Should school supervise better?

You need to get a Support Plan in place while you apply for an EHCP. I would arrange a meeting with the school SENCO as a matter of urgency. Explain your concerns and ask if they are applying for an EHCP because if not then you can. Regardless, they have a duty of care to your son and they need to put things in place to meet his needs. Scissors are very blunt at school so I wouldn’t worry too much about that but if he has no sense of danger then things can be put in place to mitigate the risks.

As a TA, we cannot watch just one child the whole time if they do not have a 1-1. And even then it's possible for things to happen! Parents do need to help their children and be pro active in helping support them. You could print off social stories to help him understand the dangers, practice at home etc. schools are under enormous pressure these days and parents have to do their bit! Sorry bad day at work dealing with unruly children!

Pencils are probably more dangerous to eyes than primary school scissors. If he tends to poke things into his face or other people’s faces then I would be concerned about this. If he doesn’t generally do this then I think I would see scissors as a similar risk to most classroom equipment that is used at this age.

Same. Most kids do it at some point. My older sister cut herself a fringe aged about 7, so did my niece when she was about 5. It's a normal (albeit annoying) thing kids do. And there isn't a sea of blind kids out there. Chill a little bit.

If he genuinely has no awareness of danger then he needs a 1-2-1 at all times. Blunt paper scissors are no more dangerous than, say, a pencil in his eye or up his nose, or an eraser he could swallow.

Even if he has a 1 to 1 they can't be staring at him constantly for 6 hours. In a busy classroom they can only do their very, very best to keep him safe. People are very unrealistic and have obviously never had to track a child constantly in a school environment. Key stage 1 children move like lightening!
He certainly needs an EHCP so.provision can be put in place and a member of staff can be assigned to him. Without one a TA can't possibly be with him at all times , they have other children to work with.

It's not unreasonable for Y1s or Y2s to be using scissors without direct supervision. Cutting and sticking is as much an everyday, infependent activity as writing or colouring is. If you think your child does need direct supervision then they presumably need it for many day-to-day activities and you need to start the EHCP process immediately. The class TA could be taken away tomorrow; plenty of Y1 classes only have TAs that take children out for specific interventions.

Just to add an EHCP will take a while so perhaps a social story about using equipment could help? I would speak to the SENCO. You can't demand 1:1 support all the time though but obviously now they will know to watch him with scissors.

You don't need their permission to start an EHCP. They'll give you the run around so they don't have to fork out the first 6 grand. It's time to start making some noise. It's in his best interest

I'm sure they are briefed however if he's never done this before how were they to know he needed constant watching with scissors? If he needs constant watching with school equipment then he definitely does need a TA 1:1 but that means an EHCP plan.

There are 29 other children in the classroom and presumably others also have needs. It is generally not thought best practice to have all the SEN children on a table together all the time.

Also school staff are allowed to be sick or have time off. Unfortunately staffing issues can be very difficult in schools when there are so many children to support.

A number of thoughts -

If he has no EHCP then any support he has can be changed at very short notice
Does he have an IEP or equivalent? (This is an Individual Education Plan, or similar name which is a document written at school level to say what support he needs. They are not legally binding in the way ehcps are)

Many 6yo have cut their hair in a similar way and most would not be aware that there was a danger to their eyes. Most scissors in schools are blunt to the point of unusable because of this.

When you say he has zero awareness of danger that doesn't convey any information to the school. You need to be more specific.

Eg he will run out in front of cars because he doesn't understand they might hurt him. Or - he doesn't understand that scissors are sharp and will stick them in his skin.

If you feel he needs one to one supervision then you need to push for an ECHP. If you think he could blind himself with scissors then he could blind himself with a pencil or pen. He doesn't have one to one supervision now, so there's no guarantee that a TA on his table could stop him.

School needs funding for that level of need. There's no guarantee that there will even be a TA in every class in Primary School, and there definitely won't be at secondary. Get started as soon as you can.

I would disagree.
I think most staff want any concerns noted so they can use this as evidence for the child needing extra support. As for trips, it is definitely noted who needs extra supervision and if the school aren't able to provide that support, then the parent is asked to come on the trip.

School scissors are very blunt. I don't think you can expect such a high level of supervision unless dc has a specific TA through ehcp

Would there be just as much risk with a pen or pencil going into his eye, if for example he tried to draw on his face?

If the school hasn’t actually submitted an EHCNA request to the LA, do it yourself now. On their website, ISPEA has a model letter you can use. The process is governed by statutory timescales that can be enforced.

Without an EHCP, the school unlikely to be able to provide TA support full time.

You are probably not over reacting.
But our school was absolutely rubbish with sen
They basically from reception made out that dd behaviour was parenting etc (hitting, biting etc). At 5 she put a bead up her nose from the floor (even though they knew she was impulsive. She had to be sedated to remove it.
But it is hard for maonstream schools and teachers. They basocally dont see (and to an extent dont want to know what the child might likely do. Because otherwise there would be forms to fill in in reception re behaviour issues and concerns AND those would be taken seriously. Because even when going on trips etc there is no question about whether you feel the child needs closer supervision.
Generally though i think teachers must be able to ignore the worry because the thought/knowing what 30 kids could get up to when you turn around for 1 sec.

But the scissors probably are quite blunt. Does he use any supervised at home?

When there was a childrens centre group here the used to use supposed safety knives for kids chopping veg etc it was a disaster as they were still sharp and several kids got cuts. Thet were also using real tins of beans etc, but they are really heavy woth other people putting babies on the floor near them.
I think people who dont have or havent experienced impulsive kids really dont get it.
Perhaps you could point out that asd/adhd make a child behave 1/3 less their age so he would be like a 4 year old?.

Have you considered adhd ?

Or you could supply his own scissors so you know how sharp they are.
I dont think its is masking as sure but certainly my kid seemed to know things they shouldnt do but still did them but at other times would behave fine so even less reason for the teacher to realise.

He could similarly poke a sharp pencil into his eye? I’m not sure why you think scissors are a step up in risk, they will be safety scissors with blunt edges.

If you are that concerned about school scissors, you also need to be concerned about pencils, rulers, and pretty much everything. School scissors are (should be!) round ended.

So either he is a massive danger to himself, and the ehcp needs accelerating. Or you have - understandably - seen an issue about scissors, but not remembered quite how blunt school scissors are. I don't think his eyes were at risk any more than him having a pencil.

Personally I find them to be very inactive, next to no traffic.

The thing is there are so many. Maybe this posters son is actually one of the children that is less of a concern usually.
Staff are usually told key children to look out for, but if the TA and teacher are busy with another child who also needs support they cannot be everywhere

OP if you go to "Topics" and then look under "Special Needs" you will find a board e.g. "SN children" where posters are more helpful. They will give you info on how you can get an EHCP for your child.

These threads don't appear in active which is why you probably don't know they exist.

I think from what you are saying, that he needs constant watching and doesn't understand dangers, you need to push for a 1:1 and get that EHCP in place.
There are so many SEN children now in primary school classes (where I am it can be at least one third to half the class) so it is tricky with one teacher and one TA (which doesn't always happen either as general TA roles are being cut due to lack of funds).

All teaching and support staff should be briefed about children who are SEN prior to going into the classroom. Especially teaching assistants given that that is their primary focus of the job.