Children sent up to 600 miles to school

EDUCATIONAL provision for children with special needs in Cornwall is “broken” with some children having to travel as far as Scotland for schooling while parents say they are struggling to get the support they need for their youngsters.

New data provided by the Bureau for Investigative Journalism as part of a national project shows that Cornwall Council currently has a multimillion pound deficit in the funding it is given to provide support for special educational needs and disability (SEND) children, while also having to spend thousands of pounds to send pupils out of Cornwall to access education.

Cornwall was highlighted as the local authority sending a child the furthest distance in the country to access education, with one child being sent to Fife in Scotland – almost 600 miles away.

And parents in Cornwall say they are struggling to get the help they need for their children and are even being discouraged from getting Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs) which would place a legal responsibility on local councils and schools to provide sufficient support for children.

One mid-Cornwall mum,

Sarah, says that she has had to give up her job to look after her autistic son James (the names have been changed to protect identities) after his school refused to apply for an EHCP and he was unable to attend.

James now spends most of his time at home. He is being provided with some lessons for a short time each week at school as well as online tutoring at home and home visits from an educational organisation.

The 12-year-old’s parents were first aware that James was struggling when he was unable to concentrate and adjust to classroom life at primary school. Academically he is considered to be among the top students in his class but his autism means he finds school life difficult.

His parents suggested to staff at both primary and secondary school that he should be assessed for an EHCP but say they were told it would be a waste of time as he would not be eligible.

His parents have now applied for an EHCP themselves.

Sarah said: “Schools are telling parents that they won’t apply for EHCPs as you won’t get them, which seems odd as if children have EHCPs then schools can access funding to pay for the resources and support they need. But then councils only have a limited amount of money so they are probably not issuing as many EHCPs because they know it will mean they have to provide more.”