A WEE COUNTY mum has won her fight to secure a place at a specialist school for her terminally-ill daughter.

As the Advertiser previously reported, Alva resident Lorraine Thomson, 47, had recently been told her 11-year-old child Emma could no longer attend Lochies School.

The youngster lost her place there because her wheelchair had been deemed a fire risk.

As an alternative, Lorraine wanted to send Emma to Stirling's Castleview Primary School to complete P7 – as they cater to children with severe additional support needs.

Emma was born with an undiagnosed growth disorder, and contracted septicaemia twice when she was a newborn.

In 2017, her health deteriorated further when she developed an illness that "annihilated" her body.

But Lorraine's bid to send Emma to Castleview was rejected by Stirling Council, because she lived three miles outside the catchment area.

The only other option was to accept Clacks Council's offer to send Emma to Alloa Academy.

But Lorraine was adamant the academy wouldn't meet all her daughter's needs, and turned to the Advertiser to raise awareness of Emma's plight instead.

Since speaking out, officials at Clacks Council approached their counterparts in Stirling and managed to secure Emma a place at Castleview.

Lorraine said: "I found out last week.

"I think Castleview will make a huge difference to Emma's life: their therapy and exercise programmes will be absolutely wonderful for her."

Lorraine was also delighted at the thought of Emma being surrounded by other youngsters again.

She said: "She's a very sociable little girl, and she just thrives off of other kids.

"I think it will open up all these different experiences for her."

However, the battle to secure her daughter's place at Castleview has also taken a toll, and Lorraine said she can already see other potential problems on the horizon.

She was recently told that because of her transportation needs, Emma will have to leave her new school an hour earlier than other children.

And Lorraine felt the letter from Clacks Council informing her about Emma's school placement had a "begrudging" tone.

As well as providing good news, it said that Emma would be expected to transition to Alloa Academy after completing P7.

But Lorraine claims most of Emma's classmates will be sent to the highly-specialised Ochil House in Stirling's Wallace High School.

She said: "I think because of the tone of the letter, it sort of took the sheen off.

"My heart just sank. Emma's got limited time and I've got limited time with her.

"All my energy should be going into just enjoying Emma and making her life the best it can be – not having to fight."

Yet, in spite of all that, Lorraine said she would enjoy the coming months while Emma attends her dream school – and leave any future fights for another day.

Clackmannanshire Council did not wish to comment.