Barred from Science (Health & Safety reasons)

What makes you think we haven't been in? We've had numerous meetings with the school, most recently spending two hours on Friday with the QIO and head teacher. The meetings never achieve anything meaningful in terms of our son's support or education. As one person told us, "in the current economic climate there's no budget, no resources, no staff and no will to do do anything for children like him". When I tried to explain to his "return from exclusion meeting" that exclusion for "failure to comply" was counter-productive because he was quite happy to be away from school, his guidance teacher ranted that I didn't know what I was talking about because all children are aware of the "devstating consequences of having exclusions on their file", and that she has "30 years of teaching experience" which means she knows my "account of his feelings is untrue". A depute head conceded the tone of almost all the disciplinary referrals was hateful, angry, discriminatory and inflammatory, but said we had to accept that teachers find out son extremely frustrating and annoying. She also admitted she'd held some referrals back because their language was even worse than the ones we'd received.

Incidentally, our son was excluded because he withdrew into himself when a teacher got angry with him for not following instructions (he found them confusing). The PT was called in and told him to "work or leave", then complained to us later that even when he raised his voice our son "refused to comply". A depute head was called in and told our son to leave, but was also faced with "refusal to comply". (Later, our son told us he felt like he was in the bottom of a cave with a lots of big, red, angry faces screaming at him, so he just froze.) Eventually, they manhandled him out of the classroom and down to the special needs area, then excluded him for three days for failure to comply.

So, we do have meetings. And "multi-agency reviews". And "consultations". And "parental engagement sessions". The school regards them as sufficient action in themselves, minutes them selectively a few months after the event and then states that they've followed guidelines on "parental engagement". 

Have you considered going into the school to talk to the relevant people directly? Thinking its disgusting they are treating your child like this and fail in there duty of care for him. 

His S1 report is even worse. Only two teachers could find anything positive to say and even then their overall tone was negative. As for the rest, their comments are vituperative, bullying, insulting and vile: he's "hopeless", "non-compliant", "fails to observe social etiquette", "disruptive", "twitches", "makes noises and flicks his fingers", "pays no attention me", he "flies in the face if the idea that pupils should comply with a teacher's request", he "fails to accept the rules I set", "fails to comply", "is set to fail", "sings" etc etc. There's almost nothing on achievements or academic progress, it's all in the vein of "your child is a useless, difficult nuisance". My wife met the head teacher yesterday, and the head teacher agreed there was "cause for concern" but said "it's down to the new report system".

Our son has serious challenges with social interactions, is about three to four years behind in his emotional development, has various tics (when he's happy he sings the Stars Wars theme tune over and over, which prompts teachers to discipline him) and finds most teachers' instructions to be confusing, ambiguous and overly complex. He's well aware that almost all of them want him out of their classes—and they use a system of informal, internal exclusion to kick him out of class as often as possible.

And now he's banned from one of his favourite subjects. I'm writing yet another letter at the moment, but as far as the school and council are concerned, they "engage" with parents, hold "mutli-agency review meetings" and send teachers on appropriate CPD so therefore they're doing all they can. The boxes have been ticked and nothing further needs to be done.

MulgaBill said:

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.

Your son has been treated in the most crass, insensitive, way I have heard of for a long time, and they think we are the problem.  I was shocked and angry at what they did.

If I can add several more points.

Although I taught in HE, and in environmental science rather than physics and chemistry, I have taught in classrooms using simple science and sensitive instrumentation. I've taught the use of geology microscopes to four students on the spectrum, with no difficulty other than one of them not seeing the point. I've had more worries with the otherwise typical show off students breaking things to get attention from their fellows. The AS ones were generally more receptive and more responsible.

Although I cannot comment on the current Scottish situation I was educated in Scotland up to first degree level. I have kept an eye on progress since from a remote perspective.

What puzzles me is the number of schools in Scotland such as day attendance fee paying schools and other "fancy" ones is they don't seem to feel the need to go much further than crude provision for dyslexia. Of course parents with children with any disabilities may feel the fees for no special provision enough to stop them placing their children there, so that seems to perpetuate the gross failure to provide.

Thirdly I have to say I think this is one of those occurrences that needs media support (however unpredictable and unreliable that can be) because I think the school's attitude to your son is deplorable. 

I don't know the situation in Scotland, but surely there is an issue in the first place with the way the school handled it.

I recall seeing a thalidomide student over 25 years ago, being allowed to do science even though his hands were at his shoulders. No-one stopped him doing it, and he was good too. He had various devices to facilitate and a helper.

Seems to me quite contrary to my understanding of what should or shouldn't happen that your son was excluded like this - someone over-reacting to misconceptions I guess.

Keep trying, I realise its hard. But this sort of ignorance needs to be challenged.