'My daughter faces 81-mile round trip for school'

A woman has said her daughter's 81-mile round trip to school takes a "toll" on her and called on the government to change its approach to what she described as the "appalling" system underpinning special educational needs and disabilities (Send).

Kayleigh lives in Evesham - her daughter Keira, 13, is autistic and takes a taxi to The Wenlock School in Dudley, an independent special school.

The mum-of-four has criticised the government for shifting its policy on building Send facilities, which has seen new sites cancelled in areas like Herefordshire.

The Department for Education says it will instead create 50,000 new special placements in mainstream schools by allowing them to upgrade existing facilities.

"We felt very lucky in that we found one school that could meet my daughter's needs," Kayleigh said.

"But it does take a toll - every night at 7pm she says 'I have to go to bed now, I'm tired'.

"That's when you realise what she has been through every day - it's really tiring and she's fed up of it. It can take over an hour each way."

She also said the government should not be shifting its policy away from the creation of bespoke special schools.

"It's appalling - we're being put at a disadvantage just because our children might not get on in mainstream schools," she said.

Leaders at a special school in Herefordshire have suggested that mainstream schools will need better training if they are to cope.

Debbie Thomas, CEO of GEM, which has sites in Hereford and Ross-on-Wye, said: "Some children just do not cope in mainstream schools, it's that simple.

"We get children who have been through a lot, and coming here can be life-changing for them.

"It's asking a lot of mainstream schools and teachers - they will certainly need more training if this is to be the way forward."

Councillor Stephen Foster, cabinet member for education at Worcestershire County Council, said the authority would back the chance to develop "high quality support in mainstream settings" for Send children, but it wanted more assurances over the funding.

The government plans to invest a record £3bn into special needs placements over the next three years, laying the groundwork for a White Paper which is due to be published laying out wider reforms.

A spokesperson for the department for education said local authorities were still being offered a choice over how to spend the money - including expanding existing Send facilities or creating specialist units within mainstream schools.

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