Feb 18, 2025, Derbyshire Times: “I don’t know where to turn”: says Chesterfield mum as boy with special educational needs left without school for months
E. Midlands
Oscar Greaves from Chesterfield, 11, was offered a place in a school for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) last summer – but has not spent a day in a classroom since June.
Rachel Greaves, Oscar’s mum, said: "We are waiting for a school place for Oscar but the council told us there were apparently no placements suitable for him.
"Oscar is ever so poorly and depressed. He can’t go to school and be around other children."
The 11-year-old who suffers from Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder has been forced to stay at home after he was excluded from a mainstream school due to his behaviour as the school could not cater to his needs.
His EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) was reviewed following the incident and he was assigned a place in special needs school with his parents told he would need to be home schooled until a place became available.
After the Derbyshire Times contacted the County Council about Oscar’s situation in October last year, he was assigned two hours of tuition a day – but since then the family say they have barely heard anything from the Council’s SEND department.
Rachel, a mum of four, added: "In the last few months we’ve heard nothing from the council, no communication from anybody. I really don’t know where to turn.”
The family was told that Oscar could attend mainstream school instead – but that would mean he would be taken off the waiting list for a SEND school.
A Derbyshire County Council spokesperson said: "We're actively looking for a specialist placement for Oscar and continue to be in regular contact with his family.
“We’re sorry we’ve not yet been able to find a suitable placement to meet his specific needs and have put tuition in place for him as an interim measure.
"We acknowledge and apologise for the significant impact delays have on children and their families and we’re working hard within the Derbyshire Local Area SEND Partnership with partners across health, schools and the private and public sector to improve. “We’ve recently set up an independent improvement and assurance board and are meeting monthly with a robust plan in place, now approved by Ofsted, to drive forward improvement at pace.”
Comentarios