'Life-changing' school for autistic children saved from 'chopping block'

The Sycamore School is a private, dedicated educational facility for autistic young people. (Supplied)

Raeleigh Kemp can't help but laugh after school drop-off some mornings because it is such a far cry from how it used to be.

Her 11-year-old Zane Kemp, who is autistic, now runs to The Sycamore School gates and even cries when he is too sick to go.

Years ago, Ms Kemp could not have imagined a starker difference.

Raeleigh Kemp enrolled her son Zane at The Sycamore School about two years ago. (Supplied)

"He was just finding it harder and harder as he got older," Ms Kemp said.

"The pressures increased, the supports were different and the cognitive load just got too much.

Ms Kemp describes a time when her son could not look her in the eye or speak with her.

"He was having lots of meltdowns and different things. It was very difficult," she said.

Ms Kemp knew her son needed more support and an environment that approached managing autism differently.

Ms Kemp says her son was struggling at a traditional school. (ABC News: Michael Lloyd)

She found that in a specialist school so sought after, some parents drove almost 50 kilometres one-way to drop off their kids.

The Sycamore School, in Alexandra Hills in the Redlands, is a private, dedicated educational facility for autistic young people.

"Honestly, I don't know where we'd be if we didn't get into Sycamore," Ms Kemp said.

However, the school's future was uncertain last year, with its lease set to end in October.

Finance Minister Ros Bates says Labor had the school "on the chopping block". (ABC News: Lucas Hill)

Now, the school is set to be around for generations to come.

On Wednesday, the state government followed through on its election promise to secure a long-term lease for the school, signing a 25-year deal.

The Minister for Finance, Ros Bates, said the school was "on the chopping block [after Labor] failed to renew its lease" and that the long-term lease was a "lifeline" for its students and families.

"Securing the school's future will allow administrators to apply for capital grants which are vital to its ability to continue operating," Ms Bates said.

The state government has also committed to building seven new special schools in the south-east, despite a disability royal commission divided on the issue of special schools. Half of the commissioners recommended phasing out special schools by 2051.

Shadow Minister for Education Di Farmer did not respond to questions about the LNP's claims the lease would have lapsed under the former government, but welcomed the extension for "a school we