SPECIAL SCHOOLS
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COMFORTING her seven-year old autistic son as he suffered hallucinations triggered by trauma, Susan Hart was less than impressed at being told she had to “think about the public purse” and moderate her expectations for his schooling.
“He would come out of his primary school so burned out from the sensory overload we would carry him, crying, to the car,” she said. “They would tell me he was fine and even send photos. At home he would be throwing up his breakfast before going, and it got to a stage where it was beyond cruel to even try.”
Now 10, Ben (not his real name) has been out of education for three years as his family battle to get him an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that could unlock the extra funding needed for specialist education. However, councils are increasingly pushing back on parents to try to reduce their rising special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) budgets, and children like Ben are stuck in the middle. A third of SEND children are persistently absent from school and thousands more are out of education altogether.