LAST RESORT: Joyce Reid claims she had no other choice but to send her autistic son Prince to be educated abroad in Jamaica A MUM from Selsdon has sent her autistic son to be educated in Jamaica after he was turned down by mainstream schools in Croydon. Prince Reid, 12, who has Aspergers syndrome, had been home-schooled since September after he failed to secure a place at any of the seven schools he applied for last summer. Days after sending him abroad his mother, Joyce, hit out at what she calls a lack of options available to pupils with special education needs in Croydon. Ms Reid, of Freelands Avenue said: The lack of school places in Croydon is well known, but there is a particular problem for children who, like Prince, require specialist support, and whose needs are being met by the local authority. I felt sending my son to be educated in another country was my only option. Croydon Council said Prince had not secured a place at any of his preferred schools because his mother had pulled him out of Archbishop Tenisions CE High last January. It added he had been offered a place at Education Excellence, an alternative school in the town centre, though Ms Reid turned it down because she wanted her son to be in mainstream education. Prince, a talented runner and footballer, went to primary school in Spa Hill before starting at Archbishop Tenisons, in Selborne Road, in September 2012. The school helped him secure his first statement of special educational needs, which entitled him to specialist support, but Ms Reid claimed they could not cope with his condition and his behaviour put him at risk of suspension. She said: When January came I did not let Prince return because I was worried about him. A relative was going to Jamaica and they suggested letting Prince come with them to go to school there because he would have the right kind of role models. Prince spent six months abroad and, according to his mum, was doing well. He returned home in June and she applied, unsuccessfully, for a number of Croydon schools – including Archbishop Tenisons. Head teacher Richard Parrish told the Advertiser that, given Princes previous time at the school, it would be better for him to start somewhere fresh. He rejected any suggestion the school had been unable to cope with his condition and said the decision to let him leave was a parental one. He said: There were concerns, of course there were, but he has older siblings in this school and other schools in Croydon so there was no reason why he couldnt have remained here. We have a number of pupils who are autistic or have other special educational needs. Their parents are in the main very pleased with our provision for them. Prince was then taught at home with the help of two hours specialist support, before Ms Reid found a place for him at a boarding school in Reigate. The council, however, refused to fund the move because she had turned down Education Excellence. Last week she decided to send her son back to Jamaica, and he is already in school. She said: He went away on a Wendesday, the next day he had his interview and test and on Monday he started school. There was no school for him here, but when he left he was able to go somewhere else within a week. Im not saying his education will be better now, but at least he will get one. The council has vehemently defended its special educational needs record. The borough has four special school and two secondaries with specialist resource bases for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). “It’s wrong to say there is a lack of schools offering support to children with ASD in Croydon,” a spokesman said. The council rejects a number of Ms Reid’s accusations, including that she had no other choice but to have Prince educated in another country. Educational Excellence was included on the schoolboy’s statement of need to allow her to appeal to a special tribunal, which she has not yet done. The council agreed to a day place for Prince at the school in Reigate, but Mrs Reid asked for help paying for Saturday mornings, which was not deemed necessary. The council have had limited information on several aspects of the case, making the assessment process difficult to conclude. A spokesman said: “Our assessment process ensures each child is placed in a suitable school and our current investment programme means there are increasing numbers of in-borough places, reducing the need for children to travel long distances. There is a formal appeal process if parents feel they need an independent review of our assessment and we encourage people to take this route if they feel it would be in the best interests of their child.” Read more: croydonadvertiser.co.uk/Mum-sends-son-Jamaica-specialist... Picture Credit: Grant Melton For this and More News You Can Use subscribe maiachungtv I tweet #maiachung Subscribe to our You Tube Maia Chung TV Like and Share our Facebook page Maia Chung Television
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 11:59:14 +0000
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