A Nottinghamshire boy with autism has been left without a suitable school place for nearly a month, partly due to staffing problems.
Hucknall mum Amy Wardle, 31, says her five-year-old son was supposed to start primary school on 3 September, but problems with his legal education document have caused a delay.
Her son, who is autistic and non-verbal, has what is known as an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) – a legal document detailing a young person’s needs, the support they require and the progress they want to make.
Ms Wardle says her son’s finalised EHCP from Nottinghamshire County Council arrived around June 2026 and stated that he should attend a mainstream school.
After she complained and challenged this during the school summer holidays, her son’s named school was changed to Hucknall Flying High Academy – which offers individual support for pupils with special educational needs – with a September start date.
But the school says it was only made aware of Ms Wardle’s son’s placement after the term had started, and there were concerns it would not be able to “meet his needs”.
Ms Wardle said: “It turns out the council had gone to [the school] in June and they had raised concerns about meeting my son’s needs because he’d need a lot of targeted one-to-one support and they were over capacity.”
She says her son “hasn’t stepped a foot in the school”, adding: “There [were discussions] about a transitional start for him, while trying to sort out staffing issues.
“But for a child that needs targeted one-to-one support, has problems with keeping safe, has to be monitored all the time, he can’t start a school if they haven’t got the staff for it.”
The mum says no educational provision has been put in place while her son has been out of school.
She said: “I’m just so stressed. He needs it. I want to be able to communicate with him. He needs to be in school, his one-to-one support can encourage him to communicate.
“I feel like I fail him because I’m clueless half the time of what to do, that’s why he needs a specialist, but it’s taking so long.
“It’s just frustrating. I feel like they’ve failed a child all because he’s got a disability.”
Ms Wardle’s main hope is for her son to be placed in a school that can meet his support needs in line with his EHCP – regardless of whether it is a mainstream or specialist school.
A spokesperson for Flying High Partnership said: “Since receiving notification of the proposed placement two weeks ago, the school have been in discussions with the Local Authority and have set out in detail the significant additional provision that would be required to ensure the school can meet the child’s needs safely and appropriately within its setting.
“This includes considerations around adaptations to the physical environment, specialist staffing and support, and the level of funding needed to secure the appropriate provision – structured in a way that allows the child to access a safe, inclusive and appropriate education.
“Throughout the process the school has liaised with the family as to any developments. As a school, we are committed to ensuring that the needs and best interests of every child remain at the heart of our decision-making.
“Any placement must be carefully planned, suitably resourced, and structured in a way that allows a child to access a safe, inclusive and appropriate education. The school remains committed to working constructively with the Local Authority to find the best solution for the child.”
Nottinghamshire County Council’s Director of Education and Inclusion, Dr Orlaith Green, said: “While we are unable to comment on individual cases, we will contact the family and the school to discuss their situation and are committed to helping young people with special educational needs to achieve their best possible outcomes.
“In Nottinghamshire, resources and funding are provided to mainstream schools to support all children who have special educational needs, including those who have an EHCP.
“We work closely with partners, including schools, to improve SEND services and support in Nottinghamshire and we are working to create a system that provides help earlier and closer to home whenever possible, to ensure young people get the right support, in the right place, at the right time.”
By Lauren Monaghan, Local Democracy Reporter
