Sheffield mum’s struggle to find school for autistic son who spent past year out of education

The woman, who did not wish to be named, said her 12-year-old son who has autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has not attended Bents Green School, a specialist secondary on Ringinglow Road, since November as he cannot cope in the classrooms there.

It is the second time he has been out of education – having missed the whole of Year 3 while attending Lydgate Junior School as they couldn’t meet his needs – and now she is desperately trying to find him a new school so he does not miss out again come September.

Being out of school, she says, has had a detrimental impact on her son’s mental health leading him to view education in a negative light and not wanting to get out of bed most days.

She said: “My main concern is, not so much the educational side of things because he is very bright, but it’s the fact he doesn’t have a peer group.

"He doesn’t have friends, he doesn’t have somebody to socialise with or people he can identify with. He’s just got me and his dad, but 12-year-old boys don’t want that.

"He’s been out of school since November – Bents Green tried to do a blended learning package with him and sent somebody out who was brilliant but he wouldn’t even get out of bed he’s so low.

"I mean he’s nocturnal now, he’s very withdrawn and he doesn’t get up in the day unless he's really forced. His attitude to education and learning now is ‘well there’s no point’ because of the negative experience he has had.”

The frustrated mum said she was looking at three alternative specialist schools in the city – Brantwood, Kenwood and Moncrieffe – but around three weeks ago found out her son, who has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in place, had been turned down by Kenwood because they couldn't “meet need”.

She added: “When I did finally get the information from the council’s SEN department about the refusal by Kenwood, they’d had that information for a couple of weeks and didn’t let me know. I didn't find out until schools had closed so I had nobody I could contact. He's still on the roll at Bents Green, but we’ve identified that’s not the place for him.

"I just don’t know how it’s going to go now. He's had such a horrible experience with education. In the middle of it when he attended Lydgate Infant School and Nook Lane Junior School – after Lydgate Juniors didn’t work out – they were outstanding, but his whole experience has been tainted.”

After months of back and forth, she was eventually notified on August 7 that a specialist school in the city may be able to meet her son’s needs and is now awaiting an assessment for him.

Sheffield Council has been contacted for comment but is yet to respond.