A FAMILY are preparing to take the fight for their son's education to the court of appeal to get him the schooling he needs.

Connor Freeman, five, can hear everything around him but he faces a wall of silence when he tries to communicate by speech.

Doctors are baffled as to why his brain has not developed the part which controls speech and mouth functions, but his parents Anne and Tony have learned sign language and taught it to Connor so he can communicate.

But the the only schooling he has had is two hours a week on a Wednesday because a sign language interpreter has yet to be appointed by Bury Council.

His parents run their own piano school in Ramsbottom but have had to virtually put their business on hold while they try to get Connor's education sorted out.

Tony said: "The local education authority advertised for someone with sign language and no one applied then eventually the woman who taught Anne applied but they were not offering enough."

They took their case to the High Court but the judge found in favour of the authority because in his statement it only said they would 'endeavour' to find him a sign language teacher. Anne said: "If they had spent the money they did on a barrister paying her the wages she had asked for my son would be in school now.

"The teacher was going to work with him during the summer holidays so he would have caught up by the time he started in September. He can't go into the reception class where he would not be the same age as the other children."

The couple, of George Street, Ramsbottom, have three other children, Courtney, six Celine, three, and Chance, 18 months.

Courtney already attends St Joseph's RC School in Ramsbottom and his sister Celine will start in September.

Anne added: "We are doing this because people have to know what is going on. People are questioning us as to why Connor is not in school. It's not because we don't want him to go."

Tony said: "We didn't want to have to go to court it was a last resort for us but we had to do what we could to try to get our son into school."

A spokesman for Bury Council said: "We were pleased that the judge found in our favour and we have listened to his comments.

"At this stage we cannot comment further on the situation."