Family 'in limbo' as building work delays school start

A woman whose grandson cannot start primary school yet has said family members feel like they are "in limbo" while his classroom is not ready.

Fiona Scott's four-year-old grandson Frankie has special educational needs (SEN) and was expecting to start Macosquin Primary in Coleraine on Monday 2 September.

But building work on his classroom has not yet finished.

"We were all very excited for Frankie to start school and now it feels like we're in limbo," Ms Scott said.

Six children are affected and may not start until October, a month after the start of school.

Some pupils at the nearby Sandelford Special School are also facing a delay in starting school until October as their classrooms are not ready.

The Education Authority (EA) said contingencies would be provided for those affected by delays, like the chance for them to visit the school for "stay and play" sessions.

Ms Scott said it was originally planned that Frankie would go to Sandelford.

Instead, he was offered a place in a specialist class for children with SEN - called specialist education provision in mainstream schools or SPiM - in Macosquin.

Mainstream schools had been asked by the EA to open specialist classes for pupils with SEN because of a rise in demand for places in special schools.

Frankie's family were told by letter at the end of the summer holidays that the contractors were "still in the process of completing" work on his classroom.

As a result, the school was "unable to provide a definite starting date" for Frankie.

Ms Scott said the family did not blame the school.

"The school have been more than accommodating," she said.

"They welcomed Frankie and his mum out to meet his teacher for the year, they were wonderfully supportive."

She said the EA had initially said Sandelford was "at capacity" and suggested that Frankie, who is non-verbal, should go to Macosquin.

"They were in the process of putting in place some additional buildings at primary schools in the area that would be able to cater for Frankie," she said.

"The frustration from our end is as a result of the certainty that they were giving us - that this would be a provision equal to the provision at Sandelford in terms of timeliness and in terms of availability."

Ms Scott said they spent the summer talking to Frankie about starting school alongside his sister, who is now in P3.

"When his sister is leaving for school in the morning, you can tell he's confused - he misses her terribly," she said.

Ms Scott said she was "extremely disappointed" by the situation.

"We still don't know when he's going to start," she said.

"So we're frustrated and pretty angry with the Education Authority around how they've handled it."

The EA told BBC News NI it remained "firmly committed to meeting the individual needs of children and young people with special educational needs" and was establishing more than 1,450 "new and additional" SEN places.

"There have been significant efforts made by all colleagues across the education sector to provide additional appropriate places, reflective of pupils' needs," a spokesperson said.

"Due to the level of works ongoing across the education estate, some works will complete after September 2024 to ensure a bespoke learning environment based on the needs of each school community."

There has been a 50% rise in the number of children with a statement of SEN over the past five years and a 25% increase in pupils in special schools.