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09
Nov
'Emotionally exhausted': Knaresborough mum's fight to get autistic son into specialist school
A Knaresborough eight-year-old has spent two years in near isolation at his school due to his special educational needs (SEND).
Eli Drake, who currently attends a mainstream school, is desperately in need of a space at a special school, but North Yorkshire Council delays have meant this has still not happened.
His mum, Francesca Drake, told the Stray Ferret she is “emotionally exhausted” after the relentless battle to get him into the right education setting and is frustrated by “lots of broken promises”.
Eli is diagnosed with autism, has a pathological demand avoidance (PDA) profile and global developmental delay.
He has significant additional needs, including difficulties with emotional regulation, communication, sensory processing and awareness of danger.
Eli is waiting for a space at a special school.
He has been on a reduced timetable at school, staying for only around two hours a day, since June 2024, and hasn’t had access to learning during this time; according to his mum he spends most of his time colouring in a room alone.
He is also not allowed to go to play outside or have lunch in the dinner hall.
This all happened after an incident where he ran out of school into the road and went missing, so that as per policy police had to be called.
A senior member of staff located him and safety brought him back to school, but then he “ransacked the place”.
Ms Drake said:
For more than two years, my son has been unable to access the same educational and social opportunities as other children his age.
What makes this particularly heartbreaking is that Eli actually wants to attend school. He has expressed his wish to stay longer, have lunch with other children and participate in activities that most children take for granted.
A tribunal process established that Eli requires specialist educational provision. Despite this, North Yorkshire Council has not secured an agreed specialist school placement for him.
After numerous unsuccessful consultations, Hurworth House School – a school that Eli showed a keen interest in attending - indicated that it could offer Eli a place, subject to local authority approval.
However, the council has “repeatedly delayed” making a decision, Ms Drake said.
She said that instead of approving the proposed placement at Hurworth House, the council has decided to investigate Forest Moor, an SEMH-focused specialist school, for a potential January 2027 start – although she expressed concerns that this school isn’t a fit for his needs.
She said:
I cannot understand why my son is potentially being asked to wait until January when another specialist school has already indicated that it can offer him a place sooner.
Throughout this process, I have repeatedly chased the local authority for updates and answers. I have reached a point of complete emotional exhaustion.
Eli's mum doesn't want him to miss any more of his education.
Ms Drake believes the decision has been made because Forest Moor is cheaper than Hurworth House.
She emphasises that Eli’s current school has tried to support him but doesn't have the capacity to provide what a special school could.
She feels that being out of proper education for this amount of time will have stopped him making any academic progress, as well as reducing his social skills.
She said:
The rug’s been pulled from under him again – nothing gets better. He’s not getting any learning done, he doesn’t take part in English, Maths, assembly.
The amount of time he’s spent out of education means he’s losing his social skills.
As well as the length of time this has taken, Ms Drake also is frustrated at the lack of transparency. She says that she’s never been told why other schools rejected Eli’s application, or which schools were investigated by the council.
She said:
I am not asking for special treatment for my son, I am asking for him to have the opportunity to learn, play, develop friendships, participate in activities and enjoy his childhood with the appropriate support.
Eli is eight years old. He has already spent over two years of his childhood without full access to suitable education. Those years cannot be given back to him.
When approached by the Stray Ferret, North Yorkshire Council declined to comment.
A spokesperson for Eli's school said:
Elevate Multi Academy Trust is committed to ensuring that every pupil receives the appropriate support and education to meet their individual needs. We work closely with families, local authorities and other professionals to achieve this.
We take any concerns raised seriously. However, to protect the privacy and confidentiality of our pupils and their families, it would not be appropriate for us to comment on individual circumstances.
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