A MOTHER has won her battle to make Bury Council give her autistic son the education he needs.

Nine-year-old James Percival was suspended from normal classes at Millwood Special School last year because the teachers could not guarantee the safety of the pupils.

But his mother Mrs Dawn Percival (40) took on the might of the council and threatened to sue for failing to meet James's educational needs.

"It's a threat I would have gone through with. We're just ordinary people who are unqualified to cope. It's not James's fault he's handicapped. He may be ill but he's still entitled to an education," she said.

And thanks to her determination the council responded to her demands and James has just started a new term at Millwood.

"James's particular type of autism means he needs solitude - he does not respond well to group situations," said Mrs Percival.

"At Millwood there is a special classroom for seven autistic pupils which would have been no use to James. But now they have made a separate partition for him and have provided a nursery nurse, teacher and dinner lady especially for James. It's ideal."

As a result of being back at school, James's behaviour has also improved.

At his worst James battered his mother and tried to strangle her, destroyed furniture, ripped a sink off the wall and pulled a garden gate off its hinges.

Mrs Percival used to jokingly refer to her house as "Beirut", but now the family home in Meadowcroft, Radcliffe, is no longer war-torn.

She added: "Autism is not curable and we know James will be living at home for life, but now he is back at school it makes things better for him and easier for us to cope.

"The whole experience has pulled us together as a family and in a funny way all the heartache has been worth it. You have to reach rock bottom before you can appreciate getting back up.

"I'm so happy that we are getting somewhere at last. James is now getting the stimulation and outlet he needs. His teacher said he has adapted very well. He's a lot calmer and is even sleeping better. When he was stuck at home it was like living with a caged lion."

Everything in his bedroom is screwed in or nailed down and the windows, which James regularly smashed, are made of double safety glass.

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