Ref. 25601-56VICTORY is finally in sight for a mother who has spent eight years fighting to get the best education for her dyslexic son.

Wiltshire County Council has agreed to give Jamie Watkins, 13, a statement of special needs.

Jamie's mum Nichola, 40, from Purton was scheduled to attend an education tribunal last week to decide whether her son would be given a statement.

This would force the council to give Jamie specialist support in lessons. Mrs Watkins claims that the education authority had fought the decision so that it did not have to fund the extra help.

But on the eve of the tribunal the council withdrew its opposition and agreed to issue the Bradon Forest pupil with a statement of special needs.

Mrs Watkins says she hopes that this will mean her son spending at least three hours a week with a specially trained special needs teacher and receive access to computer software that can help his development.

There is no guarantee the council will agree that Jamie needs this level of support or that it will agree to fund it.

Mrs Watkins said: "This is about money. The council's education authority can change the criteria for who is given a statement as much as it wants so that no more than two per cent of pupils get one.

"Jamie is very good at technology and making things work. When he leaves school he wants to become a mechanic and without English, maths and science he will not be able to do that.

"The school is doing its best but it doesn't have the resources. The teachers have said he needs chasing to do his work, but if he sits down and sees writing on the blackboard he does not know what to do he needs help.

"Fighting the council for so long has been hard. Sometimes I start crying and then I take it out on Jamie because we are both frustrated. Most parents eventually give up but I would never do that."

Mrs Watkins explained that for a child to be given a statement, at the age of 13 he or she must have a reading age of eight, but at the age of 13 and eight months Jamie's reading age has been assessed as nine years and three months.

She says that his spelling and maths age both qualify him for a statement, but that he was held back by his slightly higher reading ability.

Adam Butcher, spokesman for Wiltshire County Council, said: "Every parent has the right to appeal, and if in the process of appealing, new information comes to light it is not unusual for one side to withdraw, or for an agreement to be reached.

"It is preferable to reach a conclusion before it goes to tribunal because it saves everyone having to go through the process.

"We always try to work with parents to come to an agreement."

Len Spiers, headteacher of Bradon Forest School, said: "We will continue to do the best we can with the resources available for all of our students.

"Of course, extra funding can only help more pupils."

Jamie was diagnosed with dyslexia, a recognised disability, in 1998. That was when his mother first asked Wiltshire County Council for him to be given a statement.

In November last year the council was ordered by a National Special Education Needs tribunal to give Jamie a statutory assessment to decide whether he should be given extra support.

But in January this year the council again refused to give him a statement because it said his problems were not serious enough.