A nine-year-old girl with complex special needs has been out of school for more than six months due to a lack of suitable places.

Abbie Warman, of Hoo, was pulled out of her mainstream school in January by her mum Jo who was unhappy at changes made that included her daughter being taught at a desk in corridors.

Since then, it has been a battle to find a new school – and even when Jo found two different options, Medway Council refused to allow it.

Abbie has so far missed 110 days of school.

Jo said: “There are very, very few schools that can accommodate her needs but I did not realise it was going to be this hard. It has been a struggle.

“I do not understand why it needs to be this difficult. It has been stressful and it should not have to be like this.

“I am just a mum fighting for my child’s right to go to school.

“I am truly broken by this whole process and the impact it is having on me and my family is heartbreaking...”

“She has suffered enough and does not need to be going through this.

“She needs people who understand her and can help her to grow. I do not want to see her suffer anymore, it breaks my heart.

“Abbie is not just another statistic. She deserves the right education just like every other child in this country.”

The youngster has complex needs and is fed through a tube.

She has autism, struggles with anxiety, and suffers from the eating disorder PICA which means she eats non-food substances.

Jo, 43, explained Medway Council had assessed the mainstream primary school she was attending in line with Abbie’s Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) and agreed it was suitable.

It opened a classroom to teach children with SEN in smaller class sizes, however, when Abbie moved up a year, the provision changed.

Jo said she was not allowed to be taught in the separate classroom as it was being used for something else and was instead set up with a desk in corridors or a tent.

The mum-of-two had only agreed to the school on the basis that it had a separate classroom for children with SEN so decided to start looking for other schools.

During this time, Abbie was admitted to King’s College Hospital due to her eating disorder and had to have a life-saving operation.

Jo said her doctors also agreed that she be removed from the school so she pulled her out in January.

Since then, Medway Council and Jo have been searching for primary schools that would be able to meet Abbie’s needs.

The local authority has suggested six schools but Jo said once she has made inquiries to see if they can offer a spot, she has not heard back from any of them.

Instead, Jo found two other SEN schools, in Medway and Wrotham, that Abbie loved, were suitable and had offered a space but both were declined by the council.

Jo says she was told by the council it was not placing children in the first due to Ofsted issues but would not explain further and she was not given a reason for why it turned down the second.

The situation has left Abbie isolated and increasingly anxious about the outside world, said her mum, having missed out on emotional and social support.

Jo, who works as a therapist helping adults who have been through trauma, added: “I am truly broken by this whole process and the impact it is having on me and my family is heartbreaking.

“I have had to put my business on hold, it was my dream. It is not a job I can do with a child in the house. I have had to get another job, and I have lost others.

“The council says it wants mums to go back to work but it cannot provide an education for my child so I cannot.

“I know I am not the only one that is going through this across the country. I cannot fight for every child, I only have enough strength for my own but things have got to change.”

A spokesman for Medway Council confirmed the local authority is helping the family.

They added: “We are working with Abbie and her family to ensure that she is placed at a school which can best meet her individual needs.

“We are committed to ensuring that all children in Medway receive the best possible education.”