Mar 4, 2003,

The mother of a 13-year-old boy who won a place at a special needs school is lodging an official complaint over the conduct of Staffordshire Local Education Authority (LEA) during the case.

The Great Wyrley woman, who does not want to be named, has pledged to complain to the head of Staffordshire County Council to help protect other children. She is especially concerned about the time it took for her son's needs to be assessed and the state of the education at his former school Great Wyrley High.

The teenager, who has dyscalculia, a severe learning difficulty, was last week awarded a place at Maple Hayes special school following a tribunal, which the LEA will have to pay for but still maintains is the wrong decision.

The authority agrees Great Wyrley High School was not suitable but maintains he could have been taught mainstream at Cheslyn Hay High School, which has a specific learning difficulties unit.

In November 2001, when the teenager was in year eight, his mother asked the LEA to carry out a statutory assessment because of concerns about his progress.

The tribunal found it took several months for the school to provide information to enable the LEA to consider the request and it was not until May last year that the assessment was initiated.

Failure

Great Wyrley High School was also criticised by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal for its failure to meet requirements of a code of practice, which the LEA also recognised.

In a report the tribunal also said it was "taken aback at the professional implications" of the boy's maths teacher, who commented on his attitude, lack of effort and desire ''to do as little as possible'', apparently making no allowance for his numeracy difficulties.

A spokesman for the LEA said: "Our professional assessment remains the same. We believe he could be taught at Cheslyn Hay."

John Large, headteacher of Great Wyrley High, said he had not seen the report from the tribunal but was surprised at the verdict.

By KON Reporter Katie Haywood