Devastated parents of an autistic Nantwich boy say they were given just 48-hours’ notice that he was not welcome back in school – despite spending the previous six years there.
His parents are now demanding an apology after the bombshell news that his primary school was no longer able to provide for his needs.
The case emerged as Cheshire East Council revealed there has been a staggering 40% increase in the number of children in Cheshire East requiring an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Declining to comment on the individual case, a CEC spokesperson said SEND provision was a “national issue” with all schools under pressure due to increasing demand.
But the Nantwich nine-year-old’s mum and dad are now fighting for an apology at what they described as “appalling treatment”.
They claim Cheshire East Council and the school have breached the terms of his EHCP and discriminated against his disability.
They have accused the school of “experimenting with a vulnerable child” and for u-turning on how to accommodate him more than a year after his autism diagnosis in April 2022.
They say the school and council have breached the EHCP by removing his school place without following correct procedures and putting in place proper transition.
We have agreed to protect the family and school’s identity at this stage for welfare reasons.
The mum, who was also going through cancer treatment at the time, said: “We wanted our son to complete his learner journey, get a leavers hoodie, say goodbye to his friends properly.
“He had suffered enough trauma. He was happy and settled and proud of his progress. Vulnerable children should not be pushed into more vulnerable positions.
“The school and local authority ignored our wishes and we received an email on Wednesday 24th May that his journey would end that Friday!
“Two days’ notice to a child to process the end of six school years.
“The u-turn does not make sense. Up until March, everything was fine. He was taking bows in assembly for science work, reading, attitude to learning and manners. A month later, there’s no space for him!”
She says the school isolated and segregated her son for three years, despite not being officially diagnosed as ASD until April 2022.
“The school were vague and not clear that this was happening until a teacher told me, ‘you do know that he is only in class for 45 minutes a day for register’?
“I did keep asking for clarity in meetings on strategies but was always barraged with what he cannot do.
“Year 4 was his best year, he loved the class teacher. This was the year of his diagnosis, so we had some clarity.
“He made good progress in years 4 and 5 with his class teacher and TA, became a free reader, took bows in assembly for science work and attitude to learning and manners.
“His most recent TA was also amazing. He was settled for the first time in years.
“But after it was declared there was no space in year 6, his mental health declined. He was doing his best, getting great feedback in 2022 and 2023.”
The parents say they wanted to move their son to a specialist school in year 3 but say they were talked out of it by the primary school.
Now they have been told he will have to finish year 5 at a special school in Crewe – six miles away.
“The head there told us a change of placement is highly irregular and that they may not be able to meet his sensory needs,” added the mum.
“He should have been left where he was settled. Parents are shocked and saddened at this, the only integration he really had and looked forward to was playtimes.
“He feels he has been ‘kicked out of school for not fitting in’.”
She says the school now only communicates with her through a solicitor.
The family has received support from the Cheshire East Information Advice and Support (CEIAS) service who told her the school should have been more supportive.
They have also taken their complaint to Ofsted and the Department for Education.
In emails seen by Nantwich News, the school’s legal team have confirmed they will “conduct an independent enquiry” and have appointed specialist Ian Bowley of Attingham Education to undertake it.
Both Cheshire East Council and the school have declined to comment on this specific case.
But in a statement, a Cheshire East Council spokesperson said today: “Our aim is for all schools to be inclusive, offering the right support, at the right time, to meet the needs of all children and young people.
“We know that having the right school is key to supporting them to achieve their potential and to develop the range of skills and experiences they need to equip them for adulthood.
“Over the past few years, we have been investing in additional school places with plans including, two new schools for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Congleton and Middlewich.
“We have seen around a 40 per cent increase in children requiring an education health and care plan in the last two years. This is a national issue, with schools and other services experiencing pressure due to increasing demand.
“We are interested to hear about what is working well and what we could do better to improve the experiences and outcomes of our children and young people with SEND across Cheshire East and are currently conducting an online survey to gather views.
“We continue to work tirelessly with all our schools, health and care services to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND.”
The disgraceful thing is that these children will thrive in the right surroundings, however never ending cut backs to not only the school budget but to moral and ethical standpoints have eroded school life normality to many children now. It’s no wonder home schooling is rising nationally for which now is the way forward.
Clearly as the school is not mentioned someone is feeling shame right now, epic fail really
Absolutely disgusting, what a shame for that poor child and his parents,
The school and CEC should be ashamed of themselves
Thankyou Peter for your patience and sharing my story and getting us heard! Forever grateful x