'My son missed learning because of discrimination'

A deaf woman from Sussex, who says her autistic son missed years of secondary school, has accused West Sussex County Council (WSCC) of discrimination and neglect.

Melody Pilgrim, from Horsham, says Matt's care plan was never suitable, but she felt excluded from discussing it when he was at primary school, because she wasn't provided with a qualified British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.

"The school head teacher at the time said it's too expensive, we can't afford it. I said what about my rights?", she said.

WSCC and The Kemnal Academies Trust, which runs Hilltop Primary in Crawley, said they couldn't comment on individual cases.

A spokesperson from the trust said: "Our school's priority is and has always been the education and wellbeing of our pupils.

"We work with our pupils and their families to ensure necessary accommodations are provided in line with a pupil's Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)."

The latest Ofsted inspection of Hilltop Primary School found that pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (Send) achieve "extremely well as a consequence of staff's expert approach to meeting their needs."

Ms Pilgrim says Matt was issued with an EHCP at primary school in 2011. An EHCP is a legal document setting out the support a child needs.

Speaking via a qualified BSL interpreter, she said the plan was unchanged for nine years.

"It's had a huge impact on my mental health. The stress, the discrimination, the neglect, to me and to Matt, because there was just no help, no support for us," she said.

Matt, who's now 18, said he missed out on four years of secondary education, which was very stressful.

He said: "I never thought, during that time, that I would get my education and GCSEs again, which was really sad."

Matt is now studying happily for GCSEs at Brighton College under an Education Other than At School (EOTAS) support plan, after Ms Pilgrim paid for a private consultant to engage with West Sussex County Council.

Ms Pilgrim said she was considering making a formal complaint to the council, and was speaking out to warn other families facing similar difficulties.

In a statement West Sussex County Council said it had implemented a Send improvement plan.

"We acknowledge the frustrations felt by some families trying to access Send support and express our sympathies to those who are dealing with especially complex circumstances.

"We, along with local authorities across the country are facing significant pressures in meeting the increasing demand for Send provision."

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