A DISTRESSED mum says the school system has failed her autistic son by not providing him with the specialist education he needs.

Ben Georgeson, aged five, from Far Forest, is only in school for two and a half hours a day according to his mum Sarah Haynes due to his condition.

He was diagnosed with autism with significant delays in February 2021 and was put forward for an educational healthcare plan in March that year.

Nearly a year later, Sarah says Worcestershire Children First are yet to find Ben, who attends Far Forest Lea CE Memorial Primary School, specialist provision.

Sarah, aged 37, said: "His current neuro-typical school are in over their heads with my son who needs constant 1 to 1 and occasional 2 to 1 care when he’s very 'dysregulated', which can involve throwing, kicking, screaming and punching.

"He is entitled to a full time education, and in the space of a year I have watched my son become more and more isolated within school, and within himself."

Kidderminster Shuttle: Ben Georgeson Ben Georgeson

Sarah says he attends school from 9am until 11.30am each week day because of his condition.

Sarah, who also has three-year-old twins, added: "He spends 15 minutes in the classroom before being segregated for the rest of the morning and he is only in school for half days every day even though by law he is entitled to a full time education."

"I have had to give up work with the unpredictability of the phone calls I get from his current school and his half days timetable.

"My son is being neglected by the system. His personality is changing, he’s becoming more difficult to control because he is not in the right setting, with teachers that are not trained to deal with a child like him.

"Our family are completely at our wits end and jaded by the system that is supposed to be there to protect him and encourage him. This is damaging his mental health.

"We are just banging our heads against the wall.

"He's just digressing - he's getting worse and worse. He needs specialist provision.

"Ultimately we want a school placement at a specialist provider. In the interim we want his current school to be funded much better so he could go intro school full time."

Shelley Reeves-Walters, executive headteacher of Far Forest Lea CE Memorial Primary School, said: “The school continues to work closely with parents and SEND services to ensure the funding and support is there to meet Ben’s needs whilst work with a local specialist provision is undertaken to secure a placement for Ben.”

Previously, a report into education provision for children with special educational needs and disability (SEND) in Worcestershire Found "sufficient progress" and improvements, but serious issues still remain.

Councillor Marcus Hart, Cabinet Member for Education at Worcestershire County Council, said: “Despite a positive step forward overall with the feedback we received from the reinspection from OFSTED, we recognise there is a lot more that we need to do to improve our SEND services and provision across Worcestershire.

"We are sorry for any parent carer that has received a negative experience and we are working with the family to endeavour to agree and provide support and provision to meet their needs."