The mum of an eight-year-old boy with autism says an administrative blunder has cost her son his school place.
Michelle Rountree, from Belfast, says son Presley has no placement lined up after leaving Oakwood School and Assessment Centre this summer.
Presley Rountree, who may now have to be homeschooled after missing out on a place at a special school
Rountree says Northern Ireland’s Education Authority (EA) told her Presley would be best suited to a place at either Cedar Lodge Special School or Harberton Special School.
Not put forward a school application
But Rountree, 38, says officials later admitted they had not put forward an application for either of these schools.
Now she faces having to home educate Presley because the EA has offered a place at a mainstream school she regards as unsuitable.
Rountree says her son also has global developmental delay, is “very, very anxious” with “a lot of sensory issues” and is not yet “completely out of nappies”.
She added: “It would be a learning support unit with older children (at the mainstream school) where Presley is very vulnerable and there’s not a chance that he could cope with P6 and P7 children (nine to 11-year-olds) all in the one unit.”
Budgets under ‘unprecedented pressure’
Nichola Mallon is the North Belfast member of the province’s legislative assembly for the SDLP.
She said Northern Ireland is facing an increase in demand for special needs education. Budgets were under “unprecedented pressure”.
Mallon said schools have faced “cuts on cuts”. Meanwhile, political bickering has paralysed the legislative assembly and prevented crucial funding decisions.
A spokesperson for the EA said it could not comment on “individual children’s circumstances”.
The spokesperson added: “We are committed to working with parents and schools to ensure children’s assessed needs are met.”
Related:
- Family searches in vain for school place
- Pupils bundled into school soft rooms
- Northern Ireland funding ‘not enough’
- ‘More help needed’ in N Ireland
- Commissioner slams support in N Ireland
- N Ireland schools ‘almost in crisis’
- Call for autism schools in N Ireland
- Radical N Ireland school plans blasted
- N Ireland pay hikes at top despite cuts
- Parents take action over N Ireland cuts
- Cuts hit ‘crucial help’ in N Ireland
- Parents defy dire services in N Ireland
Published: 4 July 2019
