'My autistic son's education has been forgotten'

Tom (right) fears his son George's progress will be lost without a placement

A father who said a council once offered him £100,000 to move his two sons with special educational needs out of the county has said he is struggling again to secure a placement for one of his boys.

George who is autistic and suffers from anxiety, achieved high grades in his GCSEs at a special school in August, but his father, Tom, who lives in Maidstone, said Kent County Council (KCC) had not engaged with the family since.

"It just seems a total injustice that he's forgotten about," he said.

KCC said the "wide range" of post-16 providers it had consulted, including colleges and schools, were unable to meet George's needs, which made securing a placement "particularly challenging."

The authority said it was sorry for the frustration George and his family were experiencing and it was "absolutely committed" to finding a solution.

'It feels isolating'

George has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), which is is a legal document setting out the extra help he should have to access education, on top of what is available through special education needs support.

His father fears the progress his son has made will be lost without a further placement.

He said: "Not one person has come round to George and said 'well George what are your interests what would you like to to do? These are the options. Maybe it's a BTEC course, maybe it's an A-level course, maybe think about an apprenticeship'

"Nobody's given him any options, nobody's discussed what he'd like. So what's George meant to think?"

George said: "It feels isolating. I don't feel like they want to communicate with me:"

Formal complaint

KCC said as an interim measure it had arranged 10 hours of weekly tuition for George but that the provider was awaiting confirmation from the family.

Meanwhile, Tom has made a formal complaint to KCC, and it is not the first time he has struggled with the system.

After moving from Sussex to Kent in 2018, the family felt the support set out in their boys' EHCPs was not being provided.

At a mediation meeting with KCC, Tom said he turned down the offer of £100,000 to move out of the county.

At the time, KCC told the BBC's Panorama programme the offer was made because it understood the family wanted to move, although Tom said they did not.

The authority said mediation failed, no amount was agreed and no monies were exchanged.

'Deeply upsetting'

Speaking to BBC South East in September, Sir Keir Starmer refused to rule out scrapping EHCPs as part of the government's upcoming reforms.

Last week, think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned without reform supporting children with Send in England will cost the government an extra £3bn a year by 2029.

A spokesperson for the Department for Education (DfE) said the IFS report was "further evidence of the broken Send system this government inherited".

A KCC spokesperson said: "We are sorry for the frustration George and his family are experiencing.

"We understand how difficult it is when a young person is left without a clear educational pathway, and we do not underestimate the impact this has had on George's wellbeing and progress.

"We know this situation is deeply upsetting, and while the circumstances are complex and not of our making, we are absolutely committed to finding a solution.

"Our priority remains ensuring George receives the education and support he needs to move forward with confidence, and we will not stop working until that is achieved."