fixed term exclusion

[palgem]

hi all

just need an outside opinion on our situation stuart has now left school premises on three seperate occassions . he has a statement and is in a special unit within his primary school he is 8 how can he be able to just walk out of school grounds he has dx of aspergers so has no sense of danger and does as the school knows react very badly to changes they r having camp week so some of the older kids r not in class and we r now coming up to end of term which is genrally a sticky time any way

he has been banned from taking his bike or scooter to school as this is how he escaped on the two previous occassions which we have complied with yesterday he walked out so what can they blame this time nothing has been put in place to stop him and this time they have just given him a fixed three day exclusion and he can return on monday

today his sister nodded off in class so they have also asked for her to be kept at home for a couple of days to catch up on her sleep they r in bede by 8 at the latest and sleep through till 7.30 the next morning just feel they r victomising the whole family at the moment and am a bit reluctant to go in as i might flip totally out of control my self

any ideas on how to go about things please bear in mind the school r not autism freindly in the slightest they wiil not let the out reach team in to help either do i go above the school and contact the lea for help ?

or try and find sevral breaches in health and safety or lack of duty of care breaches i feel like sticking it to them big time but how will this help stuart ?

bye for now paul

[annie]

Hi Paul,

 

I would be concerned too with the school .

 

With your son's fixed exclusion, take a look at this link courtesy of IPSEA http://www.ipsea.org.uk/exclusion-support-sheets.htm. It lists advice for for up to 5 day exclusions and depending on if the child has a statement and if it is a 'good' or 'bad' statement. IPSEA are a godsend. Their helpline number is on the homepage. Any problems, please call them. They are busy, but the wait is worth it.

 

The school have a duty of care to your son which, if he is able to walk out of school once, let alone three time, I would be putting a complaint in writing to the Head/Govenors and the LEA. To exclude your son to me is very wrong.

 

Unless your daughter is unwell, I cannot see any reason why she shouldn't be at school, unless of course the school are giving your daughter an unofficial exclusion, which they can't do anyway . If they've asked you to keep her at home, ask them to put it in writing, otherwise she goes to school as normal.

 

Annie

xx

[pumpkinpie]

Im sorry but if your son walked, rode or skipped out of school it is their fault. They need to have their grounds secured. He has sen and they need to act appropriatley!!!!!!!

I would immediatley write to the head with a copy to the chair and sen governor stating your concerns that your son has sen and needs adult support - to stop him escaping. You will if necessary take this concern to the lea.

Secoundly you need to put them straight regarding the exclusion which sounds very dodgyHOW CAN HE BE EXCLUDED FOR THEIR LACK OF CARE!

Finally if your daughter is ill thats one thing but if they are excluding her they need to be clear - Id have her back in school if shes not ill.

[pumpkinpie]

I note there is an outreach team I would have a word with them and let them know whats going on!!

Is he statememented?

[palgem]

hi we have spoken to the out reach team and they can only go into school if invited to do so and all we get from the head teacher is we r not in their area despite the fact they go into every other school in the area somehow we seem to be in a black hole area mainly the village we live in , and also stuart is not the only child to have escaped apparently?

thanks for your replys its just the school try and make out to be your fault and far from theirs somehow

bye for now paul

[lancelot]

Yes, we used to get that blame passed on to us from the previous school head all the time -- the worst being when they'd allowed a delivery lorry to drive through the playground during playtime. Apparently they 'blew the whistle to tell everyone to stand still', and C, predictably, didn't (he never did stop for the whistle, I doubt he knew what it was for), so he was nearly run over -- and I was met after school by a furious head, dragging him towards me and shouting 'THIS IS JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH, MRS XXX!'

 

Maybe they think you can remote-control him? Maybe they think attack is their best defence against your perfectly sane complaint?

