A Holbeach mum says her daughter with special educational needs has been let down by the council.
Rheanne Gooby believes that her eight-year-old daughter, who is struggling in school and is on the waiting list for an autism diagnosis, needs specialist education, writes local democracy reporter Jamie Waller.
However, she says that Lincolnshire County Council cut corners when assessing her.
The authority is seeing a steep rise in the number of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) it needs to accommodate.
It has rejected Rheanne’s complaints and says it doesn’t comment on individual cases.
Rheanne applied for the council to prepare an Educational Health and Care Plan – a legally-binding document for a young person with SEND.
“My daughter comes home from school every day crying and saying she hates it,” Rheanne said.
“I’m fighting to get her a specialist education. She struggles with social cues and situations, and just isn’t succeeding in a mainstream school where they don’t understand her needs.
“I applied for an EHCP a few months ago, and the council assigned a specialist teacher, rather than an education psychologist.
“All the SEND advocates and parents I’ve spoken to say this is unheard of – it never, ever happens.
“I asked if it could be changed to an educational psychologist, but the council said a specialist teacher was good enough.
“At the end of the assessment, I was told that my daughter should stay in her current school, where she’s not getting on.
“It feels like this is an effort to save money by the council. I’ve complained multiple times, but the council insists they’ve followed their rules.
“As a result, my daughter’s been left in a mainstream school where she is really struggling.
“It feels like there’s no one who wants to help, and we could be waiting years for a formal diagnosis of autism.”
Martin Smith, assistant director for education, said: “We do not comment on the content of individual cases.
“Once a complaint has exhausted the local authority’s own process, complainants are advised of their right to appeal to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO). Lincolnshire County Council complies with all LGSCO investigations.”
Lincolnshire County Council has said it’s under pressure from the growing number of young people with SEND it has responsibility for.
It was recently reported that its spending on schools was going £20m over budget this year, largely due to SEND education.
