The mother of a five-year-old girl who has never had a day at school says she is “disgusted” with the lack of urgency in securing her daughter a place.

Isobel Windget-Upsher, of School Lane, Bean, suffered a brain injury when she was two-and-a-half which left her with a tracheostomy - which helps air reach the lungs through an opening in her windpipe - and requires around-the-clock support.

Because of the youngster’s physical disability, she has an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) which means her school placement has to be arranged through the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) department.

But mother Lauren Windget says there has been “no progress or communication” from Kent County Council’s (KCC) SEND team.

The five-year-old, known as Izzy, should have started reception in September 2022 but 20 months later she is still without the education she so desperately wants.

A spokesperson for KCC told KentOnline it recognised there were some “legacy issues relating to historic special education needs cases” but that the authority had made and will continue to make “significant improvement in the processing and handling of SEN inquiries since last August”.

However, the concerned mother - along with dad Colin Upsher, 52 - says her child is being denied her education and is becoming increasingly challenging in the home due to a lack of mental stimulation.

Lauren said: “Myself and various other professionals involved with my daughter’s homecare, from Great Ormond Street Hospital to the ellenor [hospice] nurses, disabled children’s team, social workers and the Integrated Care Board (ICB) have all been advocating on my daughter’s behalf trying to contact SEND as well as myself.

“SEND has become known to us as the black hole. Eight months passed before we heard anything from them last year.

“Absolutely no progress has been made or communication that is in any way consistent from this department on informing me on what is going on about placing my daughter into an educational setting or at least providing her with a home tutor.”

Despite professionals encouraging Izzy’s family to get her enrolled in a mainstream school, and repeated attempts by her family, ICB, social worker and others, Lauren says she has been kept in the dark waiting for a school to be listed on her daughter’s EHCP.

Her parents are now desperate for their child to be enrolled at Bean Primary School, which is on the same road as their family home, but despite frequent chasing, Izzy has not been to school for even a day.

Lauren said: “She’s a smart kid and she will pick things up quickly but she’s bored and is not getting enough mental stimulation.”

Originally, Lauren applied for Bean Primary in March 2022, and it was named on her daughter’s EHCP plan.

However, after Izzy was approached by the specialist Valence School in Westerham, the family paid a visit and decided “it was the right place for her” so withdrew her application from the mainstream primary.

However, in September when Izzy was due to start at Valence School, Lauren was told she would need to sort her own transport. There was no school transport funding available and not being able to drive, Lauren was unable to make the 25-mile journey.

One of Izzy’s carers, Tina, who is funded through the ICB, could have driven her to school and supported her on a one-to-one level in the classroom. However, Lauren says Valence School said it could only use its own staff.

In February 2023, Izzy went for intensive rehabilitation at the Children’s Trust in Tadworth until May 2023, and it was there that staff advised her parents that Izzy “will benefit more from mainstream education”.

Despite contacting KCC’s SEND department to notify them of this in February 2023, the family did not receive a response until the end of August 2023.

According to Lauren, the local primary school had told the SEND department it was not sure if it could meet Izzy’s needs, but the parent feels that the SEND department hasn’t communicated properly with the school to inform them that all specialist equipment and one-to-one support is already provided by separate funding.

Lauren said: “All the school needs to do is provide the educational environment.”

The mother-of-three - who also has Jessica, nine, and Penny, 12 - says her daughter is also missing out on socialising which is crucial for her development and despite attempts at home-schooling, she says her daughter doesn’t want to be taught by her mum.

The 38-year-old, who cares for Izzy full time, said her daughter should be going into Year 2 in September but the delay in her school placement means she will not be able to start at this level.

She says she is at a loss with what to do, adding: “My daughter’s physical disabilities should not be keeping her out of an educational setting as this would be discrimination, especially when she is more than capable mentally to handle a mainstream school environment.

“We already have carers trained to attend with her daily. We have equipment ready and waiting to be installed wherever it needs to go.

“But SEND does not communicate. They are the only ones who can get my daughter’s school place sorted.

“I find this absolutely disgusting.”

The mother said the situation is affecting her family immensely and hopes the issue will be resolved so her daughter can finally start school in September.

Despite this, she warned that even if Bean Primary School was named on Izzy’s EHCP soon, it could still take over a month for necessary equipment to be ready as those responsible for ordering a specialist chair cannot act until the school is named on the EHCP.

She said: “The older she gets, the more mental stimulation she needs and if it’s not being met; she’s reacting like any other child would that isn’t getting the stimulation they need – it’s having a negative effect on her behaviour.

“Her going to school would make a huge difference as she’s not worn out enough during the day.

“You can’t deny a child a placement because of a disability, it’s not acceptable.”

A spokesperson for KCC said: “We take very seriously our part of the responsibility, shared with parents, to ensure children have access to education which supports their special educational needs and disabilities in safe and happy environments.

“We will always seek to make reasonable adaptations where this work is cost-effective but should this not be possible, if a parent chooses to home educate their child over and above other school placements that they might be offered, we will endeavour to support that parental choice.

“We recognise there are still some legacy issues relating to historic special education needs (SEN) cases.

“KCC has made, and continues to make, significant improvements in the processing and handling of SEN inquiries since last August, and has recently committed significant additional resource to support this.”

Valence School was contacted for a comment.