 

Grrrrrrrrr

[bramblebrae]

hi we have spoken to the out reach team and they can only go into school if invited to do so and all we get from the head teacher is we r not in their area despite the fact they go into every other school in the area somehow we seem to be in a black hole area mainly the village we live in , and also stuart is not the only child to have escaped apparently?

thanks for your replys its just the school try and make out to be your fault and far from theirs somehow

bye for now paul

 

I think I'd go straight to the LEA taking someone from the outreach team with me if they'd be willing - this school has acted appallingly (have to learn to spell that word I think I'll be using it alot!) I can't believe anyone would give a child an exclusion for them being able to leave school grounds when they have SEN actually even an NT child at the age of 8 being able to just walk out of school is the schools fault I would feel. It's really twisted logic I think the school staff must be not taking your sons additional support needs into account at all. Honestly I feel livid for you. I hope you and your son get some justice for this and maybe get the school to admit they need and accept outside help from the outreach team cause they obviously sorely need it.

 

As for your daughter being asked to stay home verbally like that is an unofficial exclusion I would think - I'm not sure but I would think you yourselves could get into trouble for just keeping her off - if you agreed with it and thought it would be good for her I would still get it in writing that it is at their request and let them take the fall out but from what I've read you don't agree with them rightfully so in which case I would still ask them to put it in writing then copy that letter everywhere and anywhere I could along with a letter stating the rest of the #### this school has put you through. Then I'd put her to school. Could she just be a bit bored? Maybe the work isn't at a high enough standard for her intelligence. Has the school even considered this? I've never heard anything like it stay home to catch up on sleep - my sons school used to complain constantly that he'd been a bit sleepy and maybe thats why such and such a behaviour occured err yeah he's got an ASD and is hard to get to bed and we are both night owls but a year on with one to one support and social skills help from the outreach team he is worse at going to bed and more tired if anything and said behaviours are few and far between!

 

You are in my honest opinion completely in the right over both these matters and I hope you get someone to stand up and take this school to task officially over your families treament

 

plz let us know what happens

take care

Lorraine

 

ps just noticed the bit about another child escaping isn't their some outside agency who checks on the fitness of all places caring for children you know like the people who assess if a child minder is fit or not -do they check schools too? hopefully someone knows cause I think I would go to them at some point and express my concerns.

Edited July 6, 2006 by bramblebrae

[bramblebrae]

Yes, we used to get that blame passed on to us from the previous school head all the time -- the worst being when they'd allowed a delivery lorry to drive through the playground during playtime. Apparently they 'blew the whistle to tell everyone to stand still', and C, predictably, didn't (he never did stop for the whistle, I doubt he knew what it was for), so he was nearly run over -- and I was met after school by a furious head, dragging him towards me and shouting 'THIS IS JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH, MRS XXX!'

 

Maybe they think you can remote-control him? Maybe they think attack is their best defence against your perfectly sane complaint?

 

Grrrrrrrrr

 

 

blimey thats the best example I've seen of the Cat calling the kettle black!! Did you manage to persuade them it was actually their fault in the end??

 

Lorraine

[Karen A]

I am amazed that in the current climate any child was able to walk out of any school .This is a serious breach of security and health and safety.I am flabergasted that this could happen in a specialist unit .When I go to a support group for parents at our local school for children with asd I struggle to exit the building.Each area of the school has a lock controlled by a key fob.Children cannot wander within the school let alone escaping.I would write an official letter of complaint and copy it to LEA and COG.Also I personally would question whether a school that was unable to maintain basic safety and refused the involvement of ASD outreach was able or willing to provide an appropriate environment-this is just my opinion but if I had any altrenative provision I would seroiusly consider it .Karen

[Karen A]

When is the next OFSTED inspection? School security is an issue they look at.Also am I missing something?Usually a decision whether an outreach team are able to visit a school rests with the team /LEA hence if the team agree to visit then the school cannot decide they are not in the area.Also at the next revue ask for ASD outreach to be included in the statement then the school will have to accept it.I would also contact the SEN section to notify them re the exclusion and request support.Parent partnership willalso provide support re exclusion if you contact them especially if a child has SEN.

Edited July 6, 2006 by Karen A

[Karen A]

Decided to add this as it struck me.How is it effective to exclude a child who presumably left anyway because they at some level did not want to be there- really effective deterent ----not

[Suze]

As far as the outreach go I would write to the head , insisting in the strongest posssible terms that the team be invited ASAP, as your sons safety is at risk!To exclude him is terrible........a joke.You must be so angry over this <'> Suzex