A father has criticised his autistic son's school after the eight-year-old was found wandering the streets by strangers. 

Jamie McCann, who also suffers from epilepsy, walked out of his school twice without anybody noticing. 

He rarely communicates with strangers and will often only speak to his parents before he goes to bed for the night. 

The child has now been out of education for more than five months after his parents lost trust in Cathkin primary school in South Lanarkshire.

Staff denied the eight-year-old had been able to leave the complex when he first left earlier this year. 

On a second occasion he was found wandering the streets in the Castlemilk area of Glasgow prompting his parents to remove him from the school for his own safety. 

Father George, 42, said the school did not report that Jamie was missing to him or wife Marie, 37, but rather they left a message with his 16-year-old daughter Jade. 

The father-of-three, who currently cares full-time for his son, said: "He told us he got out of the school but when we asked the school about it, they told us that this was impossible. 

"We asked for a meeting but they wouldn't show us CCTV footage or any of the school's security procedures. 

"On May 6, Jamie got out again and this time he was found around a mile and a half away by a member of the public in Castlemilk, who called the police. 

"He wasn't able to tell us where he was going or what he wanted to do, but as far as we know he had been walking down streets and across main roads on his own. 

"The police took him back to school but rather than the school then contacting myself or Marie, they left a message with my teenage daughter Jade. 

"I still can't believe they allowed this to happen. It's outrageous. We removed him from the school that day." 

George requested a report from the school to establish how his son had managed to just walk out of the grounds. 

He received the report, which he claims shows a 17-minute difference in terms of when the school claimed they reported that he was missing to police, and when the police said they actually received the call. 

And he claimed that South Lanarkshire refused to carry out an investigation into the incident, despite him demanding that someone be held responsible. 

Despite Jamie's autism, he was showing advanced ability in terms of IT skills while at school. 

George believes this could be down to Jamie associating computers with his favourite video game characters Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog. 

He said: "Jamie really loves anything to do with Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog. 

"Sometimes the only way you can get him to do something is if you tell him Mario likes it. 

"At night, if he told us that Sonic did something at school then he meant that he actually did it. 

"He loves the computer and one thing the school did tell us was that Jamie really excelled at IT. He was more advanced with IT skills than other kids in his class. 

"We are really proud of him." 

Jamie has not returned to school since the incident and his parents have tried to place him an independent special needs school in Glasgow. 

But George claims that South Lanarkshire have insisted he moves to another school in the local area instead. 

He said: "South Lanarkshire have obstructed us from getting Jamie into a school in Glasgow as it is outside the local authority. 

"The school deals with children who have more profound needs and we think this will better benefit Jamie.

"But the council say it will cost too much to pay for his transport costs and school fees. 

"We were offered a place for Jamie at another school but we were concerned that the security at the school wasn't good enough for him. 

"There is now a possibility of another school in the local area that Jamie could go to, and the security seems to be really good. 

"My wife and I visited the school and we were very impressed by the staff as well. 

"Nothing is definite yet, though. The most important thing for us is that Jamie can get back to school." 

South Lanarkshire Council have said that an investigation was carried out into Jamie's disappearance from school, and that they are working to provide a new place for him. 

Jim Gilhooly, executive director of education resources, said: "The council cannot comment on the details of individual cases. 

"However we can confirm that a full investigation was undertaken following the incident and a report sent to the parents. 

"In addition, officers were in regular contact with the family and kept them up to date with developments. 

"We have also been in contact with the parents with regard to their placing request, and we have made clear what needs to be done if they wish to pursue that request. 

"The council is confident that we are following the Code of Practice for the Additional Support for Learning Act 2009, and our priority continues to be to work with the family to return the child to school."