Published on 12, July, 2020
my son is newly diagnosed but since September his violence has come into school. I can't fault the school they have thrown everything and the kitchen sink at him (in a help kind of way not a violent kind of way lol) well it came to a head this week after being given another chance he lasted in school 1 day and has been temporarily excluded until the 3rd of July because the primary placements team meet on the 2nd. Now they have sent me a manged move form and said it needs to be completed by Tuesday next week. now from what i can tell is this form is basically saying yes i want a new school. now although this school is not ideal as such it's what he knows. he is in year 5 at the moment and with not long till the summer holidays that is no settling time for a new school and year 6 is not gonna be enough to get him to settle. He doesn't have an EHCP although at our emergency EHAT meeting on monday they agreed he needs to be put forward for one. i want a specialist school if i can't be in this school as i don't think a new mainstream school will help him. Has anyone else been through this. should i fill out the managed move form or are they just trying to look good target wise by not expelling him? HELPPPPPP!!!
Very simply the school is more likely to be protecting their own targets and interests, rather than your son's needs. They shouldn't be forcing you to agree to move schools...and yes if you agree to a move it looks better on their stats than exclusion..
There's some info on this website under the education section on exclusions, managed moves and your rights that may help. Sorry don't have exact experience of that one but do of the underhand tactics schools use on informal exclusions, 'have you thought about home educating?' when they decide not to support but can't be seen to say that...
If you can get the EHCP application underway it will help in the longer term get the right school sorted for your son.
I am in favour of whats in the best interest of a child and have been a teaching assistant and seen children who are disruptive kept on at the school, not managed out but still excluded from mainstream lessons and left with a teaching assistant with not much training in autism management, like me. That is not a solution either, as a teaching assistant who mainly taught reading I was running a creche where disruptive children were allowed on computers and left with basic education material, organised by an untrained teacher, if that is inclusion, I am not impressed. Secondly once I came out on the Autistic spectrum, they found a reason to exclude me from my role when I had a breakdown due to the stress of working in an environment that was not autistic friendly either. So if you want the best for a child either in mainstream or specialist, don't be fooled by an inclusive policy but look closer at how children are managed.