Special needs children told to use buses
PARENTS of children with special needs claim some of the city’s most vulnerable pupils are being let down after funding for special school buses and taxis was slashed.
It has meant youngsters and parents have to travel by two or three different bus services to get to special schools several miles across town, even though some will have other children they have to get to school.
One of those affected has been four-year-old Nicholas Bolton, from Bournville, who is autistic, does not speak, cannot understand language and does not relate to others.
But to get to Uffculme School in Moseley, education bosses have sent him a free bus pass, leaving mother Rosalind in an “impossible” position.
The decision is part of a package of £2.5 million from the council’s school transport budget, partly aimed at encouraging more pupils to travel to school independently.
But Mrs Bolton said: “They were suggesting that a severely autistic child with no way of processing instructions and very little control over his body, should be subjected to two buses each way in rush hour, taking well over an hour. It would be overwhelming, incomprehensible agony for him. It’s horrendous.”
Northfield MP Richard Bur- den called on the council to suspend the change so the full implications could be considered. He said: “I realise that Birmingham is being hit hard by Government cuts, but, from what I know so far, I cannot accept that this is a reasonable response by the council.”
Birmingham education service said it was considering the appeals and occupational therapists were reviewing cases.
Service director Colin Diamond said the council had seen grant cuts affecting all services including Travel Assist.
He added: “We will always endeavour to ensure support for getting children to school is safe and cost effective, and enables children to be as independent as possible.”