Camden Council’s offices in King’s Cross

THE mother of the only child in Camden to not be awarded a secondary school place this year says a series of delays have left her autistic son facing a year of lost education.

The family, who have lived all their lives in Kentish Town, have been told that 19 schools have been approached in “consultations” about a Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) place for the 11-year-old child.

But none have offered a place, due to a surge in demand, for the boy who has learning disabilities and is clinically considered non-verbal.

The mother, who does not want to be named because of her son’s vulnerabilities, is taking the council to a tribunal but is now not expecting the matter to be resolved until Easter.

She said: “Late responses. Late consultations. No challenges from the council to the responses to these consultations. They have consistently missed deadlines. The schools have said they are full. Camden allege that they sent out 19 consultations to the schools. I have asked for the evidence of that, but we haven’t had it. Radio silence.”

The schools Camden has approached include “mainstream” schools that also take children with “SEND provision”.

Speaking of the impact on her son, she said: “I’ve definitely noticed a change in his mood. He knows there is no school but it is confusing. Everyone is asking me, ‘still no school?’”

There has been a more than 50 per cent rise in Camden children requiring extra support for autism since 2019, and around a 33 per cent increase since 2023. The council has told parents that a new non-selective SEND-only school, run by Seva Education, is opening in Boadicea Street, King’s Cross, Islington.

The Town Hall had pre-purchased places for children at the site, formerly Blessed Sacrament RC Primary School which shut in 2024.

A Seva Education King’s Cross website has gone up with Minesh Randeria, head of school, saying they “believe children learn best when they feel understood, supported, and able to thrive in a calm and purposeful environment”.

But the new SEND school has not opened on time.

The mother said that several children who were supposed to start at the new school are now being funded for home tutors or to remain in primary schools until it opens.

She said: “The problem for me is the environment at that school is incompatible with my son’s profile. He will be frightened of the children there. I know some people reading this will be thinking about me, ‘bloody hell, does she want the moon and stars as well?’ But getting the placement right at this age is so important. It will cost less in the future.”

She added: “Camden is pushing SEND families to the brink. They do all these focus groups but it doesn’t feel like they are listening to us.”

The mother said she wanted her son to go to Treehouse in Muswell Hill, where neurodivergence was celebrated and catered for The school has said it can meet the boy’s needs but they are full, although a judgment at the tribunal could force the school to take the boy.

There has been an explosion of applications for SEND placements at schools in Camden due to wider medical understanding leading to an increase in diagnoses.
The council, despite two years of a Labour government, is still struggling on a shoestring due to budget cuts.

The mother said she had sat on several SEND advisory groups and had been due to attend the Labour conference to talk about the issue with ministers.

“The whole system, from education to health to social care, it just needs a real shake-up,” she added.

The council declined to comment on whether it had placements at Seva Education, and the company did not respond to requests.

A Camden Council spokesperson said: “The increased demand for specialist provision means that, on occasion, securing the most appropriate provision can take longer than we would like. We are working to secure an appropriate placement as quickly as possible and alternative educational provision is being put in place while longer-term arrangements are progressed.

“We recognise the frustration and uncertainty this situation has caused the family and we remain in regular contact with them. We will continue to work closely with them to secure the most suitable placement available and keep them updated on progress.”