7:19am Monday 25th April 2005
By Kevin Barnes
A mother from Ewell has revealed how she reported herself to the education welfare department in a desperate attempt to gain a school place for her dyslexic son.
Fiona Tothill, 45, a university tutor, said she was even warned she faced prison for denying the 13-year-old an education, despite battling to find him a suitable school.
Mrs Tothill said she was at breaking point after her son was refused school places in the borough after the family's move from Kingston last year.
The boy, who is not named to protect his identity, has been at home since April 2004, after his mother withdrew him from Southborough School because the long commute was making him ill.
Following a number of unsuccessful attempts to find a closer school for the teenager, he was finally offered a place at Epsom and Ewell High School in December.
But after seven months out of the education system, his mother said the place was unsuitable because he had developed a phobia to schools.
On one occasion an ambulance was called when the boy suffered panic attacks at the thought of returning to mainstream classes.
Mrs Tothill said she was stunned that her son could virtually disappear from the education system.
She said: "No one has come round and listened to what his needs actually are. He was already going to have problems going back into the system an now they've made the problem 10 times worse.
"He's not offending anyone he's clear and focused and the disappointing thing is that if he had been excluded for bad behaviour he would have been treated better."
A spokesman for Surrey's Local Education Authority said it was awaiting a report from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services before agreeing any action.
He said delays were a result of the boy remaining on the Kingston education register until October.
In a statement, the authority added: "Clearly the referral was after the start of the new school year, but nevertheless we were able to offer him a school place.
"This place was never taken up. We are aware that the boy's mother is dissatisfied with the school offer and are trying to work with her to identify a solution that is in her son's best interests."
The teenager has spent his time volunteering at Chessington Equestrian Centre, where he is described as "quite a star".
Mrs Tothill says she was preparing a formal complaint about the authority.
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