A mother from Highgate Newtown has called for urgent reform of the school system after her daughter, diagnosed with ADHD, was left without adequate education for more than two years. The mother, who wishes to remain anonymous to protect her child's identity, accused Camden Council of failing to accommodate her daughter's special educational needs.
Legal Battle and Placement Cancellation
Following a legal battle, the council secured a place for the girl, referred to as Sarah, at Susi Earnshaw Theatre School, an independent performing arts school in Barnet with annual fees of £15,000. However, the placement was cancelled within weeks. The mother believes the school did not properly review her daughter's Education, Health and Social Care Plan (EHCP), which led to the breakdown.
“Within 45 minutes the school had read through the EHCP plan and agreed to a place. It wasn’t read properly, I know that now,” she said. The school later stated that Sarah’s needs were more complex than they could accommodate, citing her impulsiveness and disruptiveness. The mother countered that the school was inappropriate from the start.
Inadequate Interim Support
During the two-year period, Sarah received only 10 days of tutoring, with worksheets sourced from Amazon that were “totally inadequate,” according to her mother. Tutors from an agency frequently failed to show up or lacked proper training. “There is no mainstream school, there is no support network around me,” she added.
Wider Crisis in Camden
A Freedom of Information request revealed that in 2025, 22 parents appealed to the First Tier Tribunal over secondary school placement decisions by Camden Council. Twelve of those children were placed in out-of-borough schools, highlighting a severe shortage of local specialist places.
Susi Earnshaw Theatre School said in a statement: “For 36 years, our school has seen how the performing arts empower students with ADHD. We welcomed [this child] based on her immense talent, hoping our small, nurturing environment would help her flourish. Despite implementing all support outlined in her EHCP, it became clear that her needs were more complex than our setting could accommodate.”
Camden Council commented: “We continue to work closely with this family to urgently find an appropriate school placement, alongside interim support. Increased demand for specialist provision means the process may take longer than expected. We keep the provision of SEND places under constant review.”
