A MOTHER-of-two whose disabled daughter attends Larkrise School in Trowbridge says she feels sick at the thought of the school closing, after she had finally found somewhere she can trust with her daughter’s specific and complex needs.

Charly Body, 40, from Cranmore, near Shepton Mallet, travels for four hours every day to get her daughter, Eady, seven, who is wheelchair bound, non-verbal and profoundly disabled, to and from Trowbridge. She feels Larkrise is the only school which can provide Eady with the care she needs.

Eady has been at the special school since January and has been making real progress with her learning. Larkrise faces closure as one of three options currently being considered by Wiltshire Council as it tries to plan to provide extra school places for SEND pupils.

Mrs Body said: “Finding somewhere as a parent I am happy for her to go to school is hard, with her complex needs.“My daughter is my world and I am literally hers. It was very hard to find somewhere I could trust and depend on to care for her as I would.

“She has made huge progress at Larkrise. Before she only managed 12 hours a week in school, whereas now at Larkrise she is full time.

“She just adores going to school and we as parents feel totally satisfied that she is safe, cared for and receiving an education.

“The thought of Larkrise being closed makes me feel physically sick.

“It’s a wonderful school with a team of dedicated people passionately working to ensure the school is forever forward thinking.

“To allow such a place to close is failing every single child in that school.

“These kids have more daily struggles than most of us have in a lifetime and to change the one stable thing in their life is disgusting.

“A super school would almost feel like an institution, it would be hard to create an environment like the one at Larkrise on such a big scale.”

Cllr Laura Mayes, Wiltshire cabinet member for children’s services, said: “Our schools in the north of the county are full and more than full in some cases. We need at least 70 additional places by 2026 and we need to be planning that now. We have committed investment to provide these places because we need to get this right for all our children and young people with complex needs. These are decisions for now and the next 25 years, so We really appreciate how many people have got engaged with these issues.”