THE PARENTS of a child with severe learning difficulties say their daughter is unable to get to school after their local council withdrew transport.

Jackie and Ian Hutchinson, of Northside, Middridge, near Newton Aycliffe, have criticised Durham County Council for its unfair transport policy.

They say that the policy is discriminating against their 11-year-old daughter, Rebecca, by leaving her without a taxi to get to Rosebank School, in Ferryhill.

The couple say they have been appealing against the system since they were told that the nearest school to where they live is Murphy Crescent School, in Bishop Auckland, and therefore they would not qualify for free transport.

Mrs Hutchinson, 37, said other children in Shildon were getting free taxis to and from school, but Rebecca, who lives closer to the special school is being left out.

She and her husband, Ian, decided to send Rebecca to Rosebank School after she settled into the pre-school group there. She had reacted badly to a move to Murphy Crescent Special School because she has difficulty coping with change.

Mrs Hutchinson, who lived in Shildon at the time, said: "We took Rebecca to have a look around Murphy Crescent but she screamed blue murder. She could not wait to get out. She doesn't take kindly to change because she doesn't understand why."

The couple were asked to sign a form to say they would take Rebecca to school and said they did so because they wanted their daughter to be happy.

But circumstances have changed, and Mr and Mrs Hutchinson have another daughter, Jessica, ten, who attends school in Heighington.

Mrs Hutchinson said: "I cannot be in two places at once and Heighington is in the opposite direction to Ferryhill. We have tried appealing to the council and have been on the phone every day since last week.

"We signed that form because we wanted Rebecca to be happy, but now our circumstances have changed and we cannot understand why others are getting transport and she cannot. I think it is disgusting."

A spokesman for Durham County Council said that the authority could not discuss individual cases, but said: "Under the code of practice for special educational needs, the LEA (local education authority) is not responsible for free home-to- school transport if parents express a preference for a school that is not the nearest appropriate school. Parents who exercise their right to choose to send a child to a school other than the nearest appropriate school are made well aware from the outset that they do not qualify for free home-to- school transport."