Ramsgate 11-year-old still without a school six months after classmates began secondary education

Archie and mum Charmaine are still waiting for a school placement 6 months after the youngster should have started Year 7

While families have been receiving secondary school placement offers this week, one Ramsgate boy who should have started Year 7 last September is still waiting for his place.

Archie Owen left Dame Janet Primary School last July but, unlike his classmates, he did not start at secondary when the new term began.

It has been six months since Archie last received any education and his mum Charmaine says she is being stonewalled at every turn.

The mum-of-three had initially opted to apply for special schools due to Archie’s ADHD and social anxiety, which are both detailed on his Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), but was given the ok to change options for a mainstream placement with SEN provision due to her son’s progress in his last year at primary.

The 31-year-old said: “Archie has an EHCP from when he was attending Dame Janet and when I was doing the secondary school placement form I was advised to choose specialist schools.

“But then Archie had new medication and over the 12 months he made incredible progress and I wanted him to have the opportunity to attend a mainstream school with provision.

“At that time he hadn’t been given a named school and I was told I could apply for a mainstream school with SEN unit. But no schools have accepted him.”

Charmaine had hoped Archie could attend Royal Harbour Academy, which is close to home, but was told in July the school couldn’t take him as it could not meet his needs.

Charmaine says she is appealing as she believes the school caters for youngsters with needs more severe than Archie’s but Kent County Council has failed to respond to more than 15 emails and has failed to send the paperwork needed.

She says a case worker promise to secure a home tutor for Archie while he waits has also failed to materialise with officials saying they had no record of this when contacted by South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay on Charmaine’s behalf.

‘No education in 6 months’

She said: “On October 10, I requested an annual review for Archie’s EHCP which is a legal document that needs to be followed. That email hasn’t been responded to and on that legal document it states Archie is still receiving education from the primary school he left in July. None of the provisions that are meant to be in place for Archie have been met since he left school in July and he is still yet to receive any education from a school placement or tutor.

“KCC are failing him massively. They have supplied my son with no form of education in the last 6 months. It is damaging my son more being without a school and not being able to mix with peers his age.

“He has no social life. He attends two clubs for football and boxing for an hour each but these aren’t really social.

“I had a job as a carer until Archie’s hours were reduced at primary and now he is at home all day I have no opportunity to get another job so it is having an impact on us all.”

Charmaine says for Archie to still be without education in the week when primary children have been offered their secondary places has also been upsetting.

She said: “I felt nothing but sadness seeing everyone write about their children’s offers of schools and yet Archie is just being left.”

No response

Kent County Council was contacted by The Isle of Thanet News for an explanation about Archie’s situation on February 22.

A follow up query was sent on February 27 with KCC saying ‘an officer was looking into it.’

A further enquiry was sent on March 2 but KCC is yet to respond with any statement or comment on its plans for dealing with Archie’s lack of school placement.

School figures

For September 2023 a total of 22,620 parents/carers (19,007 from Kent) applied for a place for their child in a Kent school. This is 731 more than last year, and the number of Kent pupils applying has increased by 695, also setting a new record.

The number of Kent pupils offered a place at their first-preference school has gone up by 291 to 14,865 although the percentage has fallen slightly from 79.59% to 78.21%.

However, the number and percentages of those being offered their second, third or fourth choices has gone up, so the percentage of those allocated a place at a school for which they did not make a preference at all fell to under 5% – the lowest since 2018. KCC has not published the number of children who are without a school placement.

19 Comments

  1. I don’t think you understand how many of the demographic you speak don’t have places.

    Your ignorance is bewildering.

    If they were it wouldn’t be news.

    But yeah you carry on believing they have it easy.

    Clown.

    • I have had this with my son and only just got him into a placement but it took a year to do so. Everyone was looking at the EHCP and not bothering to help just telling us they couldn’t meet needs or wasn’t space available. Try the Education program, we had 2 tutors come out only for 1 and half hours but gave my son social skills that were lacking as wasn’t in school. Also make a formal complaint with the council in how you have been treated and leave voicemails if you can get phone numbers telling them that if they haven’t got back on you by certain time frames that you will elevate it to management. Hope this helps

  2. This is disgusting.
    In times gone by everyone got a place regardless. It may not have been ideal, but everyone muddled through.
    Unfortunately, for the last 30 years, Local authorities, schools & parents have had supposed “options” and “targets”. Which has totally f****d everything.

    • “Unfortunately, for the last 30 years, Local authorities, schools & parents have had supposed “options” and “targets”. Which has totally f****d everything.”

      Yeah, its nothing to do with central government slashing funding for SEN spaces within schools at all mate. I mean, what would I know, working in that field…

  3. 6 months is nothing compared to one my family members with learning disabilities. They’ve been stuck in limbo for over 2 years and nobody is interested!!!

  4. I think nationwide there is a lack of specialist schools.
    Full sympathy for the parent and youngster.
    Mainstream schools are having to create these special provisions but there is clear under estimation County wide in the staffing numbers that those classes need to meet every child’s needs. Assessment & reassessment of medication, especially between ages 11-14, is too slow (this needs to be improved too.)

  5. This really is disgusting.
    Isnt it the law that every child needs an education.
    If his mum was to take him out of school for a holiday or day she would get a fine from the school.
    So what makes this acceptable?

  6. KCC, Tory led, useless in all departments. Education for special needs has always been trouble for KCC to understand. However care is a filthy word for them. This is not the first nor the last child that they don’t give a dam about. They talk good but delivery is non existent.

  7. We’re ok with the 2nd comment on here just being explicitly racist? Ok.
    Poor kid.. this is happening more and more.. and will continue to do so whilst we’re underserved with schools and don’t have enough teachers (and other staff) to start with. Notable that she wrote to old Craig and there’s no further mention of his involvement!

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