Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have hit out at a primary school after its specialist unit was closed. Blackthorns Community Primary Academy, near Haywards Heath and managed by the University of Brighton Academies Trust, was home to The Hive, a student support centre (SSC) for children with SEND. However, the unit was closed in April - at very short notice according to parents.
One nine-year-old disabled boy, who relied heavily on The Hive unit to remain in school, was forced to leave Blackthorns Academy. The closure left him without suitable provision. The father of the boy, who wishes for himself and his son to remain anonymous, said: “They have closed the only thing my disabled son can access.
” READ MORE: Academies continue strike action over funding dispute Prior to the closure of The Hive unit, where the father says his son “thrived”, the pupil’s Education , Health and Care plan (EHCP) pointed towards the boy’s achievements and improvements there. It described the pupil as “happy, well-liked and popular” and “responding well to the structure and routine of The Hive”. However, his EHCP for this year stated: “The Hive was closed at short notice due to increased staffing pressures and the pupil did not attend school for two weeks as a result.
“He has struggled to reintegrate into the school. Without the consistent structure of the Hive and small group learning he has often become dysregulated quite quickly, .