Raeleigh Kemp can’t help but laugh after school drop-off some mornings because it is such a far cry from how it used to be.
Her 11-year-old Zane Kemp, who is autistic, now runs to The Sycamore School gates and even cries when he is too sick to go.
Years ago, Ms Kemp could not have imagined a starker difference.
Raeleigh Kemp enrolled her son Zane at The Sycamore School about two years ago. (Supplied)
“He was just finding it harder and harder as he got older,” Ms Kemp said.
“The pressures increased, the supports were different and the cognitive load just got too much.
“And he ended up being in autistic shutdown, really.”
Ms Kemp describes a time when her son could not look her in the eye or speak with her.
After school he would sprint to the car and break down.
“He was having lots of meltdowns and different things. It was very difficult,” she said.
Ms Kemp knew her son needed more support and an environment that approached managing autism differently.
Ms Kemp says her son was struggling at a traditional school. (ABC News: Michael Lloyd)
She found that in a specialist school so sought after, some parents drove almost 50 kilometres one-way to drop off their kids.
The Sycamore School, in Alexandra Hills in the Redlands, is a private, dedicated educational facility for autistic young people.
Almost 100 students are enrolled from prep to year 10.
“Honestly, I don’t know where we’d be if we didn’t get into Sycamore,” Ms Kemp said.
“On hundred per cent, [Zane’s] life has changed. His social skills have improved, his ability to advocate for himself has improved, but it’s also been life changing for us.“
However, the school’s future was uncertain last year, with its lease set to end in October.
Finance Minister Ros Bates says Labor had the school “on the chopping block”. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)
Now, the school is set to be around for generations to come.
On Wednesday, the state government followed through on its election promise to secure a long-term lease for the school, signing a 25-year deal.
The Minister for Finance, Ros Bates, said the school was “on the chopping block [after Labor] failed to renew its lease” and that the long-term lease was a “lifeline” for its students and families.
“Securing the school’s future will allow administrators to apply for capital grants which are vital to its ability to continue operating,” Ms Bates said.
The school has been on a temporary lease since October while the terms of the new lease were negotiated.
The state government has also committed to building seven new special schools in the south-east, despite a disability royal commission divided on the issue of special schools. Half of the commissioners recommended phasing out special schools by 2051.
Shadow Minister for Education Di Farmer did not respond to questions about the LNP’s claims the lease would have lapsed under the former government, but welcomed the extension for “a school we have continued to help fund”.
Shadow Minister for Education Di Farmer has welcomed the lease extension. (ABC News: Chris Gillette)
“This isn’t enough from the education minister [John-Paul Langbroek], who is all talk and no action when comes to investing in Queensland children living with disabilities,” she said.
Ms Kemp said she could not imagine breaking the news to her son that his school was going to shut down if the lease was not renewed.
“It would have been terrible,” she said.
“Terrible for him because he’s found a community, he’s found friends and people that he trusts and the thought of them not being around is horrifying to me.“
Ms Kemp said knowing the school would be around for generations was “incredible”.
“There needs to be more of them,” she said.
