Excluded (Again) :(
Posted by
Snowdrop
on 1st April 2010
at 14:40
Hi Nicky
That sounds awful and it really does put you in a difficult position that you work in the school. As you know we are in a similar position at the moment and we have all but decided to pull Dylan out of school until September, I advised the school of this yesterday and the Head hasn't even called me back yet!
Has Stuarts statement been finalised yet? If it has and it states that he needs full-time TA support then you really can try and enforce it at the school and insist that he is kept in at break & lunch with a TA looking after him. I think you need to call a meeting with the school to remind them its their responsibility to provide him with the support his statement says he needs and if you still feel they aren't doing this then I think your next step is to write to the governors of the school. I don't want to take this course of action with Dylans school incase my youngest ends up at the school but you might feel this is the way forward for you.
If they say they don't have the staff yet to give him a full time TA, then you could say that any TA support assigned to him is to be provided at break & lunchtimes always and any extra to be given during class time because its at unstructured times his really suffering.
Hope this helps & let us know how you get on.
Tracy - Community Champion
Posted by
Leanne
on 1st April 2010
at 14:52
Duplicate post removed
Posted by
Leanne
on 1st April 2010
at 14:52
Hi Tracy
Isn't it a rubbish situation that you don't feel able to enforce the statement in case it turns the school against you and Jake..
Leanne - Community Champion
Posted by
Leanne
on 1st April 2010
at 17:26
Hi Nicky
i wote a lovely long reply to your post and the system went all funny and crashed... :)
i find it bizarre that they are pushing back on break time cover when its at these times that our children are usually most distressed/vunerable because its unstructured and noisy etc
I feel that they are taking advantage of you being on site instead of actually looking for a resolution to this issue. It is awful that Stuart is being held accountable for their failings .. surely with closer monitoring and supervision his episodes could be pre empted and hopefully avoided.
What about approaching the LA or parent partnership to see what your rights actually are ??
Another thought.. what about going straight to the head and by passing SENCO. In my experience the SENCO have hardly any authority .. in Alistairs last school I never saw them .. how rubbish is that lol
Sorry I cant be of any more use :)
Leanne - Community Champion
Posted by
bumblebee
on 1st April 2010
at 21:25
Hi Nicky,
It is only a suggestion, but if I was in your position, I would be asking the school to approach their seniors at the LEA and saying they cannot meet your sons needs. You do not have to take him home or remove him from school if his difficulties are due to his diagnosis. If you ask them each time to fill in an exclusion form, that can be really helpful paperwork to arm you or the school to go to the LEA and demand your sons needs be met so he doesnt have to fail....I am sure there is an exclusion form on this website somewhere?
It is awkward that you work at the school because if you didnt, you could turn your phone off and force the school/LEA into action now if they can't cope....I know what you mean about not agreeing with his behaviour, but they are responsible for him during school hours and they should be meeting his needs or saying they can't...either way he needs more support and they need to stop asking you to solve their problems, they should be asking the LEA to step in or pay for another member of staff/adapt the hours/support he is getting....this is very unfair on you and I would imagine not the way set out in the code of practice for dealing with situations like this.....Maybe worth taking a look through it and getting some advice? I feel really cross for you!!!
Claire - Community Champion
Posted by
Elena - former Community Manager
on 2nd April 2010
at 15:28
Hi Nicky, I just wanted to add that maybe it really would help to have a chat with your boss. This way he/she knows what you're experiencing and will hopefully be able to work with you more flexibly and with more understanding. A little information can go a long way to helping those around you lend a hand. Let us know how you get on. : )
Posted by
Jenny Phillips
on 7th April 2010
at 10:59
Hi Nicky
Sorry to hear about your difficulties. Exclusion from school is something many parents of children with autism experience, and the impact on family life, and the disruption to your job can be huge. There are a few things on the TreeHouse website which you might find helpful:
1) An exclusion record form, which you can print and use (follow the link below and its the 3rd in the list)
2) ‘Disobedience or Disability? The exclusion of children with autism from education’ This report explores the exclusion of children with autism from education and is based on the findings from a survey of parents and carers from the ten local authority areas participating in the project.
http://www.treehouse.org.uk/promoting-change/campaigns/support-campaigners/psp-exclusion-report
I think the advice from other parent above is excellent, so good luck, and do come back and let us know how you get on.
Jenny Phillips
Training and Events Coordinator
TreeHouse
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Posted by
NickyB
on 1st April 2010
at 14:25
Hi all
Stuart has been excluded 3 times in the last two weeks for hurting staff and children. I am broadly supportive of the school in doing this as he does understand that he can't hurt people, it's just that he doesn't seem to be able to stop himself. However, I do feel that they could be doing more at breaktimes as that's when it all seems to happen. I have suggested that he be kept in at playtimes after Easter, and the SENCO said she would look into the feasability of that (it's really a question of them having the staff to supervise him).
As he's going to an ASD unit in September, I am trying not to get too stressed about it. The main problem is that I work at the school serving lunches and I've already had to leave early a few times. I work for a catering company rather then for the school, so I am worried about the possibility of losing my job, which I desperately need (and love!!) My colleague has managed to cover for me so far but it's really not fair to keep asking her to do this.
I was thinking that I might have a chat with my boss, who is usually very understanding, and explain the situation. What do you think?
Thanks all
Nicky x