IDENTICAL twin sisters with autism and anxiety are being split up at school despite the desperate pleas of their mum.

Amanda McHugh’s daughters Lilly and Tilly, now five years old, weighed less than a bag of sugar when they were born prematurely at 24 weeks and have relied on one another for support since joining East Wichel Primary School. But they will find themselves in separate classes from September, with the school saying it is acting in the twins’ best interests with its allocations for the new term.

Here's what you said on our Facebook page:

DONNA DRURY: I'm a twin and we were in the same class every year at school. We had our own friends but it is something special, being a twin. Keep them together, it's just mean not to, it never did us any harm. We did have name badges on that we swapped now and then – but, hey, it's one of the perks having a twin.

BENJAMIN PALFREY: For anyone who doesn’t suffer anxiety then you would never know what the little girls are going through. It would be cruel to split them up, the last thing that little girl needs is panic attacks through anxiety of not being with her sister.

NATASHA BUSHNELL: When you go out into the big wide world, it’s a scary place. We all have to get jobs which is nerve-wracking because it’s new and we don’t know anyone. We can’t all just go and work with our friends or relatives because we may have anxiety. What about all the other kids that may be anxious about starting school on their own? Surely they are all in the same boat.

RACHEL KING: I really feel for this mum. How worrying it must have been to have premature twins and now working with an autism and anxiety diagnosis, whilst navigating themselves through mainstream schooling? This mum probably feels anxious just leaving the school gates each morning with her girls being together (a little reassured perhaps that they’re not alone). On the news that they will now be in separate classes, with the daily challenges autistic children face, no wonder this mum is so hugely concerned. Surely we must empathise. I’m not quite convinced this is the right decision for the girls, although I’m sure the school have good intentions.

TRACEY THOMAS: My advice would be go for it – let them be separate and if it don’t work at least you can say we tried and they won’t have an option but to put them back together.

MARIA PHILLIPS: I have twins, they started in the same class, but they were soon moved as they started edging each other on to be naughty. They then built their own individuality not relying on each other too much, and were much better behaved as school. For me, I thought they would miss one another, but they had their own friends. I understand how this mum is feeling though as I was also worried how things would turn out.

LORRAINE WELSH: I think the mother knows what’s best and if the doctor is prepared to back it up, even more so! I hate it when schools think they have got more authority over your children – disgusting! I hope this school is embarrassed that these school is in the paper for something negative

CAREN GORMAN: Your girls may cope being separated. And if they don’t, school will re-assess the situation. After all, school has their best interest at heart and they want to avoid disruptions, so I guarantee they will do whatever’s best for your twins in the long run.

LIZZIE TUNLEY: If they need one-to-one support then it should be adult-led, not providing it for each other. The fact is that going through life they won’t always be together. I accept that it’s upsetting for one of the girls now but it will get easier. The longer they are allowed to be co-dependent the harder it will get. I am also a mum to children on the autistic spectrum and yes, we are the expert on our own children but sometimes we need the advice of outside professionals because we don’t always get it right and sometimes our desire to protect our children from the outside world means we can make decisions that ultimately may not help them in the long run. I wish these girls and their Mum all the best.