A lot of pupils will by now have already posed for a photo wearing their school uniform but for many parents with children who have special educational needs (SEN), this week will not have been an exciting one.

One in five pupils in Northern Ireland - over 70,000 - have some form of SEN, and demand for school places outstrips capacity.

One of them, four-year-old Lottie, has severe learning difficulties but could not get a place at a SEN school.

Her parents said they felt "frustrated" and "anxious" over the decision.

The Education Authority (EA) said it fully recognised the family's concerns, but added that rising demand for SEN places meant much of the special school estate was close to or at capacity, including the one that Lottie's family want her to go to.

The Department of Education has said it is "committed" to supporting children with special educational needs, but added that the need for investment "continues to grow, and the department simply cannot meet this pressure" within its existing level of funding.

The education minister has called for £70m a year over the next decade for an executive-led SEN Capital Investment Programme to transform educational facilities.

Classes in specialist schools are smaller in size and offer tailored teaching and support to children with statements of SEN.

Children receive a statement following an assessment of their needs.

It is the responsibility of the EA to arrange for the special educational provision as specified in a statement of SEN to be made.

There are only 40 special schools in Northern Ireland, and the EA has warned that the "current approach cannot properly or sustainably meet levels of need".

Lottie has a statement of SEN which her father said states that she needs to be in a special school.

"Why do we have a statement if that's not being used to inform the decision?" he said.

Lottie's parents, who live in Londonderry, said she regularly hurt herself because she had no awareness of danger.

"She shows her frustration as she hits her head on the floor or the walls or she constantly bites herself or bites me or her daddy to show her frustration," her mother, Naomi Campbell, said.

Her father Patrick said he recognised there was high demand for SEN places.

"I'm not denying that, my biggest problem with it is the decision making process.

"The way I see it the school placement should be decided by what's in the statement."

Lottie had her first day at a mainstream school this week but Patrick said "it didn't go great" even though "the school's doing everything it can".

"It's very scary," Naomi said, adding she "worries for her future".

The EA said it remained committed to working with Lottie's family, the school and wider partners to ensure appropriate support was in place.

It said it had repeatedly highlighted the urgent need for significant investment to increase special school capacity and expand specialist provision in mainstream schools, so more children can access the support they need locally.

Meanwhile in Belfast, a woman who has a son with SEN has said it is "ridiculous" that he's been offered a school place that would require him to travel more than 30 miles in total each day.

Joel, aged four, is non-verbal and has severe learning difficulties and his parents made the "incredibly difficult decision" to decline his primary one placement offer because of the distance.

His mother, Caroline Walker, said: "It has a huge impact and my heart breaks for him because he deserves an education."

The family live in east Belfast but Joel, who has a statement of SEN, was offered a school place in Antrim.

His parents originally included the school as one of their choices in April, but contacted the EA at the start of June after getting advice to say they wanted it removed as it wasn't an appropriate place for him.

In July, the EA emailed to say that was the school he was being offered.

Joel sometimes self-injures when upset and can "head bang, bite himself, hit himself, nip himself", so his mother feels that "he won't cope with that travel".

He was offered a specialist provision in mainstream (SPIM).

"Children are being let down," Caroline said.

The EA said they recognised the family's concerns and took them "very seriously" and would continue working with them to seek solutions.

"Unfortunately there was no capacity at specialist provisions (dedicated classes for pupils with SEN) in the family's locality," it said.

The EA said "all children with a statement of special educational needs starting nursery, year one or year eight secured a school place ahead of the new school year".

Caroline said children might get "placed," but questioned if available placements were being "prioritised over actual suitable placements".

Both Joel and Lottie's parents are now preparing to go through a tribunal to challenge where their children were placed.

The Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (Sendist) rules in cases in which parents are unhappy with how the EA has dealt with their child's special educational needs.

Northern Ireland's children's commissioner Chris Quinn has said he is incredibly frustrated that children with special educational needs are being impacted by issues with school places and transport.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today, Chris Quinn questioned "why we are in this year-on-year crisis".

"It beggars belief that the voices of these children and families are being overlooked, and it beggars belief that the Department for Education and Education Authority are not focusing more on early intervention and support, but they don't."

There are big changes planned in the way pupils with SEN are supported. Some are already in progress, with the EA saying pupils with SEN will receive "earlier, more tailored support".

The changes would give schools "more flexibility" and freedom to decide how best to support children and young people with SEN in the classroom, the EA said when the plans were announced.

There have been some concerns this will place more pressure on school principals and teachers who are SEN coordinators in schools.