SEND mum says son is 'thriving' after school move

Lucie said her son Logan's school work has improved since moving him from a mainstream school

The mother of a boy with special educational needs said he was now "thriving" at a new school after his education had been "drastically suffering".

Lucie from Norwich said her son spent four years on a waiting list for a diagnosis and in November she moved him from his mainstream school.

Norfolk SEN group said SEND provision was facing a local - and national - crisis.

Norfolk County Council said it was creating more than 2,400 new places for those with the "highest needs".

Lucie said she struggled to get her son Logan access to "the education he deserves".

"He was spending more time at home than he was at school," she said.

"His education was drastically suffering."

She said it took her two years to get her nine-year-old an educational health care plan (EHCP) and she had taken him out of mainstream education.

"I had his first parents' evening last week and I had so much emotion because I could see his school work from two years ago to today, and he's just improved so much," she added.

While funding and the wait times for provision was part of the problem, she said many SEND schools were in areas where the local authority needed to provide transport.

'Desperate situation'

Pepe Di'Lasio, general secretary of the Association of Schools and College Leaders (ASCL) said parents were facing a "cliff edge" waiting for a EHCP.

"Unfortunately the plans have become the gateway into getting the support," he said.

"And unfortunately they are also the gateway for schools and colleges to get the level of funding they need and level of support they need to help the young people who are in the middle of this desperate situation."

He said they had seen a "real explosion of EHCPs" with the rate of plans needed doubling in the last decade.

"The system is not completely broken, because there are examples of places where young children are getting absolutely outstanding provision... there is no doubt parents are feeling like they are having to fight for access for that," he added.

A spokesperson for Norfolk County Council said: "As the numbers of children with SEND continues to grow, we need to continue to work in partnership to make sure they get the best education to meet their needs.

"We are investing significantly in more spaces for children in Norfolk but our ambition is to have a more inclusive education system, where children get the help they need as early and as close to home as possible."