The education system is failing some children, the mother of a boy with learning difficulties has alleged.

Tina Miles said her 11-year-old son was unprepared for life at secondary school after "falling through the primary school net".

She said her son Travis, who has Aspergers Syndrome, a mild form of autism, would not cope with comprehensive schooling because he had missed out on early years learning and had no social skills or friends. He had been rejected by primary schools and there had been long periods when he received no lessons, despite her fight for home tuition, she added.

Mrs Miles, of Mascord Road, Banbury, said the education system in Oxfordshire did not cater for children who were not suited either to mainstream schools or the Frank Wise special school, but fell somewhere in between.

But Oxfordshire County Council education spokesman John Mitchell said every effort had been made to accommodate Mrs Miles's wishes for her son.

Mr Mitchell said: "The needs of Travis have been subject to close analysis by professionals.

"It was their opinion that he needed specialist provision at either Northern House in Oxford or at the Chinnor Autistic special school. His mother said 'no' to those, as was her right. But we are having to provide something that we think is less than ideal.

"However, we are now working towards integration with mainstream schooling for Travis and it has been agreed that he will spend an extra year at primary level.

"We are doing all we can to support the boy's integration, and strongly counter the accusation that we are uncaring. This case illustrates how we try to accommodate parents' wishes."