Son 6 with SEN escaped specialist school

If it states in the EHCP he should have a 1:1 with him at all times that's what should happen an EHCP os a legal document school can't just say they are doing their best ,recruitment problems are not the concern of the parents
Special school, s are different to mainstream aa all the pupils have complex disabilities.

As a teacher, I'd feel massively uncomfortable putting our "1:1" children (I work in a mainstream setting) in hi-vis jackets.

In the case for the OP all children could wear them. Realistically any child could have done the same as the OP's ds.

I think the school has responded well by organising for the tree to be cut down and for hi vis to be worn, and by reinforcing the 1 to 1..

I think the comment about camo jacket was a bit off and it's clear he wasn't being watched very closely which was a mistake. They should apologise for that, but it's quite hard to get a sorry out of people and not always worth the effort.

I would ask if they have reported themselves to the LADO and for a copy of the response. (This is the Local Area Designated Officer, which is the LA safeguarding lead. We call when things like giving an allergic chikd an allergen etc happen, just for an external layer of scrutiny)

I am not sure what further you woukd like done? As realistically you can't change what has happened, there is unlikely to be a better school he can go to instead and they have taken all the appropriate measures in response.

The only other things are asking for an updated risk assessment and an emergency review of the ehcp if its not worded tightly enough around 1 to 1

As a teacher, I'd feel massively uncomfortable putting our "1:1" children (I work in a mainstream setting) in hi-vis jackets. Smacks of 'othering' to me and not inclusive at all. Completely agree with you wanting a meeting and going in calmly with all the questions you have. Sounds like school are taking the correct steps- an adjustment to your child's behaviour/safety plan and a risk assessment on current practice/measures in place/ the playground itself sounds like a careful and thorough response to what must have been a very scary situation for you all

I wouldn't take the comment about the coat as blaming you OP, just an observation, that when they quickly scanned he was difficult to see.

Others have talked about hi-vis jackets at their DC's schools and I would be asking about that.

Then somebody should take over
Op i have a,severely autistic 14 year old he's always been in a special school, I can understand how worrying this is its sounds like they were not watching him how could he escape if they were watching himn1:1 all the time
Request an emergency EHCP review, to discuss this if he's not safe with 1:1 he might need 2:1

Wow! So the child can be left while the 1:1 goes to the loo? A child with a 1:1 should never be left, you would assign somebody else to watch them if you needed to leave them. This incident should never have happened. If you have a child that is known to escape/run you cannot take your eyes off them for a second. How long was someone not watching for the child to be able to climb a tree, scale a fence and run off? Absolutely take this further. The Head’s excuse of his coat is very unprofessional. I would be fuming. I hope you get a satisfactory outcome and can continue sending your son to the school confident in the knowledge that this will never happen again.

Then their legal obligation is to swap out with another member of staff. A child's needs do not suddenly disappear because someone needs a comfort break.

The priority is the child, and this child was failed by his 1:1.

I would be asking how school are going to proceed going forward, before being too angry with them. It's very possible that there haven't been children like your son before. Maybe they honestly thought that he'd be ok with the 1-2-1 being distracted for a moment or two and that you child couldn't get out. If going forward they are going to increase the security and make sure the 1-2-1 isn't distracted then that sounds good. They did something, it went wrong, they know what to do instead, and are doing it! If it happens again that's a different story...

A child in "fight or flee" response can be very fast. I speak from experience of both of my ds's having escaped from different schools. In my opinion its not that the child has escaped once (as it is difficult to predict every scenario) but how the school responds in putting in measures such that it doesn't happen again. So, for example, ds2's schools put in 2:1 if he had to exit the classroom to go to the loo and put in additional security on the main door so even if he evaded the 1:1's he couldn't get out of the building.

WTF?
From the patronising "I need you to remain calm" phonecall to the camouflage coat (so blaming your choice) to the fact they're now cutting down a tree due to their incompetence? Wow

I would be making a huge deal of this. You had to request to see an incident report?.They should've offered it straight away

They are paid money to provide 1 to 1 care and they clearly failed to. I would want the LEA and any disability rights support groups in on this. Someone should be sacked. A total breakdown of the use of proper procedure put your DS at significant risk of harm. I would want to check the police were aware as I would imagine they have a duty of care to report serious concerns.

