A mother from Dudley whose autistic son has been left without a confirmed secondary school place has turned her frustration into action by creating inclusive play sessions for children with special educational needs (SEN).
Mother's mission after son left in limbo
Jaynie Bickford, 41, said the uncertainty surrounding 11-year-old Joshua's education had 'deeply affected his sense of self' and left him feeling 'anxious'. Determined to help, she set out to create a safe space where he could find 'belonging and community' and socialise with other children with SEN, while also supporting other families in similar situations.
Currently, Joshua attends a mainstream primary school in Dudley. Jaynie said the school had been 'brilliant' and 'put everything in place that they could', but ultimately 'couldn't meet his needs'. Joshua will leave primary school next month with 'no secondary school to go to'.
She said discussions had taken place with Dudley Council, which was 'looking into it' - but the mother of two said things were 'moving too slowly'. A tribunal has been scheduled for September, which could result in Joshua being placed in a specialist setting that was 'right for him', Jaynie told BirminghamLive.
Impact on mental health
Describing the toll the situation had taken on the youngster, she said: 'It has affected his mental health, his anxiety and his sense of self - he's noticed he's different to other kids.' She said there was 'not enough stuff out there for SEN children', adding: 'We looked everywhere for somewhere for Joshua to go to meet other children. Unless it's first thing in the morning, or an hour at the end of the day, there wasn't much.'
Creating inclusive sessions
In a bid to help her son, Jaynie set up a Facebook group and organised a number of play sessions, which she said Joshua had 'enjoyed' and had allowed him to 'make a few friends'. A big free event - which has already reached full capacity - has been planned for the summer, while other regular sessions, which have a small fee, are being held in All Saints Church Hall in Vicar Street, Sedgley. Plans were also afoot to hold some in Brierley Hill and Cradley Heath.
Explaining more about the sessions, which had received a 'great' reaction so far, Jaynie said: 'It's all child-led to promote movement, fine and gross motor skills and more importantly, socialisation. We've got a massive tickle tunnel, which the kids absolutely love, spinney chairs, sensory toys, crafts - we've got everything.'
Support for families
She said the events were open to any SEN parent and would 'give them some support and give the children somewhere they can just be themselves for a couple of hours'. Jaynie continued: 'It's open for siblings as well, because when you're supporting your disabled child, or your child with SEN, your other children sort of miss out because everything has to be focused around what the other child needs.'
Updates on future sessions can be found on the J&D's Inclusive Activities Facebook page.
