Family 'scared' after SEND school place rejection

The parents of an 11-year-old girl with autism, ADHD and severe anxiety say they have been left "scared and frightened" after struggling to secure a specialist school placement.

James and Charmaine Northcote, who live in Swindon, Wiltshire, told BBC Wiltshire their daughter, who has an education, health and care plan (EHCP), has been offered a place at a mainstream secondary school for September 2026.

Charmaine says she "burst into tears" when she found out her application had been unsuccessful.

A spokesperson for Swindon Borough Council said they "would continue to liaise with Mr and Mrs Northcote directly about their concerns".

The family said they applied for a specialist secondary school after being advised their daughter would benefit from that level of support.

The family said they have not been given a clear reason why their application was unsuccessful.

Charmaine said: "We want other families to know they're not on their own, they're not the only ones going through this, not the only ones sat there at stupid o'clock crying their heart out because they are scared and frightened.

"This is our life now, our daughter is scared, they need to do something."

The family have lodged a complaint with Swindon Borough Council.

A council spokesperson said: "We do not discuss individual cases in the media and will continue to liaise with Mr and Mrs Northcote directly about their concerns."

The spokesperson also said they were "working extremely hard to create additional provision within Swindon schools".

Across Swindon there is support for 1,422 children in specialist schools, special educational needs and disability (SEND) units or within mainstream schools.

In total, 639,000 young people up to the age of 25 in England have EHCPs, a number that has more than doubled in a decade.

Michelle Lloyd is the founder of Beacon Advocacy, which supports SEND families in Swindon. She said the demand for specialist school places has increased exponentially.

She said the Northcote's situation is "not isolated" and added: "The placements should be placed on the needs of a child."

Lloyd added: "More children are being identified as needing that extra support and many families are reaching the point where mainstream is no longer working for their child.

"But the number of specialist spaces hasn't grown at the same rate, which means families are ending up in a similar situation to James and Charmaine," she said.

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