Sinead Woods has spent months visiting schools and applying for places for her son, Nathan, who has been diagnosed with autism, global development delay and sensory processing issues.
However, she has now been told that all three of the special needs schools she applied for are full and the only place available is in mainstream education.
Together – The Woods family; mum, Sinead, dad, Chris, and brother and sister, Ciara and Nathan. (Image: Sinead Woods)Sinead, from Great Wakering, now fears she will be forced to quit her job so she can dedicate time to home-schooling Nathan as mainstream schools would be unable to support his complex needs.
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Sinead, 36, has already been told if Nathan attends a mainstream school, it is unlikely he will be able to be in the classroom and would be cared for by a teaching assistant.
She said: “The strain it’s put on my family has made me physically and mentally ill. It feels as though I am banging my head against a brick wall.
“He has been repeatedly failed by those who should be looking after his interests since he was born. I feel like he’s been so unlucky in the way he’s been treated. I’m not putting my son in a mainstream school – the stress it would put him under would be akin to torture and I’m not prepared to do that to him.”
Potential – Sinead hopes that Nathan will thrive in a specialist school (Image: Sinead Woods)She is now appealing the decision made by Essex County Council, with the intention of getting her son a place at a specialist school.
“If he’s forced to go to a mainstream school, Nathan wouldn’t be taught by a qualified teacher, the other pupils won’t know how to communicate with him properly and there won’t be the facilities he needs,” Sinead added.
Happy – Nathan is a bubbly boy with complex additional needs (Image: Sinead Woods) “I’m not alone at all in this struggle and know that a lot of parents in this situation feel like they are the only ones fighting for their child.”
An Essex County Council spokesman said: “It would be inappropriate to comment on details of specific cases. However, any concerns raised by parents are dealt with according to our established processes and we are in touch with the family directly. We remain committed to ensuring that every child in the county has the support they need to meet their educational potential.”