Parents of around 30 pupils are fundraising to provide their kids with outdoor play equipment after they were moved at short notice.
Rather than being taught at the main school in Wallsend, some of the special needs children at Beacon Hill School were moved to the Langdale Centre instead.
The school caters for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) - such as ADHD and autism - but has been oversubscribed. Due to a lack of space on the main site, the cohort of 30, chosen because they were deemed to be most likely to be adversely affected, will be taught for the year at the council-owned Langdale Centre.
This comes after SEND provision in North Tyneside was revealed to be facing a £17m deficit.
The council has said it will continue to work with parents, carers and the young people themselves "to improve the play provision and address any concerns raised".
Parents of those moved are upset at the way this has been handled - and say their children will not have the same access to high-quality equipment that they would have otherwise had. And so a group of parents began fundraising.
Hayley Mullen from Backworth, mum to Eve, 12, said: "We didn't get much notice of this - that our kids would be transferred into the Langdale Centre - at all. We know the council have spent money improving the Langdale, but it's been on fundamental things like the windows, so there's not been much left to make the outdoor area one that'd be enjoyable for the kids.
"Council workers have gone in and painted flowers on the fence but there's nothing left for toys or equipment. Obviously with it being temporary they might now want to plough money into the yard. So as parents we just thought 'well, we are going to have to do it ourselves' and raise some money ourselves to ensure our children will enjoy their time at the Langdale as much as they can."
Hayley explained that, given the additional needs of the children involved, the disruption would be keenly felt, and that she was concerned that the council were underestimating the impact of a year away from the main school site for children who may be at a vital developmental stage.
She said parents had been told the decision had been "the best option of a bad bunch". And while she said the school's teaching staff were doing all they could, she said she's also concerned about how the council plans to deal with the wider trend of more children requiring SEND provision at school. She said: "They've said their long term plan is to be more robust about ECHP [education and health care plan] and look long-term at making mainstream provision more inclusive.
"That worries me. As a parent it's often a fight to get a child a place [in an SEND school] in the first place. We know with girls with autism that they often mask their symptoms in mainstream schools - my daughter has never had to do that, she's always been around people like her.
"The council should be thinking ahead, not just seeing these problems six months out."
Mum Jane Lyon, whose son Jay is 14, started the fundraiser. She said that despite "raising a lot of concerns" the placement was not something the parents had a choice in. She said: "As expected we were all really saddened by this as Langdale is an old building with very little facilities to meet our children's needs."
She said in the first weeks of term, the families had realised there was very limited outdoor play equipment - adding: "Myself and a few other parents had discussions on how we could raise the money to get our children the equipment they deserve."
Mark Mirfin, North Tyneside Council's assistant director of SEND and Inclusion said: “We strive to ensure every child receives the best possible education and that they’re happy, healthy, safe, and supported at school. Like other authorities nationally, we’ve seen an increase in the number of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and here in North Tyneside, we have more children and young people in special school provision than is seen nationally.
"We’ve taken a number of steps to ensure that children and young people with SEND can continue to be educated locally, in a provision that meets their needs. Pupil place planning is a priority for the authority, and we continue to tailor our provision offer to meet their needs. This has included an increase of around 180 special school places in the borough over the last four years."
He said the council was supporting Beacon Hill School to expand and increase its number of places, and added in relation to those receiving teaching at the Langdale Centre: "While there, they’re receiving specialist support and the centre has been adapted to meet their needs. The pupils will continue to have access to the facilities at Beacon Hill School main site and will be transported there when needed."
So far, a sponsored walk has taken place at the Rising Sun Country Park, while the initial target of raising a few hundred pounds has been smashed -more than £3,000 has been raised. The parents' group are planning to put this towards equipment like swings and scooters.
To contribute to the fundraising, see justgiving.com/crowdfunding/beaconhillatlangdale.
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