Cerebral palsy: Girl back in Newport school after five years

Imogen, who has cerebral palsy, has returned to classes after being home schooled for five years

A 11-year-old said she had lost her independence since a "stressful" return to the classroom after five years of being home schooled.

Imogen has cerebral palsy and started at Newport's St Joseph's High School in September.

Her mother said delays in adaptations led to her daughter experiencing a number of problems, with Imogen saying she sometimes "hates school".

The local councils and St Joseph's did not accept there had been delays.

They claimed there had been a failure to provide basic medical information about Imogen which made it very difficult to plan appropriately.

Monmouthshire and Newport councils and the school told the BBC they had worked very closely with other agencies, including occupational therapy and St Joseph's staff, to try to ensure Imogen's transition into secondary school was a positive one and had purchased all of the recommended equipment.

Imogen, of Caldicot, Monmouthshire, was accepted at St Joseph's in March and received a good luck letter from the Prince of Wales.

But by June, her family have told the BBC they were in a legal battle with the school and Monmouthshire Council over a series of adaptations and assessments they thought needed to be completed.

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"It's been absolutely awful," said Imogen's mum Catherine, who previously home schooled her daughter for five years.

"And I think it goes unnoticed that there is an 11-year-old stuck in the middle of it who just wants to go to school and who just wants to make friends."

Imogen, pictured here on her first day at school, has found going back stressful

BBC Wales is following Imogen's family as they navigate some of the challenges many parents face with a disabled child - from accessing education and the NHS - to overcoming other barriers.

Imogen started secondary school full time in September after her mother refused to accept the school's proposals that her daughter go part time for the first 7 weeks, because Imogen was worried she would miss out.

Monmouthshire council told the BBC the proposed part time arrangement was part of an agreed transition plan to allow Imogen to gradually increase her time at school each day in accordance with her needs and best practice.

"It's been stressful," said Imogen.

"Don't get me wrong, I love some of my teachers but then some days, I just hate school. I feel I have lost my independence."

Imogen said she struggled due to many of the adaptations she needs not having happened before the start of term, including some desks not being at the correct height for her in her usual wheelchair.

Imogen's family have been locked in a legal battle over adaptations they want at Newport's St Joseph's High School

She said: "It's annoying because I can't reach. But it's made me so tired and then my neck twitches and I can't help it.

"And if I injure my shoulders - I push with them all the time - so if I injure my shoulders that's not going to be good."

Imogen has only been able to take part in PE a few times since she started, despite loving sport, and has been told to "sit and watch".

Catherine believed this could be fixed by minor adjustments to the school's sports wheelchair.

She said: "You've got a child who can compete for their country at wheelchair sports that's then not able to do PE lessons at school. It's just mad."

Monmouth Council said Imogen had not been excluded from PE and that Catherine had been unhappy with the sports wheelchair provided by another organisation. Adjustments to it had been made after arrangements to do so were made by the school.

Some adaptations have been made so Imogen can use the toilet independently, which Monmouthshire said had been carried out in good time following the advice of relevant experts.

But changes to get assistive technology for Imogen, who cannot use a pen and paper because of her disability, were also slow.

Imogen's mum Catherine (right) said her daughter's life was made difficult by a lack of adaptations

This meant her mother felt she had to pay for a tablet and stand.

"I can't afford to buy her everything that she needs and I probably shouldn't have to," Catherine said.

She added this had caused lots of teary phone calls, with Imogen asking to be home schooled again.

"It's been a really hard slog and now she is so unhappy most of the time," Catherine said.

The family's solicitor, Lucy O'Brien, said she was seeing many cases similar to Imogen's.

"It should be a last resort for parents to have to approach solicitors to try and get reasonable adjustments made to a learning environment," she said.

"We are seeing schools less able to cope and we are seeing local authorities less able to assist."

Family solicitor Lucy O'Brien said they were seeing many cases like Imogen's

Imogen's school, Monmouthshire council and Newport council were approached with details of her experiences.

They told the BBC that the relevant assessments and adaptations were conducted and the advice of occupational therapists followed including the purchase of a variable height chair in July 2022 to enable Imogen to reach school desks which was due to be adjusted further in October 2023.

Monmouth council said it had made every effort to assess Imogen's assistive technology needs but had been unable to do so due to cancelled appointments. The delay had been outside its control but a report had now been issued which the school would implement promptly.

The council added that Imogen seemed to have settled in to St Joseph's well, seemed happy at school and enjoyed attending.

Changes have been made to this article following publication to reflect the councils' position