Colchester woman hits out on absence fines threat for her SEND son

Laura Wingar, chose East Bergholt High School for son Freddie, 12, after it was advertised the school had a high level of SEN support.

But since starting Year 7 in September, Freddie has missed a total of 14 weeks amid concerns for his mental health. 

Safety - Freddie (right) was pulled out of school due to fears about his safety and for bad mental health (Image: Submitted)

Parents who know their child is failing to attend school regularly, and fail to ensure the child does so, could be fined up to £2,500 by their local authority.

While Ms Wingar has not received a fine she has vowed to fight if County Hall bosses decided to pursue Freddie's absences. 

She says Freddie was taken out of school for his mental health, and by law, his absence should be authorised, and so exempt from fines.

Ms Wingar says Freddie still does not have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) after asking for one in August – with only one per cent of cases in Essex meeting the legal 20-week limit, the worst in the country.

Help - Laura said her son Freddie had gotten in such a bad mental health state that she wanted to rebuild him as a person (Image: Submitted)

Ms Wingar said: “They scaremonger. They think threatening parents with a fine will make them go back to school.

“It’s our job to look after our children and advocate for them, it is a way to bully you.”

She added: “I don’t believe in punishing parents.”

Ms Wingar also argues she could not ‘electively home school’, another exemption, due to her other teenager and toddler adding: “I am a very exhausted mum.”

“This whole fight has really affected Freddie and it has really knocked me as well my mental health.”

A spokesman East Bergholt High School said: "While it would be inappropriate to comment on individual cases, in any instances of absence, the school follows its robust attendance policy, which is also shared with students and their families.

“The health and wellbeing of all our students is paramount, and we will continue to ensure we provide the appropriate safeguarding measures and support for individuals, which also includes regular communication with families in the cases of longer-term absence.”

In response to this article, Councillor Tony Ball, ECC Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability, said: “It would be inappropriate to comment on individuals cases, however, we are continuing to make changes across the Essex SEND system to improve outcomes and families’ experiences."

“We are starting to see some very early signs of progress locally, particularly in respect of Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment wait times. We expect this progress to continue as the initiatives we recently announced are rolled out across the county. However, we are not complacent.

Mr Ball added: “Further work is planned in the coming months as part of our wider SEND improvement journey. This includes work with parents and carers to design new support, as well as initiatives for families.

“Improving the local SEND system remains our priority and we are seizing different opportunities to do so, without compromising on the quality of the service offered.”