THE idea of one’s son or daughter not being able to go to school is many parents’ worst nightmare.

Indeed, many mums and dads have had to deal with that exact scenario for months of the past year and discovered just how painful it can be.

Mandy Champ from Botley has now been dealing with such a situation for the past two years.

And for her, however, the problem is not going to go away when schools reopen later this year.

Mrs Champ’s problems are caused by the fact that her daughter has special needs: autism, separation anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder.

As a result of these conditions, Isobel struggles to cope in mainstream education, and needs extra care – care which Mrs Champ says the council has been unable to find for her daughter.

The rise in awareness and sensitivity around special educational needs in recent years has brought the subject much more to public attention.

In previous generations, children who had separation anxiety or were autistic might simply have been written off as being beyond help.

Now, society recognises that we are very much able to help children with such special needs, however we have not yet reached a point where such help is so commonplace that it can be guaranteed.

Oxfordshire has thousands of children with special needs, the vast majority of whom get appropriate care and assistance, for example at one of the county's special schools or with special assistance at a mainstream school.

However there are also still those, like Isobel, who fall between the cracks.

And, while Mrs Champ is calling on the county council (as our local education authority) to fix the problem, this is also reflective of a wider problem that we have in society.

Whatever type of help a child needs, every single child must at least have the opportunity to get a decent education.

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