Mum set for court showdown after Scots council leaves daughter without school
EDUCATION FIGHT Mum set for court showdown after Scots council leaves daughter without school
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AN angry Glasgow mum is suing the council after her daughter was left without a school.
Pupils returned to classrooms across the city on Wednesday after the summer break.
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Samantha Osborne is fighting for her daughter Niamh's education
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The youngster needs an additional support needs primary but she is without a school
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Samantha is taking legal action against Glasgow City Council
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But Samantha Osborne's four-year-old child Niamh has nowhere to begin her education.
The youngster has autism and her mum has been trying to find her a specialist school.
But the 31-year-old has pursued legal action after education bosses told her there was no room at any of their additional support needs (ASN) primaries, as reported by the Glasgow Times.
Samantha has been left with no choice but to try and educate Niamh at home.
She is taking Glasgow City Council to a tribunal as she desperately seeks to find her daughter a school.
Samantha said: "I'm utterly disgusted and appalled at the way Niamh has been treated.
"The council has agreed that mainstream education is not suitable for her needs, yet the new term has started and Niamh still has nowhere to go.
'Keeping her back from school won't do her any good whatsoever. This means she is missing out on her right to a proper education through no fault of her own.
"The council has a legal duty to provide the specialist support she requires. I'm determined to fight tooth and nail to make sure she gets it."
She added: "'Due to her complex condition, she has to wear nappies and requires one-on-one care which the school and staff, despite being absolutely fantastic, simply can't provide. There's just no way my daughter would be able to sit through a normal lesson, she would try to leave the classroom and because she can't talk, needs specialist teachers who understand exactly what she's going through.
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'Niamh has been through nursery - she won't benefit from going back there for another year. My only option currently is to keep her at home and do my best to school her."
Samantha, who is a carer for her mum, went to Govan Law Centre for advice.
It recommended that she take Glasgow City Council to a tribunal.
A hearing has been scheduled for October 20, while Niamh and her mum face months of uncertainty.
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: 'We know that the ASN tribunal appeals can cause anxiety for parents and their children as the legal process progresses.
'We are sorry that the family feel that the options for Niamh to defer a year, continue to attend nursery until the decision, or attend a mainstream primary with support, are not deemed suitable.
'In the meantime, education officers will continue to work with them to find a temporary solution."
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