A school that expelled a five-year-old girl for punching a teacher in the face was unable to cope with the child's needs, her mother claims.

Little Freya Parsons was banned from Broadwater School in Worthing - which expelled a five-year-old boy two weeks ago for a similar offence.

But her mother Nicola believes the school did Freya, an autism sufferer, "a massive favour" by kicking her out.

Mrs Parsons claims she pleaded with officers from education authority West Sussex County Council to place the youngster in a school for special needs, but was ignored.

She believes the boy banned in November, who has not been named, could also be disabled.

She said: "My daughter was excluded in September last year from the same school. She was special needs and I suspect this boy is as well.

"She had been excluded temporarily twice before for bad behaviour and on the third occasion she actually hit a teaching assistant, who was trying to restrain her, in the face.

"They just couldn't cope with her. She was in totally the wrong place.

"Children with special needs are being forced into these mainstream schools when they don't have the knowledge or facilities to deal with them. It's not the children's fault."

Freya, who was six in May, has a high functioning form of autism and is now attending the specialist Palatine School in Worthing.

She had previously gone to the town's Camelia Botnar Children's Centre, a special needs playgroup.

But Mrs Parsons said when it came to getting her into a special needs junior school the council just wouldn't listen.

Freya was subsequently expelled just four weeks into year one at Broadwater Church of England First and Middle School in Rectory Gardens.

Mrs Parsons said: "It was a complete battle to get her into the right school.

"When we applied for a school place I sent them all the doctors' notes, letters and assessments from the hospital so the authorities were completely aware of the situation.

"There was so much bureaucracy, red tape and negativity to get through and we just couldn't get her into the right school."

Mrs Parsons believes exclusion was the only way Freya would be placed in a school able to deal with her difficulties.

She said: "It took them excluding her to get the ball rolling. To be honest, that did us a massive favour but it was so traumatic.

"They'd phone up and say she's pulled someone's hair or she's caused all this trouble and I'd think, 'Well, I know, she will do unfortunately'.

"But she's really an amazing girl. She surprises me each day with the things she does. She just doesn't quite understand what is and what isn't acceptable behaviour."

Mrs Parsons believes many other families in the county have the same problem getting the specialist attention their children need.

She said: "She's not a naughty child, she just needs the right guidance. She's got no social boundaries.

"Thankfully now she's in the right place but we parents are fighting a losing battle on so many fronts to get the support we need. The system lets us down."

Freya and the boy are believed to be the youngest children ever to be permanently excluded in Sussex.

The council refused to reveal any details of either incident.

A spokesman said: "Under the Government's special educational needs code of practice schools have a responsibility to provide a 'graduated response' for children with additional needs which often means different types of support will be offered before a local authority assessment is arranged.

"However, there are clear criteria regarding such statutory assessments. Before and after individual assessments the council works with schools to make sure children are receiving the right kind of support."