The mum of a young Christchurch boy with dyslexia says specialised help from a local private school's changed his life.

The Jean Seabrook Memorial School, for children with learning disabilities, is looking at making changes to survive in the long term -  after donations dried up post-Covid.

The school - managed by the Seabrook Mackenzie Trust - also gets income from assessments done by its psychologists and therapists, but these also had to be halted during the lockdown.

As a private school, it only gets a small Government grant each year.

Nicole Forster says for kids like her son Mika, the specialised approach to education makes all the difference.

She says Mika struggled for years in a mainstream school - going from a happy wee guy to depressed by age eight.

“When he was 8 years old, he was three years behind the other students academically. It has changed our lives, he has found a sense of belonging and is a totally different person.”

Nicole Forster says families come from as far away as Ashburton to attend - and it'll be a devastating loss for the kids.