Help with parental withdrawal

Sorry pressed button too soon. In addition to the advice given, you can write to the board expressing your concerns.. however you need to think through whether your child is happy/thriving in that kind of environment. Think long term, am hoping he will be given the right support which will enable him to settle.

This is a huge shame and very common practice, especially with disadvantaged children! The academy's practices need looking into, particulary year 7 where once picked on by the deputy HoY a students life is made hell as a systematic mode of ensuring managed roll off/expulsion is conducted through multiple detentions which then lead to additional internal exclusions as the child is considered an offender! No Pastoral care. Agree disrutpion is not good however it can be managed with the right support. The impact on these children is huge!

The Chief INspector of Schools gave her annual report yesterday and one of the big topics was off rolling. DO NOT WITHDRAW your child. Paper trail for everything. Find the school's complaint policy and follow it to the letter. Find the other parents this is happening to. COntact your MP. and your local authority councillor (no idea what the deal is in London - maybe member of the london assembly?) Education is handled at the LA level so you need your elected rep at that level on side - they can be quite useful.

Just glanced at the SEN info. It talks about "students with statements", which means it hasn't been updated since at least 2014. There should not be any students with statements left now.

What we are moving towards is undeclared selection in so-called comprehensive schools. You can see it most clearly in London where there are so many schools - and families chasing school places - in a small geographic area. Nominally catchment-area (or open-lottery) schools gradually accrue a reputation for a certain kind of teaching and discipline (in tandem with their Outstanding Ofsted) which discourages the "challenged" of any description . . . and then the few who do slip through the net end up wishing they hadn't. There are some so-called comprehensives (I suspect) who are positively proud of the fact that they don't serve the less able very well . . . That way, word will get round and only the super-academic will apply in future! Bingo - an effective 11+ free grammar school!!

I watched School earlier - if you look at their SEN budget I'm not suprised the schools want to off load kids -

What we will end up with are school who take SEN and schools who don't - we will then have specialised schools for children who don't fit in the current set up

Now I don't agree with this, schools should be able to accommodate everyone but this costs money.

The rules were brought in to stop this happening and encourage schools to accept children who were challenging for what ever reason.

No they are going back on the deal with a zero tolerance stance when it's well known for example ADHD kids find sitting still difficult dyslexic kids don't have the focus - so they fail before they even step through the door. They are then excluding on he basis of 'Zero tolerance'

It needs a rethink - it needs money and it needs staff with experience- and more than anything we need parents educated on the rights of children and their education.

Ofsted were questioned about this sort of off-rolling on twitter twitter.com/mikercameron/status/1069882395791450114?s=21

Their response: “Any evidence of off-rolling we find would be reflected negatively in our reports and potentially in our judgements of the school. It would form part of the evidence base for leadership and management and outcomes judgements”.

Which might be useful to remind the school.

DONT WITHDRAW HIM
Going through similar with daughter and have had legal advice to not withdraw her as then the local education have no responsibility, ask for home tuition if it bothers the school that much until he has had operation. Bloody sods

Gosh . . . we had lucky escape then. My DC was offered a place at this school off the waiting list, and after much deliberation turned it down (sticking with a school one place lower on our initial list of preferences).
I had a niggling sense that though Ashcroft looked like a brilliant school, both physically - great facilities - and on paper (mindblowing stats in every area) that those stats might have been achieved at a cost to some unsuspecting pupils. Increasingly I am coming to believe that this is how super-comps arrive at their super-statistics - by subtly or not-so-subtly excluding those who won't maintain them.
In other words they are not really comprehensive at all, but unofficial grammar schools.
Which to me is neglecting the most important education of all - respect for those whose talents and background are different to your own, even as you make the most of what yours are.

This is completely shocking.
And yet somehow not surprising.

I would send a very factual letter to Ofsted giving all dates, staff names and quoting as much of the exact dialogue as you can remember.

Also go to your local Cllr and the Cllr responsible for education. And write to your MP.

You will need local council support to find a new place.

Because ultimately I would not want a sin of mine in that place if he is as you describe. One of these zero tolerance boot camps is not the right place for him. Is he happy in the school and oblivious to this, or miserable?

What did the other families do about finding a new place?

It would be good if they recounted their experience to Ofsted too. These schools rely on these illegal bullying tactics to maintain their ‘great discipline’ and ‘Outstanding’ status, and lure more unsuspecting families in. Horrible for the children

You are not the only family who this is happening to. You'll struggle to get him in elsewhere so do not withdraw him no matter how much you are pressured. It's not just y7 they're doing this to. Totally immoral.

I ask because their website has both behaviour policy (staged reporting A-D before they can exclude) and Special Needs Policy which they shold have been following first and which I'd be quoting from in my letter if they've sidestepped/bypassed any of it.

Do you have a SEN parent service in your area- like IPSEA? May be worth asking them to come along to any meetings at school as they know the law very well. As others have said do not sign the letter. Ask them to provide in writing that they want you to sign it, or email them saying ' following our conversation I want to confirm that you wish for me to sign this letter stating x.' What they're doing is illegal

Agree with others. Do not withdraw him. Talk to the Education Welfare Officer. Get as much in writing as you can. Report it to Ofsted.

If this is due to your son's ear problem, they are potentially in breach of the Equality Act. You might want to point this out to them and suggest that you will take legal action if they continue down their current path.

Schools have very wide powers to discipline pupils but placing a child in isolation to bully the parents into withdrawing them from school is clearly unacceptable.

I believe they are following this new idea of zero talking at all times, including in the corridors when changing classes. Anyone talking at any time is put into isolation.

While some kids can be impossible to manage, this takes behaviour management to a different level. Btw, I believe it is also a dreadful school for the teachers who are under constant scrutiny from the SLT.

However because Ofsted say it is ‘outstanding ‘, parents do everything they can to get a place, having no understanding of what the place is like.

Is this Ashcroft Technology Academy in London?

OP, This is awful. It's illegal. I know it's an academy and they appear to ignore the law when they choose but they can't do this.
If they want your child to leave then they need to exclude. And that means they have to follow a legal process and meet a certain standard. Can you speak to your Education Welfare Service or the Admissions department in your local authority and get some advice? And don't sign / write any letter. What a dreadful way for a school to behave.

• sorry posted too soon. What has been put in place for him? Anything in the transfer from primary to secondary? I wouldn't do anything until strategies have been tried & tested. What does your son think?

What support/strategies have been put in place for him? It's seems a bit y

Have a re read of their pastoral care -

They don't care aren't interested an will not help your child

Are you prepared to fight to get him the help he needs? It's hard enough in a school they has a great Senco and unit for support

Have you considered contacting you MP. The schools actions are appalling

I think I found their website

There is not mention of SEN provision (not suggesting he needs additional support) bit there isn't much about inclusion or suppprt or even understanding

Sounds like a dreadful school

What are his needs, other than those you previously mentioned? Are they formally recognised via the Code of Prwctice for SEND? is there support in classes for him?

What price inclusion eh!

Don’t sign the letter, because, as everyone has said, you will then be responsible for his education. I cannot believe that asking you to withdraw is the school’s first tactic. Have you spoken to the SENCo at the school?