Autistic boy out of school for 10 months as he waits for council to find new one

An autistic boy has gone 10 months without formal school education as his local authority has been unable to find one that “meets his needs”.

Keilan Jackson, 12, was at Elm Court school in Elm Park, Tulse Hill, a special education needs school, until December last year when he was told he could not stay there.

Keilan’s mother, Neisha, said the teenager was suffering from anxiety and depression. He also finds it difficult to go outside and be in crowded spaces.

She said: “He’s not dealing with it very well. His anxiety is bad. All he knows is home life.

“I really have an issue with Elm Court because they have not explained why they can’t meet Keilan’s needs.”

Ms Jackson claimed the school did not assess her son’s needs or his Educational Health and Care plan properly before accepting him as a student.

She also claims the school and Lambeth council have not yet provided a reason as to why they cannot meet his needs. She called Lambeth council “a nightmare”.

Local authorities have a duty to find students alternative education settings if a school has a reason to not keep them.

Ms Jackson is now taking Lambeth council to a tribunal as it has not found an adequate placement for Keilan, although this is set for March 2023 and he is unlikely to be placed before then.

Ms Jackson said the school provided one-to-one tutoring between February and May this year through an agency, but they did not have the experience to meet her son’s needs.

She has since been trying to teach him but said she was struggling and has since been signed off work with “stress” because of the situation with Keilan.

A Lambeth council spokesman said: “Keilan was originally placed at Elm Court but, following the Emergency Annual Review in January, his mother accepted the school’s view that they could no longer meet Keilan’s education needs.

“With the agreement of Keilan’s mother, Elm Court School subsequently arranged one-to-one home tuition for Keilan at the family home.

“While Keilan was being tutored at home, Lambeth’s Special Educational Needs (SEN) team formally sought the views of all the parent’s preferred alternative schools but unfortunately these schools were unable to meet his needs.

“Unfortunately, due to a backlog of cases in the system, we will have to wait until March 2023 for Keilan’s case to be heard. We hope to resolve this matter before then, by exploring further school options with the family.

“He has been on roll at Elm Court school all this time and has not been excluded, and they remain responsible for providing suitable off-site education.

“One-to-one home tuition has been available during this period but we understand that Ms Jackson is no longer using this.”

Elm Court school has been approached for comment.

Pictured top: Keilan Jackson (Picture: Neisha Jackson)