A DETERMINED mother and her severely disabled son are living in a caravan more than 100 miles from their Weymouth home so he can attend a special school that caters for his needs.

For the last two years, Helen Hunt and her seven-year-old son Wilf, who has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, have spent term-time weekdays living on a campsite near Ingfield Manor School in Billingshurst, West Sussex, roughly 120 miles away from their home in Weymouth.

Helen made the choice to send her son there after deciding that he was not receiving the standard of education she expected from a local specialist school.

Helen appealed to Dorset Council and was awarded funding to send Wilf, who is non-verbal and has severe learning difficulties, to Ingfield Manor.

As a means of keeping Wilf at the school, where Helen has been 'delighted' with his progress, the mother and son duo live in a caravan where they have to empty their own toilet.

Helen said: "Life in a caravan is challenging. I have to top up my water supply each day, dispose of my waste water and empty my toilet. Showering in a caravan is a bit of a squeeze and washing a children with cerebral palsy is even more awkward.

"For Wilf, and for many other cerebral palsy children, adequate educational provision is the difference between learning to use a spoon or eating with hands, it's the difference between learning to support his own weight when transitioning from his wheelchair to a toilet rather than having the house kitted out with hoists.

"It is the difference between him leaning life skills that parents of 'neurotypical' children take for granted, or him retreating further and further into a world where I, his mum, cannot reach him.

"I'm delighted with Wilf's progress at Ingfield and I just hope he can continue to attend until he finishes school.

"He's animated and excited when I pick him up, he can use cutlery and walk through parallel bars, and loves listening to everything from The Beatles to Johnny Cash. The school has been amazing for him."

Nicola Dodds, principal at Ingfield Manor School, said: "At Ingfield Manor, we support students with multiple neurological motor impairments and we understand how important it is to have a tailored educational plan to suit each individual child.

"Wilf has joined the school under quite unusual circumstances, and we commend his mum and dad for fighting so hard to get him the educational opportunities he deserves.

"We will continue to support Helen and Julian every time they are required to make the case to the council for Wilf attending Ingfield Manor."