‘DEVASTATED’ parents are battling to get their autistic son into school after being denied a place which has left him without schooling days into the new term.
The Smith family, from Wokingham, were looking forward to their seven-year-old son Joseph joining Westende Junior School, which was their choice of primary, alongside his twin sister.
Joseph was diagnosed with autism in 2018. He had been attending Wescott Infant School and was excited to be attending Westende School, which is a mainstream school with SEN provision.
Yet Joseph was initially denied a place at Westende in February, even though his twin sister who does not have autism was given a place.
Now James Smith, his father, is fighting to get him into the school.
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Mr Smith said his son’s choice to go to Westende was meant to be laid out in his Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan, which are drawn up to plan the future for children who need more educational support than what a mainstream school can provide.
But he says Joseph’s plan has been mishandled.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Smith said: “It’s blatant discrimination. I’ve got a twin girl who doesn’t have autism and she got in.
“I’ve got a friend who’s child is in the same position. The Local Authority found them a place in Windsor and their going to get a taxi to a school everyday in tears.
“To have a seven-year-old child being bundled in with other children with autism is horrendous.
“The change from infant to junior school is dramatic enough without having to come away from his peers and having to travel away from the borough. It’s not what I want for my child, which is why we are fighting it.”
Mr Smith has threatened legal action, with a tribunal date set for Friday, October 1. So far the family has spent £20,000 in legal and expert assessment fees ahead of a First-tier Tribunal, but he hopes that the issue can be settled before then.
He said: “The Local Authority [Wokingham Borough Council] didn’t carry out assessments by experts, we’ve got our own experts at our own cost.
“We’re fortunate. Other parents don’t have the means to fight such decisions. With the tribunal, 90 per cent of cases uphold the parents wishes, and our lawyers have made the same conclusion.
“I just don’t know why the local authority would want to go through the embarrassment of this. Ultimately, Joseph is not in school, which is devastating for us and for him.”
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Bosses at both Westende School and the council have said they will do what they can to get Joseph into the school.
Headteacher Andrea Sykes said: “We are working with the local authority to ensure that we can meet the child’s needs in welcoming them to Westende.”
Councillor Graham Howe (Conservative, Remenham, Wargrave and Ruscombe), executive member for children services, said: “I have huge sympathy for the family involved and we are working with the Circle Trust to agree a start date at Westende School.
“This is a difficult and complex situation, and we have worked closely with the family and the Circle Trust to resolve it.
“As a tribunal process is underway, we cannot comment in any detail, but I can state that the family’s preference of a place at Westende School, with the right support in place, will be provided as soon as possible.”
Westende School is part of the Circle Trust of schools, which include St Crispin’s Secondary, Wescott Infant School, Shinfield Infant and Nursery School, and Nine Mile Ride Primary.
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