Worcestershire Council 'failing' autistic boy's school needs

A nine-year-old boy who is autistic has not been to school for a year because the council cannot find a place to cater for his needs, his mum says.

Kat said she accepted a place for her son Rhys at a school offering special educational needs 100 miles away from their home in Worcestershire.

But she says Worcestershire Children First then gave it to another child.

Worcestershire County Council, which owns the service, said it was trying to find a suitable local school for Rhys.

"When you've got a child who's in need and you can see people don't want to help, it's off-putting," his mum told BBC Hereford and Worcester.

"It's been left down to me really. It's torn me and my life apart, you want the best for your kids and that's all I'm trying to do. I've told them they are failing my son."

Kat told the BBC her son had been excluded from his primary school in Evesham, where they live, and then went to a school 45 minutes away in Redditch.

But he left a year ago and has not been back to school since.

Rhys, who cannot read or write, was then offered a place in Derbyshire which Kat reluctantly accepted but it was then given to another child in an emergency.

"I sat and cried because I thought, what about my son?" she said. "He was so happy to be going to school.

"It's been detrimental to him - since I've told him, his behaviour has escalated. He's not getting an education at all... he wants to be able to read and write like his brothers."

Children's services in Worcestershire have been criticised by Ofsted in recent years over a failure to provide support to children with special educational needs.

The council was ordered to pay damages to Elena Round whose son Billy was left without vital support and she has since campaigned for an independent investigation.

Her petition, which she hopes to take to Downing Street, has almost 1,800 signatures.

"Rhys is yet another example of continuing unlawful behaviour by Worcestershire County Council," Mrs Round said.

"There needs to be an independent investigation and for the chief executive of the council and Worcestershire Children First to publicly apologise to the families that have suffered.

"There needs to be an acknowledgement they have failed children before we can go forward."

In a statement, the council said it had provided two days of alternative provision for Rhys and had contacted a number of schools regarding a placement.

Councillor Tracey Onslow, cabinet member for education, said: "We are aware that Rhys has experienced a severely disrupted start to his education which has impacted on his learning - this is not a situation we want any child to be in.

"We are continuing to work alongside his family to look at alternative options that meet his complex needs and allow him to access full-time provision, whilst we continue to seek a suitable school placement close to home."

Regarding the Derbyshire offer, she said concerns had been raised about the site's ability to meet Rhys's needs.

"We are actively trying to secure a suitable placement for Rhys in Worcestershire," she added.

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