A boy with special educational needs was told he would lose his free school transport unless he transferred to a newly-built school closer to his home — only to discover it doesn't take children his age.
His mother was amazed to receive a letter from the council's Special Educational Needs (SEN) team last Tuesday (3 October) informing her that they would not continue to fund her child's transport to school as the brand new Ongar Academy, which only opened this September, was now his closest school.
Her son, who wishes to remain anonymous, is currently a Year 10 pupil at The Helena Romanes School in Great Dunmow, which, she claims is only 0.1 miles further from their home.
She has now called the council out over the "ridiculous" situation, and wants to know why her son, who is half way through his three-year-long GCSE studies, was targeted.
She said: "My son was told that the school he has been going to his whole life is not his nearest school, but the new school didn't even exist when my son started school.
"We were told we'd have to start paying for transport which would be £900 a year from Essex County Council if we want a seat reserved, and £400 direct from the bus company with no seat reserved.
"You can't move a child in the middle of his GCSEs.
"I just thought, 'This is disgusting', so I phoned the education department of ECC and they just said that unfortunately these were the rules.
"I contacted the other school to make sure they could cater for his needs, and it was then that they said 'you are aware we don't have a Year 10?'
"At this point you're just thinking 'nobody has thought this through'."
The mother, who was given seven days to appeal, wrote to ECC to notify them that the school they wished her son to attend would not have a Year 10 until 2018, at which point he would be entering Year 11.
In an email response, her son's SEN caseworker then said: "The SEN transport team have now confirmed that the Helena Romanes School is the closest provision serving your home address.
"[Your son] will continue to have entitlement to school transport."
According to the original letter — which the boy's mother said she nearly missed, as it was tucked into the middle of a 15-page-long report detailing her son's progress since 2003 — the decision was taken in the interests of maximising the efficiency of the council's resources.
It read: "As you may be aware, in accordance with legislation, Essex County Council provides home to school transport assistance to children with an Education, Care and Health Plan (ECHP) who attend the nearest school to their home address that meets their needs".
It continued: "Under the provisions of the Children and Families Act, the local authority must name your preferred school subject to certain conditions, one of which is the efficient use of the authority's resources .
"In this case it would not be an efficient use of the local authority's resources if it were to fund home to school transport to The Helena Romanes School and Sixth Form Centre."
However, the boy's mother has questioned the logic behind the decision, arguing that she had been told by Ongar Academy that they would have had to have hired new specialist staff and a transport vehicle in order to accommodate her son.
She explained: "There are children in the next street over from us that are the 0.1 miles closer, so the bus would still have been coming for them.
"Ongar Academy does have a free minibus but they told me it was full so they would have had to pay for a new bus for him.
"My son was more targeted because he is classed as having special educational needs — what if other people have been affected?
"If a child has special educational needs they will have taken years to settle in, now they might be told 'No you have to go somewhere else'.
"It is absolutely ridiculous. You couldn't write it."
Essex County Council has been approached for comment.
Source
http://hertsandessexobserver.co.uk/dunmow-schoolboy-with-special-needs-told-to-move-to-school-0-1-miles-closer-or-lose-free-transport/story-30530264-detail/story.html
source http://taxi.nearme.host/dunmow-school-child-with-special-needs-informed-to-move-to-school-0-1-miles-more-detailed-or-lose-complimentary-transportation/
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