Making a complaint about my son's education

Published date: 19 June 2025

The resilience needed as a parent of a deaf child is difficult to put into words. I say this because we are currently facing one of our most challenging battles yet: our local authority initially refused to offer George a place at our nearest mainstream school with a deaf resource base, where he was due to start nursery this September.

We were met with a stream of excuses – first that the base “does not accept nursery-age children,” then that “transport is not provided for nursery pupils, so he cannot attend yet.” These were especially frustrating because the school itself had confirmed directly to me that there was a place available for George in the deaf resource base, and I’d made it clear from the start that I was not asking for transport – I’d be taking him myself.

After months of delays, ignored emails, and incredible efforts from Teachers of the Deaf advocating for us, I hit my limit. With summer holidays fast approaching, time was running out to arrange settling-in sessions and order George’s uniform.

So, I took action. I filed a formal complaint with the local authority, highlighting that they were in breach of their statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Equality Act 2010. I included clear evidence from the school’s own website showing that nursery-age children are accepted into the deaf resource base. I gave them 24 hours to acknowledge my complaint.

When I received no response, I escalated the matter by emailing my local MP – despite a previously disappointing lack of support from him on British Sign Language (BSL) issues. To my surprise, he replied the very next day! Even more remarkably, within an hour of his email, the local authority finally acknowledged my complaint.

After months of getting nowhere, things were finally moving.

Then, finally, a week later, the local authority called: it turns out there had been a mix-up on their end, and George’s place was now officially approved.

While I waited for the council to confirm their offer in writing, I arranged a phone call with a National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) advice and guidance officer – just as a backup in case things fell through. That call turned out to be more than just a safety net. Off the back of our conversation, NDCS will now guide me through the process of securing an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for George, which will help ensure his long-term support is protected and tailored to his needs.

The sense of relief was overwhelming – it felt like a huge weight had finally been lifted. But as any parent of a child with additional needs knows, the journey is rarely smooth for long. Just when I thought we’d reached solid ground, another curveball came our way. At a meeting with the school’s special educational needs coordinator (SENCO), I was told that George would be placed in the mainstream nursery, merely overseen by the deaf resource base – completely contradicting what I had been fighting for. And so, the battle begins again. I’ve now contacted the local authority, my MP, and our NDCS advice and guidance officer, asking them to stand with me in yet another fight that no parent should have to face. Watch this space!