By Ryan Sands
A NEWCASTLE mother has voiced her anger and frustration at her son not being granted a place in a special school.
Caitlin McLaughlin told the Mourne Observer that four-year-old Rossa, who has non-verbal autism and learning difficulties, has been offered a place in a mainstream school’s special provision unit rather than in a dedicated special school, despite him being statemented for the latter.
One month into the new academic year, Rossa remains at home on weekdays.
The local parent explained that, while she accepted a unit placement for his nursery year, she does not feel it was adequate for his needs, and, given that his statement has since been “amended from special provision unit to a special school”, has called on the Education Authority (EA) to secure a place for him in such a school.
“He requires a full special school,” she said.
“I have applied for a special school, and they are trying to put him back into a special provision unit because there are no special school spaces, even though his statement says ‘special school’.
“My son deserves the best, not the next best thing – he has basic human rights that I should not have to be fighting for.
“He is entitled to the best education that suits him and his needs.”
Ms McLaughlin stated that her son needs the stability that a place in a special school would provide, and voiced concern that a unit placement would not provide this on a long-term basis.
“He needs structure, and he needs routine,” she added.
“He has to have that, otherwise it is meltdowns.
“We are now in September, and he still hasn’t been placed.
“It is only going to get worse if he is not out in a structured routine, doing something every day.
“I want to bear with it and keep going now until he gets a place, and that should be him until he’s 19.
“The way things are going right now, he’s never going to be independent.
“He’s never going to be able to work, and he’s going to live with me forever.”
The local mother said that, in “fighting for my child’s basic rights, for him to be in the education he deserves and is entitled to”, she is providing him with a voice.
“He doesn’t have that voice, and I will continue to do it until he ever finds his,” she continued.
“He is severely autistic, he has severe learning difficulties, he has global development delay, he has communication difficulties.
“It’s 2024 – I shouldn’t have to be fighting to try to get my child into the school that he is entitled to be in.
“It is in black and white on his statement.
“For them, to even go against that is neglecting his needs.
“It would be a whole different story if it was me neglecting his needs.
“I personally think he would be doing a lot better in a proper special school and clearly so does the educational psychologist, otherwise she wouldn’t have statemented him.
“It is not just me as a mother saying this is what my child deserves – this is what my child needs.
“It’s in black and white.”
Ms McLaughlin remains adamant that Rossa “will not fall through the net”.
“It is not something that you play about with – this is his education,” she concluded.
“Especially with a child like him, they should be more on the ball, not way behind.
“He is already suffering as it is, and he is just going to keep suffering until they take us seriously and acknowledge what they are doing, because they are neglecting his needs.”
When contacted for comment, an EA spokesperson said that they “fully understand that this is an anxious time for families”, and that they are “committed to ensuring that all children with special educational needs receive an appropriate school place that meets their needs”.
“Unfortunately, as demand exceeds capacity for most schools, not all children can be placed in their parents’ preferred location,” she added.
“That said, all decisions on allocations will reflect the considered advice and input of relevant professionals and are taken in the context of the specific needs of the pupil.”
The spokesperson also stated that specialist provision in mainstream schools was “created to effectively meet the needs of children with severe learning difficulties and enable them to reach their full potential”.