A north-east mum says her severely disabled daughter has been left with “nowhere to go” after a fruitless year-long battle to get her into a special school.
Balmedie woman Eleanor Thorburn has accused Aberdeenshire Council of failing to take responsibility for three-year-old Noa, leaving both mother and child “in limbo”.
Little Noa has periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), the result of an accident after her birth which left her deprived of oxygen for a prolonged period.
Though she has quadriplegia, cerebral palsy and epilepsy, and requires feeding through a tube, Mrs Thorburn had been looking forward to the emotional and mental benefits of a special education based around sensory play.
Her first choice had been Orchard Brae School in Aberdeen, but she was told that Noa is ineligible, given the school is currently over-subscribed and she isn’t resident in the city catchment area.
Instead she has been told that Noa, who turns four in October, will have to go to nursery at St Andrew’s School in Inverurie.
After several meetings with St Andrew’s staff, Mrs Thorburn was told that the school is unable to cater to her daughter’s needs.
The despairing mum says the predicament has left her with the prospect of being isolated at home with Noa.
In particular, Mrs Thorburn is critical over what she perceives as a lack of funding from the council for cases like hers.
She said: “The city council has given enough funding to Orchard Brae to have two full-time registered nurses in the school at all times, whereas St Andrew’s only has a community nurse who deals with several different schools.
“The funding seems to be there for things like learning difficulties, but when it comes to medically complex children, they won’t give St Andrew’s School the right funding or training to be able to provide children like Noa with an education.
“It’s taken nearly a year to get to this point, to be told the council won’t provide the funding to look after a child like Noa.
“It just feels like nobody will take responsibility for her.
“I’m her carer, and this leaves me stuck at home – it’s very isolating.”
Mrs Thorburn vowed to continue her fight to get Noa into school, adding: “It’s not just about Noa, it’s about all the other children like her in the future, and their families who are going to have to go through this same process.”
An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman said: “While we can’t comment on individual cases, we would stress that we always work to ensure that children and young people with additional support needs receive the support they require to allow them to access education.
“We work closely with our partner agencies, seeking their advice and guidance in how best to meet the needs of children with complex needs.
“This can include further professional training for staff and we can confirm that discussions are currently taking place around additional measures that can be put in place at St Andrew’s School.”