I was blamed for my autistic son missing two years of school and had to fight in court for the support he needed

STEPHANIE TELLS OF LONG BATTLE WITH COUNCIL OVER EHCP

- By LAUREN MONAGHAN Local democracy reporter

A NOTTINGHAM mum says she was “blamed” by the city council after her son missed two years of school due to special educational needs delays.

Stephanie Baxter's 13-year-old son is autistic with pathological demand avoidance. Until September 2025 he had been out of school for two years due to burnout from his mainstream school setting.

Ms Baxter shared her story of her “fight” with Nottingham City Council with the local democracy reporting service (LDRS) when she attended the Every Pair Tells a Story campaign movement outside County Hall in West Bridgford last Monday. The movement took place across 88 local authorities in England and Scotland, involving parents or guardians leaving pairs of shoes outside council houses to represent individual children who have been ‘failed’ by their special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) service. Parents in the city council area joined forces with those under Nottinghamshire County Council.

Ms Baxter's fight for her son to have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in place - legal documents detailing a young person’s needs, required support and progress - began when he was in year six but this was “straight away denied despite having a diagnosis of autism” The mum says her son experienced burnout from sensory overwhelm starting secondary school, meaning he was unable to properly attend mainstream school for two years and receive a full curriculum other than English and maths.