• Replies 5 replies
  • Subscribers 65 subscribers
  • Views 1339 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

I'm running out of ideas.....!

bob

Hi

I'm new here so apologise now for starting off with a post like this!

My son has a range of difficulties including ASD.  I have managed to get him full time funding at school and a statement.  We have regular input from an art therapist at CAMHS (but they keep trying to discharge us).  We also have input from an OT and an SLT.

He has received 2 fixed term external exclusions from school over the past 2 weeks.

The first was one day - it was time for PE and his 1:1 suggested that he stay in his school polo shirt instead of changing into PE top.  He couldn't cope with that as it was 'wrong - you do PE in a white top.'  This resulted in him screaming and hitting out.  The note home said 'reason for exclusion - violence towards staff'

Several professionals (inc ed psych and peadiatrician), as well as me, had warned the school that an external exclusion would result in his attachment disorder flaring up which it now has (surprise surprise).  He has gone back nearly 2 years with his behaviours and lack of trust in adults as well as fear of being abandoned.

On Wednesday morning, he was playing on equipment outside when another child tried to push him off.  My son then pushed back but it was him who was told to get off.  He didn't think that was fair so started screaming and hitting out.  Again, an adult was hit when she came in 'to try and calm him down' (despite being told on several occassions not to in the past).  This has resulted in a 2 day external exclusion.

We have a re-integration meeting on Monday morning but he is scared to go back to school as he thinks everyone hates him and doesn't want him there.  He doesn't trust the adults there to sort things out for him again.  His annual review is in June and the Ed Psych is going to be there. 

As I already have a statement and full time funding for him; what else can I do? 

Its so unfair.  If he had dyslexia, he wouldn't get punished for not spelling a word correctly but he is being punished because he can't cope in social situations like other children do.

Parents

  • Hi there.

    Sorry to hear of your struggles. We've had similar experiences with my son about 18 months ago, when he was excluded 3 times in quick succession, each time for hitting or kicking a member of staff after he'd become upset.

    By the 3rd time, we were so fed up and apalled at the way the school had treated him, we took advice from the NAS education support line and decided to appeal against the 3rd exclusion. NAS were fantastic and we really felt we had someone who understood and was on our side. We were offered legal support and help to prepare our case at tribunal - they couldn't have done more for us.

    Fortunately the Education Department decided to concede defeat before the tribunal. We had appealed on the grounds that a) they hadn't put measures in place to deal with his needs, and b) they were exluding him because of his disability, which is unlawful. They agreed that more could be put in place and have since been much better with him - and us (on the whole, with a few exceptions!).

    It really is worth fighting your corner and get support from NAS. We're in Scotland, so I don't know what the differences are, but I'm sure the school must be doing all they can before they can exclude. And if they're excluding for behaviour which is as a direct result of a disability, they'll be on shaky ground. Like you said, they wouldn't exclude a dyslexic child for continually failing a spelling test, or as in the case of my son's class, a child in a wheelchair who didn't do PE!

    Best of luck!

     

Reply

  • Hi there.

    Sorry to hear of your struggles. We've had similar experiences with my son about 18 months ago, when he was excluded 3 times in quick succession, each time for hitting or kicking a member of staff after he'd become upset.

    By the 3rd time, we were so fed up and apalled at the way the school had treated him, we took advice from the NAS education support line and decided to appeal against the 3rd exclusion. NAS were fantastic and we really felt we had someone who understood and was on our side. We were offered legal support and help to prepare our case at tribunal - they couldn't have done more for us.

    Fortunately the Education Department decided to concede defeat before the tribunal. We had appealed on the grounds that a) they hadn't put measures in place to deal with his needs, and b) they were exluding him because of his disability, which is unlawful. They agreed that more could be put in place and have since been much better with him - and us (on the whole, with a few exceptions!).

    It really is worth fighting your corner and get support from NAS. We're in Scotland, so I don't know what the differences are, but I'm sure the school must be doing all they can before they can exclude. And if they're excluding for behaviour which is as a direct result of a disability, they'll be on shaky ground. Like you said, they wouldn't exclude a dyslexic child for continually failing a spelling test, or as in the case of my son's class, a child in a wheelchair who didn't do PE!

    Best of luck!

     

Children
No Data