I have a non verbal escape artist who is extremely good at climbing and in special school, I live in fear of this phone call. I also work in a special school, there is never a time a student is left alone, if someone needs the loo, you radio for someone else to swap. The child escaping is a 'never event'. If everyone was doing their job there is no way it should have happened, regardless of coat colour. Raise hell, do not accept any excuses, if the school is in a trust, go to the trust directors. School governors, Ofsted etc. It should never happen again, and they need to tell you exactly what steps they are taking. It's only luck that he was ok, he could have been killed, for all of those downplaying it, imagine it was your 18 month old that had escaped from nursery, and the incredible danger they would be in.

Be prepared for the school to downplay everything and shift blame, eg why did you put him in that coat?
Any formal complaint would be unlikely to go anywhere, the governors sole purpose are to make the school look blame free.

What an horrendous phone call to receive.

If a child has a 1:1 it doesn’t include a clause where “if the responsible adult need to relieve themselves they will be left unattended”

what a stupid comment

@Mojo161989 I would be reassured by the school's response. I was an SEN governor and we had a similar incident. Sometimes a risk isn't known until something happens.

DD1 was similar and I dropped her at a youth BBQ when she was 11. I was going to stay, but was urged to get a cuppa and reassured that she would be looked after. Within a few minutes she had climbed a very tall tree and the church pastor had to stack two ladders to help her down.

In terms of home safety, I found an electromagnetic lock for the front door really helpful - we mounted it near the ceiling and you had to press the button and pull the door at the same time, so it required coordination.

I have a child who was a runner. Even when I was standing right next to home, he escaped and ran off. It is clear that the school thought the playground was secure. It turns out the tree made it not as secure as they thought. They have rectified it and put other measures in place. What else can they do?? If he had escaped at home would you say you had failed him because you weren't watching him well enough?

The comment about the camouflage coat is a disgusting excuse.

There's two things here, one is how did they not notice (1:1 isn't necessarily with them at break to try to let kids mix etc but should be observing if that's on his individual school plan, might not be though to allow them a break) and secondly how to prevent again.

He is fine! The school are taking it very seriously and they have had a wake up call to ensure it doesn't repeat. Perhaps wearing a high vis tabard might help spot him, an id bracelet of some kind would be helpful just in case he slips them or you down the line. I'm not defending them but in a small secure playground it sounds like they thought he wasn't able to get out, they know now!

I think the key question for the school is how to make sure it can’t happen again. I’ve cared for children who are runners and it’s terrifying for the staff as well.

I see a school who has taken an open and comprehensive response to responding to this incident.

They have arranged for the tree to be cut down, they have pur mitigations in place (high vis) and they have agreed to meet with you so you can review the evidence.

They are not brushing the incident under the carpet.

Sometimes things will go wrong at school and home but I think if you can keep that open relationship with the school going, it will help your son in the long run. All your emotions are entirely appropriate and understandable, but I would try and keep it in check when you meet with the school.

Oh god, sympathies OP, my son (ASD and ADHD) did the same at his mainstream school before he was moved- got out through a hole in the fence, which the staff admitted they knew was there, and ended up next to a body of water. Like you, the fact he was found safely was pure luck/member of the public spotting him.

You have every right to be upset and worried and should hold them accountable, they fucked up.

Sounds awful.

Seconding the advice to put an AirTag or similar tracker in his clothes everyday so that if he does run again, you can find him quicker.

How scary!! I worked at a specialist school and I can categorically say this was one of my biggest fears as a support staff. When you go to your meeting, please ask if the classroom was fully staffed as quite often if staff members were absent, they weren't replace. We used to complain that it was completely unsafe. I hope they give you reassurances on how they will prevent this from happening again. Maybe another risk assessment needs to be completed.

And that’s when you ask someone to cover for you, you don’t just leave them in their own.

Oh how terrifying for you op, and I'm sure the staff didn't have a good day either. I would be wanting to know precisely where the 1:1 was, what they had been doing, who noticed was gone and how long that took.

Is he running "from" anything do you think, or does he just need the physicality of running and climbing?