No special school places and kids are 'overlooked'

Linzi and Courtney say they have fought to get the support their sons need

Lincolnshire's special schools are full to capacity, despite a council saying it has invested more than £100m in expanding them. BBC reporter Jessica Lane meets two mums who say young children with additional needs are "overlooked and forgotten" by the system.

Five-year-old Roni and Charlie, who is four, are playing in a park in Lincoln.

They love being outside and running around.

But their mums say they have faced constant battles for both boys since they were born.

Roni and Charlie have special educational needs and Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) which state they should be in special schools rather than mainstream education.

However, the boys have not yet been able to go to school as there have been no places available for them in Lincolnshire.

Lincolnshire County Council said there had been a 77% increase in demand for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) support in the last five years.

The authority said it had already invested more than £100m to expand special schools, but they are all currently at full capacity.

Linzi says she had to give up work to support her son Roni

Roni was premature and born at 26 weeks. He has problems with his vision and hearing loss in both ears. He has global developmental delay and is behind his peers by two to three years.

Charlie has severe autism and global development delay. He is about 18 months behind his developmental, mental and emotional age.

He cannot speak and communicates by leading his parents by the hand to show them what he wants.

Both boys were initially assessed as being able to go to mainstream schools, but Linzi and Courtney said they fought to get a specialist provision listed as necessary on their EHCP.

Roni's mum Linzi, 34, said she had applied to nine different schools over two years, including one about 40 miles (64km) away from home.

He will be six-and-a-half when he starts school in September 2026.

Roni is home-schooled for two hours every day and Linzi said she had to give up work to support him.

"Children with additional needs do get overlooked," she said.

"It's like they're lost in the system. They get forgotten about."

Courtney's son Charlie has been turned away from three special schools

Charlie has been turned away from three special schools, including one about 20 miles (32km) away from home, because they do not have places. His parents are appealing at a tribunal.

Charlie's mum, Courtney, 26, said: "It makes me sad I'm having to attend court to get my child just to go to school."

"He didn't ask to be born with special needs," she added.

"Why are we having to fight? It's what he deserves."

Courtney said she was worried she might have to give up work if Charlie had to be home-schooled.

'National reforms needed'

Martin Smith, assistant director for education at the county council, said: "The council works hard to provide pupils with the right support, in the right place, at the right time."

Mr Smith said the number of maintained EHCPs had increased from 5,119 in 2020 to 9,081 by August 2025.

"As a result," he said, "special schools are currently at full capacity. National reforms are needed if we are to cope with rising demand."

The council said it was developing SEND hubs in a number of mainstream schools which would allow some children with EHCPs to access teaching in their local school and give them a level of provision between mainstream and special education.

Gainsborough Academy's SEND hub, called Phase, opened in September. It has 10 places for children with EHCPs and two or three for children at the academy who need extra support.

Rachael Skelton is head teacher at Gainsborough Academy

The school has 770 students and 30% of them have special educational needs.

"It's a high number," head teacher Rachael Skelton said.

She acknowledged the four children with an EHCP who have been assigned places in the hub "might sound like a drop in the ocean".

"However, that's four young people who are continuing with their education," she said.

"We're able to support those young people in the community in which they live."

Back in Lincoln and at home after playing in the park, Linzi said she was relieved Roni finally has a place in a special school nearby. For her, the fight has paid off.

Courtney, though, has more to do. She said she hopes to be successful at the tribunal but said "it shouldn't be this way".

She added: "I want to see changes. More provision, more help, more services and definitely more school places for them."

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