Leeds to get new special school as mum tells of battle to get support

It's been revealed Leeds is one of the places getting a new special school as part of government plans to reform SEND provision.

A long-awaited report is promising to create thousands of extra school places as well as a set of national standards about the support families should get.

Leanne Jacques from Leeds has an 11-year-old daughter with PDA autism and told us she currently has an hour’s drive to take her to school each day as there wasn't one closer that could deal with her needs.

She says she had a huge battle trying to get the right help for her daughter, even after getting a private diagnosis, and ended up having to quit her job as a teacher.

Her daughter spent 14 months out of school before she managed to get a place at a setting which is right for her needs.

Leanne now runs a support group for other local parents and says it’s currently 'hell' trying to navigate the system:

“The parents are working, then they’ve got their children they need to care for round the clock, and then this is almost like a full-time job in itself. Parents have folders full of paperwork, emailing and ringing every day, and you just feel like you’re banging your head against a brick wall.

“If parents are asking for a needs assessment, often the local authority will refuse that in the first instance, so then that’s delayed. Then there’s the assessments that need to be done, they’re not always robust, the reports are not thorough enough so then the plans are inadequate.

“It’s just absolutely relentless. The toll on the mental health of the family, and the toll on the mental health of the young person. And when they get to that point, they’re then needing mental health support that also isn’t there. There’s nothing there then to pick up the pieces”.

The government’s SEND and AP Improvement Plan pledges investment in training for thousands of workers and the go ahead for 33 new special free schools.

It says the transformation of the system will be underpinned by new national standards, which should give families confidence in what support they should receive and who will provide and pay for it.

There will also be new guides for professionals to help them provide the right support.

It will also cut local bureaucracy by making sure the process for assessing children and young people’s needs through Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) is digital-first, quicker and simpler wherever possible.

Minister for learning disabilities and autism, Maria Caulfield said: “Everyone with special educational needs and disabilities deserves to live a happy, healthy and productive life – but we know there are often barriers to accessing the right support, especially for parents navigating the start of their children’s educational experiences.

“It is vital that health, care and education are working together properly from day one for people with additional needs, which is why we’re making sure steps are being taken to better join up the system and provide support more readily for children and young people with special educational needs and for their families.”

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: “Leeds City Council is committed to working in partnership with parents and in the best interests of their children.

“We strive to meet the provision needs of children with SEND and aspirations of their parents and we take the concerns of parents seriously.

“Wherever possible, we aim to place children in schools within the city; however, sometimes to best meet a child’s needs they need to be placed outside of the local authority area.”