SEN: Parents ‘frustrated and anxious’ about school placement offers

The family live in east Belfast but Joel, who has a statement of SEN, was offered a school place in Antrim.

His parents originally included the school as one of their choices in April, but contacted the EA at the start of June after getting advice to say they wanted it removed as it wasn’t an appropriate place for him.

In July, the EA emailed to say that was the school he was being offered.

Joel sometimes self injures when upset and can “head bang, bite himself, hit himself, nip himself”, so his mother feels that “he won’t cope with that travel”.

He was offered a specialist provision in mainstream (SPIM).

“Children are being let down,” Caroline said.

The EA said they recognised the family’s concerns and took them “very seriously” and would continue working with them to seek solutions.

“Unfortunately there was no capacity at specialist provisions (dedicated classes for pupils with SEN) in the family’s locality,” it said.

The EA said “all children with a statement of special educational needs starting nursery, year one or year eight secured a school place ahead of the new school year”.

Caroline said children might get “placed,” but questioned if available placements were being “prioritised over actual suitable placements”.