Trowbridge autistic pupil 'self-harms' after taxi stops

Wiltshire Council says it will give parents better notice about school transport changes

A Wiltshire mother says her autistic son is self-harming after the local council stopped funding a private taxi and replaced it with a shared mini-bus.

The nine-year-old had used a taxi with a support worker to go from Trowbridge to Frome, 10 miles (approx 16 km) away.

His school run has changed from a 15-minute ride to a two-hour trip with five other boys who have special needs.

Wiltshire Council says an administrative error meant parents did not get enough notice to the changes.

'Horrible battle'

Kayleigh Tabarani's son Oliver goes to a special needs school in Frome and used to be picked up at 08:30, but is now being picked up at 07:00.

"He's been doing incredibly well, he's now in full-time education and he was going in a taxi with a lovely guy... his support worker," she said.

"He is having a horrible battle inside him, sometimes it manifests into self-harming.

"He is not very happy, he is very shut down, he has his head down, his eyes are closed, he'll wear his headphones... I just hope it does not impact on his learning and his other social behaviours."

She said she could not do Oliver's school run as she needed to drop off her younger son at a school in Trowbridge.

"If it means Wiltshire Council has to cut something else out, or sort the budgets out so the children can have personalised transport, then that's what they should do."

The council said in the future it would give better notice of school transport changes, but it has not indicated that it will re-instate the private taxi with a named support worker.