THERE will be no fun and games with pals for one little boy celebrating his birthday this week.

Zachary Clark, nine, who has Asperger's syndrome, has been out of school for nearly a year and no longer has any friends to invite to a party for his 10th birthday tomorrow.

His mum Angela says it is breaking her heart seeing him cry.

Zachary, of Peareswood Road, Erith, was a pupil at Mayplace Primary School, Woodside Road, Barnehurst.

Mrs Clark, 35, says the school asked Bexley Council for extra help to cope with Zachary's behaviour which is caused by his condition.

But it did not get any, and in March this year the school was forced to exclude Zachary.

Mrs Clark said: "Zak is very intelligent but he was unco-operative and disruptive because he couldn't cope with the conditions at school.

"He is a dear, cheeky, active and lovable boy and Mayplace did its best to help him."

She blames Bexley Council for the fact Zachary has been out of school for so long and says it is only her badgering which has kept his case in front of education officials.

She said: "He was offered a place at Westbrooke School in Welling which takes children with emotional and behavioural problems.

"But I turned it down. Zachary doesn't have those kind of problems. He needs a school which can deal with autistic children."

In January this year, Bexley began putting together a statement of special educational needs for Zachary.

But despite the fact a statement should be completed within six months, it is still not finished.

In July he was diagnosed with Asperger's and afterwards the council said it was approaching Old Bexley CofE Primary School to see if it would accommodate Zachary in its special unit.

She said: "The council promised it would get back to me and tell me if he had a place. I still haven't heard, so I take it he didn't."

Mrs Clark, who has another son with Asperger's and is caring for her terminally-ill father, said: "Zachary receives six hours of tuition a week, but only after I fought to get it. Now I have learned he should be entitled to 23.5 hours.

"He could be getting intervention work with the pupil referral unit (for children out of school) but he can't have it because he has no statement of special educational needs."

Bexley Council says Zachary has no statement because it cannot be finalised until he has a place at a school.

His mother added: "It makes me so cross. I feel Bexley has really cheated Zachary. He hasn't suffered academically but it has badly affected his social skills.

"I have even started contacting specialist schools myself to see if they might have a place for him."

A spokesman for Bexley Council says discussions were continuing with several schools about a place for Zachary.

She added: "We do not currently have a firm offer of a place. We understand it is difficult for any young person to be out of school for a period of time."

What is Asperger's?

  • Sufferers have problems with social skills and have difficulty coping with changes.
  • Asperger's syndrome, named after the Viennese doctor who identified it, can range from mild to severe.
  • They often have obsessive routines and become preoccupied with a particular interest.
  • They have difficulty interpreting other people's body language and can be over-sensitive to sounds, smells, tastes and sights.
  • They can be bothered by sights and sounds which other people cannot see or hear, but have a normal IQ and often exceptional skills.
  • They can be viewed as odd and eccentric and can have difficulty expressing themselves in social situations.