Parents have criticised education support services after battling for more than a year to get the correct help for their dyslexic son.

Bromfords School pupil Warren Coutts is 11 years old, but has the reading age of a seven-year-old and his parents say he barely gets half of the 18-and-a-half hours of learning support he is supposed to receive.

The family, who live in Park Drive, Wickford, have criticised the Government system for stretching its resources and said it's an outrage their son's education is suffering as a result.

His headteacher Richard Thomas and MP John Baron have supported the family's concerns.

Warren's father Justin, 34, said: "Warren is supposed to have a learning support assistant with him in all lessons apart from practical lessons, but staffing shortages mean he is left on his own a lot of the time.

"Even when an assistant is there, they have to help up to four children in one class at the same time. I shudder to think how children worse than Warren cope.

"Since November, Warren's not been going to school at all on Mondays because there is no assistant.

"But most mornings he wakes up crying because he can't face school.

"He regularly refuses to go to school because he gets embarrassed. He's not eating or sleeping well either."

Any child with a learning disability must be issued with a statement of educational need to get support from the local education authority, in this case Essex County Council.

It took Warren's parents seven months and one tribunal to convince the authority he needed to be assessed after suspecting there was a problem at his primary school, North Crescent.

And still now, after endless meetings, Warren has only limited support because there are not enough support staff.

Mr Coutts said: "It took three attempts to get the authority to admit in their statement Warren had dyslexia.

"They tried to blame his learning difficulties on anxiety and emotional problems."

Only after Warren's parents paid £330 to have him assessed privately at the Dyslexia Institute in March did Essex County Council amend the statement.

Mr Coutts said: "We've had to really push to get the help we want and we want to send a message to other parents to do the same.

"Our children shouldn't have to suffer because of the Government's stretched resources."

He added Warren was the first dyslexic child in Essex to be officially removed from French lessons.

"But we're still battling for this to be enforced. He's struggling with English as it is. Learning another language is of no benefit to him," Mr Coutts said.

Headteacher Richard Thomas said: "I don't think there is sufficient support given to children with learning disabilities in primary schools and that's where I think the problem lies.

"When children come up to secondary school they think they struggle, but they're actually behind before they get to us.

"I had a very positive meeting with the parents and do try to provide them with any help that I can."

MP John Baron said: "Bromfords has done an excellent job in helping Warren, but I have raised his case with Essex County Council to see whether he can be given any further support."

Essex County Council was unable for comment.