A mum has accused her son’s former school of neglecting his special educational needs saying he cannot read, write or spell his name.

Saria Ullah said she had no idea about how little her son had learnt until she began homeschooling him during lockdown.

It was then that she discovered her seven-year-old could ‘barely spell his name or the colour red’.

Now, she has hit out at Selly Oak St Mary’s Church of England Primary School in Birmingham for failing to support her son’s needs.

But the primary school says it was aware of Saria’s child’s needs and did work with the family to support them.

Saria told Birmingham Live: ‘He can barely even spell his name or the colour red!

‘He should be reading chapter books but now he can’t do any of that.’

She said her son’s special educational needs affected his behaviour, ability to socialise, concentration and academic progression.

Saria said she believed the school’s SENCo department would oversee the support and progress of her son’s additional assistance as well as a teaching assistant working closely with him, as mentioned on the school’s website.

But Saria claims that despite the school providing SEND support, she only met with Selly Oak’s SENco department once in the three years her son was at the school.

She said: ‘I met the SENco once in reception, September 2018, and was told my son has special educational needs.’

Saria said she was promised her son would receive dedicated school work and set individual targets for him to achieve but believes this did not happen.

She also claims the school failed to communicate serious concerns about her son’s academic progress, leading her to believe he was receiving adequate support.

She told Birmingham Live: ‘[At] parents evenings, I was told everything was fine. Yes, he’s behind. Yes, he’s not progressing as well as you should be, but I was never told that things are as serious as they are.

‘The word dyslexia was never mentioned, ADHD, autism sensory issues, none of this was ever mentioned.’

Saria said after learning her son was crying in class and struggling with his work, she arranged a meeting with the school.

She said her request to speak to staff was met with little urgency.

She said she continuously tried to contact the school, her GP and Birmingham City Council, child services and Ofsted to get her son the support he needs but there was no improvement.

Saria said the whole situation had been extremely stressful and wished there was more support for parents to prevent them ‘feeling like failures’.

She said: ‘Honestly I’m trying my very best but I do feel really low and like a failure of a mother sometimes.

‘I sit down to do work with him but I can only get about 15 minutes out of him.

‘His behaviour just goes out of control, he throws a tantrum and I don’t understand. He needs help, but I equally need help as well.

‘I know a lot of parents will say, “Where were you? why didn’t you support him?” I admit, maybe I’m partly to blame but if the school are telling me “everything’s fine”.

‘”Everything’s great,” it’s an education establishment, why would I have a reason to doubt them.’

She said her son was aware he falling behind his classmates, and it was affecting his confidence.

She added: ‘He’s realised, he’s not like all the rest of his friends or other children, now it’s “I’m stupid, I’m dumb,” or “I can’t do this”.

‘His confidence levels are really low.’

Saria said she didn’t want any other parents of children with special educational needs to go through what she and her family had been through, and advised others to be proactive.

She said: ‘Constantly question the school, and ask them at parents evening. If the school is telling you your child’s progressing, say “okay how are they progressing?”‘

A spokesperson for Selly Oak St Mary’s Church of England Primary School said: ‘The best interests of all our children are at the heart of what we do.

‘We were aware of some concerns of this family and have worked with them and supported them to ensure the needs of their child are met.

‘However, despite this and a number of meetings with the family they decided to move their child to another school.’

On October 19, the Government announced it would be sending a commissioner to oversee the running of Birmingham City Council’s SEND service after inspectors found the service had failed to act on and improve ‘significant weaknesses’ first highlighted in 2018.

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