Mum's fight to educate twin daughters as 30 schools reject them

COUNCIL SAYS IT WANTS CHILDREN TO HAVE 'THE RIGHT SUPPORT AT THE RIGHT TIME'

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

A MUM's fight to get a proper education for her twin daughters continues as 30 schools have just rejected them.

Samantha Grafton has been in a four-year battle with Nottinghamshire County Council to get a school for her daughters - seven-year-olds Maya and Esmee - that properly caters for their autism and ADHD.

The council told the 33-year-old in August that, after initially refusing to give out an education, health and care plan (EHCP) for her daughters, the authority had decided one would be issued.

An EHCP is crucial for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), describing the support they need up to the age of 25. Parents and carers can request that a particular school or college be named in this plan, while EHCPs should also specify the alternative education provision a child needs to receive if they cannot go back to school.

The EHCP produced for Maya and Esmee ended up simply saying that they should continue to attend mainstream education, despite them facing distressing incidents of bullying at their school and their mum being concerned about their lack of educational development.

Samantha now says that she had to withdraw her daughters from their previous school as bullying continued and when trying to get them a new space, the family faced 30 rejections.