Wokingham mum's battle for special school place for daughter

A mother says she has "no light at the end of the tunnel" as she fights to find a school place for her four-year-old autistic daughter.

Lisa-Marie Reid, from Wokingham, Berkshire, said Ruby needs to go to a special educational needs (SEN) school when she turns five in September.

But she said her application to the local authority for SEN provision has been declined twice.

Wokingham Borough Council said it could not comment on individual cases.

Ms Reid said: "Because of her [Ruby's] disabilities she doesn't have a place of education.

"I'm not really sure whose fault it is but she doesn't have anywhere to go, to progress in life and be able to develop a quality of life or education."

Ruby has developmental and mobility issues and currently attends a mainstream nursery with one-to-one teaching funded through Wokingham Borough Council, her mother said.

"If she went into a mainstream [school] setting or unit setting, her needs would not be met there.

"But there's not a single specialist provision within a 60-mile radius of my house that has space for her," Ms Reid added.

"I hope I can get her in somewhere but at the moment I've got no light at the end of the tunnel.

"It's a continuous battle for everything if your child has additional needs, which shouldn't be the way it is."

Councillor Prue Bray, lead for children's services at Wokingham council, refused to discuss Ruby's case but added the authority was "firmly committed" to working with families and schools to ensure children and young people with additional needs receive the right support in the right setting.

The Department for Education said it wants every child, including those with special needs, to have access to a high-quality education and was increasing its high-needs budget to more than £10bn in 2023-24.

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