Mother states son’s education impacted by facility unavailability

A mother states that her son’s education has been interrupted in the lead-up to his GCSEs because of insufficient facilities. Lesley Leeson’s son, Noah, is enrolled in the Northumberland County Council’s Education Other Than At School programme (EOTAS), which offers schooling for students unable to attend traditional full-time school. The council had intended to relocate the programme from Alnwick to a new location in Morpeth at the commencement of the academic year; however, the site has not yet opened due to planning complications. The local authority indicated that it had secured a “suitable venue” for in-person instruction “shortly after” the mid-term break. Noah, aged 16, lives with autism and severe anxiety, which makes it challenging for him to thrive in a conventional school environment. He and his five fellow students have received instruction through both online platforms and temporary alternative locations. Nevertheless, Noah experiences difficulty participating in online education. Mrs. Leeson, a resident of Rothbury, stated that the group had been utilizing a facility in Cramlington for the past three weeks, but no arrangements were in place for the period following the half-term break. She informed the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I’m really mad – they’ve had two months to resolve these issues.” She added, “We’re talking about six kids – we just need an empty room.” Mrs. Leeson further commented, “This has been really disruptive – it would have been for any child, but then you add it onto kids that find change very difficult. “What they are doing is making their physical and mental health worse by not providing a premises.”” A spokesperson for the council commented: “We fully understand the parent’s concerns and we are working very hard to rectify the situation.” The authority confirmed that two new instructional locations, one in Shilbottle and another in Bedlington, are scheduled to receive students by the week of 11 November. For updates, follow BBC North East across social media platforms including X, Facebook, Nextdoor, and Instagram. Story suggestions can be sent to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk. This content is Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. Please note that the BBC bears no responsibility for material found on external websites. Further information on our external linking policy is available.