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Barred from Science (Health & Safety reasons)

MulgaBill

Our oldest boy (he's an Aspie) has just moved up to S2 (we're in Scotland) and, as well as all the usual turmoil involved in changing classes, he came home today to tell me that "I was locked out of Science". When I asked what had happened, he said his new science teacher had shut the classroom door in his face and locked it. He didn't know what was happening, so he stood outside the classroom until his guidance teacher eventually showed up. She told him that he wasn't allowed to do science for "health and safety reasons", and he'd have to spend science classes doing "other things" in the special needs area. It's ludicrous as science was his best subject in S1 and the teacher he had throughout never had a safety issue with him.

Has anyone managed to challenge a decision like this? And how?

BTW, I'm on my fourth letter to the school in 10 days to the school, copied to the QIO and Head of Education, not that they ever reply or take any notice. Yesterday's letter was about our boy being kept out of all his classes for an entire day, so he played computer games and watched videos in the special needs area. He doesn't know why and no one from the SMT was available to explain why. (He was quite happy to have a "day off", but I'm not.)

Parents

  • Your son is lucky to have such a determined parent fighting for him.

    I'm even more surprised that they've barred him from science at 12-13, unless Scottish schools do much more dangerous stuff in science at that age than I did in a sissy southern school.  It's tempting to speculate that science may have been the easier subject to ban him from on safety grounds because it's what many people will be less familiar with: for home economics you could say that he manages at home.  I guess that you could try a Freedom of Information Act request to make them cough up any paperwork if you think that it may help. 

    I hate it when people claim there isn't enough money to support people with autism.  If the school was building a new building I doubt that saying they didn't have much money would allow them to get away with ignoring wheelchair access requirements.  And surely extra help for those who need it the most should be the last thing to be cut?

    Incidentally, 13-14 years old or so was probably the worst age for me in terms of behavioural issues.  The advantages of sheer determination began to come into their own more and more after that, and my academic achievement and behavioural record improved a lot.  It's been no smooth ride since of course, but that's certainly not an age I'd go back to.  Hopefully things will get better for your son soon.

    Best wishes.

Reply

  • Your son is lucky to have such a determined parent fighting for him.

    I'm even more surprised that they've barred him from science at 12-13, unless Scottish schools do much more dangerous stuff in science at that age than I did in a sissy southern school.  It's tempting to speculate that science may have been the easier subject to ban him from on safety grounds because it's what many people will be less familiar with: for home economics you could say that he manages at home.  I guess that you could try a Freedom of Information Act request to make them cough up any paperwork if you think that it may help. 

    I hate it when people claim there isn't enough money to support people with autism.  If the school was building a new building I doubt that saying they didn't have much money would allow them to get away with ignoring wheelchair access requirements.  And surely extra help for those who need it the most should be the last thing to be cut?

    Incidentally, 13-14 years old or so was probably the worst age for me in terms of behavioural issues.  The advantages of sheer determination began to come into their own more and more after that, and my academic achievement and behavioural record improved a lot.  It's been no smooth ride since of course, but that's certainly not an age I'd go back to.  Hopefully things will get better for your son soon.

    Best wishes.

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