Kelly Smith has applied to two different Medway schools on behalf of her son Louis but says it's unlikely he'll start until September.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 Letters, numbers and shapes. There's nothing 5 year old Louis loves more in the whole world.
00:06 But since September, Louis' love for learning has been confined to this flat in Stroud rather
00:11 than a classroom. This is because Louis is non-verbal and has cerebral palsy and autism,
00:17 meaning mainstream schools in Medway would be unequipped for his needs.
00:21 But Louis' mum Kelly says there are no spaces available at special educational needs schools
00:26 in Medway when he left nursery last year, meaning she has had to homeschool her son
00:31 with the help of her sister. She says she doesn't know how long she can continue.
00:38 He's not got, he doesn't understand how to socialise, he's got like with other children,
00:42 like there's no other children, like he's never had other children to socialise with.
00:47 So it's just getting harder and harder for him to then, when he goes to school, how's
00:51 he going to cope? I can only teach him so much and then it's like a door, there's nowhere
00:59 else to go. So it's constant every day the same thing and I do my best, but he deserves
01:05 to go to school like every other child.
01:07 Kelly has applied to both Dane Court and Abbey Court schools. That's when a glimmer of hope
01:12 emerged.
01:14 Kelly was told that Louis would start at Abbey Court after Easter in a brand new class. She
01:20 was later told there weren't enough staff at the school to facilitate extra pupils.
01:25 Having reached out to Medway Council for support without hearing back, Kelly says she has never
01:30 felt so alone in getting the support she says her son needs.
01:34 No one gets back to me. I constantly email and I ring and I just feel like I'm chasing
01:41 my tail all the time and it's really upsetting and I just, sometimes I just want to cry because
01:46 I'm so frustrated and I just don't know what to do for the best anymore.
01:51 Abbey Court and Medway Council have both been approached for comment. In the meantime, with
01:56 no places available until later this year, for now, Louis and his family will have to
02:00 make do with all the letters and numbers they have at home.
02:04 Oliver Leeds and Sacks reporting for KMTV.