SEND, "government funding has not matched the growing demand".

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