Mother criticises council for not providing son schooling

A MOTHER of a boy with special educational needs has criticised the education authority for not supporting him.

Judith Suadoni, 56, placed her teenage son, who is autistic and non-verbal, in residential care near Henley in April after she became unable to cope.

Since his move from Barnet in North London, Oxfordshire County Council has been responsible for his education and associated therapies, which have not been provided.

The boy has received no education for six months.

The council has said it has met statutory timelines, contacting more than 20 schools in the area in the spring, but with no positive offers received.

In July, it put in place support via the Dare to Dream Foundation twice a week, while it continues to search for an appropriate educational setting.

The parents have now escalated the case to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability), seeking a declaration that the county council has failed its statutory duties.

It could also order to secure an appropriate school placement by the start of the academic year and compensation for lost educational opportunity.

Ms Suadoni said: “The council’s inefficiency is harmful to a vulnerable child and is not acceptable. He has been left out.

“He’s approaching 16 in November, which means that he should be preparing for adulthood and he’s not doing any of that, impacting his mental and physical health.

“If you don’t get him in school and on the right pathway, he’s never going to make progress and build the resilience to be in the community properly with his peer group.

“He’s nearly 16 years old and should be making the most of what’s left of his educational years but time is running out for him.”

Ms Suadoni’s son was supported at a moderate learning difficulties school up to the age of 13. When he reached the onset of puberty his “behaviour changed dramatically”.

She said: “He went through a really tumultuous time and I struggled. He would run away, have meltdowns and hurt himself because he was very distressed.”

Struggling to cope, Ms Suadoni reached a point where she could no longer safely meet his needs.

“Everything crashed and I just couldn’t cope for another minute,” she said. “I was signed off from work and worried about losing my job. We were both declining and getting weaker and he was just getting more distressed.”

To alleviate the pressure, she volunteered to place her son into care, under Section 20 of the Children Act, where he is being provided consistent round-the-clock supervision.

Ms Suadoni said: “He’s a wonderful, loving and sweet person but when he’s dysregulated, he’s anxious and can’t manage himself — it’s not his fault.

“He’s a very loved child but I’m getting too old and not fit enough these days to manage him because he’s a strong teenager. It has been very sad to have this separation and arrangement.”

Henley MP Freddie van Mierlo Ms Suadoni’s case is “a sign of a broken system”. He said: “Judith first got in touch with me in July to raise the alarm that her 15-year-old son is not getting the education in a school setting that he has a right to.

“I’m deeply concerned and have been working to secure tutoring in the interim but desperately want to see him be able to go to school each day.

“I’m in awe of parents like Judith who advocate so hard on behalf of their children but regret that they have to. It is a sign of a broken system nationally and I am concerned that it is not being addressed quickly enough.”

The county council and Barnet Council have said they will continue to work with each other to ensure education is provided.

A spokesman for the county council said: “We are committed to providing the best education and support for every child in Oxfordshire.

“Although we can’t go into detail about specific cases, we can confirm that we are committed to resolving the situation quickly and to the parents’ satisfaction and we are in regular contact with them.

“We are working with the placing local authority in which the family are ordinarily resident.”