Burnley mum removes children from special school in taxi row

The mum said she had been left in 'limbo' and the children had been off school now for a month. <i>(Image: Nq)</i>
The mum said she had been left in 'limbo' and the children had been off school now for a month. (Image: Nq)
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A Burnley mother has taken her children out of a special school, claiming she has fears about the transport provided to take the children to school.

The woman, who wished to be known as Ms Procter, said she had become increasingly concerned about what she said was the erratic speed of the driver.

The free transport is provided by a company contracted to Lancashire County Council to take her children to and from Tor View School, which caters for children with special educational needs or disabilities.

The council said it was unable to comment further at this stage due to legal proceedings.

Ms Procter said she had complained to the council and asked them to change the driver, as she felt he was driving faster than he should be.

She also said the driver had been playing Islamic religious songs in the vehicle during the journeys, which she "did not agree with" as she is Catholic, and claimed the issue is a "safeguarding crisis".

Ms Procter’s three children, two aged 11 and one aged seven, have not been back to Tor View School in Haslingden for a month.

The children are the only three passengers in the vehicle, and the woman asked why a "simpler solution" had not been offered.

She said: “My three children, two of whom are non-verbal and all of whom are highly noise-sensitive, live in Burnley and travel to school in Haslingden.

“They have been [off] school since September 8 due to an unmitigated safeguarding crisis caused by a council-approved transport crew on their daily commute.

“Despite the council being served with an active High Court Judicial Review regarding this matter, they are refusing to replace the driver or communicate with me, leaving three disabled children trapped at home without an education.”

Ms Procter said she placed a tracking device in her child’s school bag and telemetry logs confirmed her fears, clocking the vehicle travelling at 78mph.

She also bugged her children and recorded "clear audio from the vehicle that captured the driver actively coercing the assigned Passenger Assistant to sit in the front passenger seat, deliberately leaving my three non-verbal children completely unmonitored and unprotected in the back”.

She also claims one of her children sustained an injury during one trip, and the "driver nor passenger assistant could explain how it happened".

She also took issue with the driver's taste in music, adding: “The driver routinely blasted loud Islamic incantations and music at my three noise-sensitive Catholic children, two of whom are non-verbal."

She called this "highly inappropriate" and claimed her children suffered "sensory overload" as a result.

Ms Procter added she was told by LCC's transport department the "driver remains suitable".

A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council said: “We are aware of these complaints.

"However, due to ongoing legal proceedings, we are unable to comment at this time.”

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