School lateness punishments, neurodiversity and the law

Where is she going and what is she doing other than going to the next lesson? How has she managed until this point with the busy corridors? My DS15 is diagnosed adhd and has it bad but still gets to lessons because he’s in school, everyone’s going to lessons and that’s all there is to do. I think it’s fair enough for you to be concerned and want to sort this with her (eg get her adhd diagnosed and medicated, or see if there’s something else going on) but being angry at that rule feels off, it’s not about it being annoying for teachers, it’s a fundamental part of being at school to learn and people being late messes it up for everyone else. What alternative is there that doesn’t disadvantage kids who can’t manage to get there? They can’t be allowed to show up at their convenience, for safeguarding as much as the need to get some learning done. I think you need to prioritise what’s really going on with your DD and ways to manage it not rage at the school for enforcing basic standards.

Ask her to articulate how "she can't help it". My experience of schools is that everyone leaves the classroom at a similar time, and walks straight to the next lesson. Where in that is she managing to be late?

My guess is that she's messing around in the corridors with friends and using the potential diagnosis as an excuse.

I agree that a punishment for a child who is finding something difficult is completely backwards. Have you spoken to her about what she is doing between lessons and exactly what’s happening in those transition times? Is she in the toilets for ages or distracted by friends (but presumably they have to get to their lessons too?) or taking an detour to a locker or going outside? I think drilling down into specifics is the only way you can help her otherwise it’s too vague. It could be really simple, if it’s that she has to nip to a locker then she needs to do that at the start rather than end, but equally it could be much more complex, if she’s in the toilet and anxious or avoiding something it’s harder to address- but either way you need some detail! Ideally the school would do this, but they won’t.

What makes you suspect adhd and not autism? You are describing her issue as overwhelm with the corridors rather than getting organised. All children leave the room at the same time so again it isn't due to organisation. Have you seen the initial assessor and had testing done? What stage are you actually at?

Oh sorry x posted. SEND code of practice for them then. In writing.

What is the actual issue, why is she late to classes? Is it that there’s not enough time, she’s getting lost or another reason? You don’t know if she’s ND or not, but regardless maybe there’s something that could help her.

This thread sums up how schools have got to breaking point. People. Parents, employees…. Think that everything is someone else’s responsibility. What strategies has she tried? What tools have you given her?

As a parent it is also your job to support her in using strategies to overcome ‘issues with time’

how could a school function if everybody who thought they might have adhd or other EF issues was 5/10/15 minutes late …? It couldn’t. It not a reasonable adjustment to allow a child to wander in whenever they please and it wouldn’t be in the world of work either, you’re setting her up to beloeve that with a diagnosis this would be her right.

Whether DD is ND or not, the school should be seeking to problem-solve (especially as the punishment doesn't seem to be working, clearly a new tactic is needed). Is there a pastoral or attendance manager you could speak to? They should be able to work on strategies as they don't want her being late either. You could work through what has already been tried.

SEND support is also based on need, not diagnosis. Assuming she's not vaping in the toilets instead of getting to class, they can't withhold support from a child based on not having a diagnosis (point them at the SEND code of practice). If the problem is overwhelm from busy corridors there are things they could do like leaving lessons a couple of minutes early. How is she late? Does she go somewhere until it's quiet and then make her way?

Sorry I have ADHD and was chronically late to school in the morning and I think YABU. All she has to do is leave the classroom and follow the corridor to the next one to not be late between lessons. She shouldn’t be doing anything else in that time so I can’t see how you can blame this on her losing track of time. Additionally, you diagnosing her (and yourself) with the help of Dr Google is not the same as being properly diagnosed by a professional. The result of the assessment could be that she doesn’t have ADHD but you don’t seem at all prepared for that possibility, you’re already looking for things to allege discrimination about.

So what exactly do you think the school should do about this, OP? There’s a grace period of five minutes to get from one lesson to the next - does your DD not go with her friends? It’s not OK to have people drifting into lessons well after they’ve started - it’s not fair to the teacher, it’s disruptive to the class, and it’s unsettling for your DD to come in after the teacher has started setting up the lesson. It’s not fair for 31 other DC to be kept waiting while your DD organises herself. What exactly is your DD doing that causes her lateness? Does she have any friends who could help her to speed up from one class to the next? I’d be phoning the school to find out what exactly is causing the problem, and what can be done to find a solution - but expecting the whole class to be kept waiting for your DD is simply not reasonable or workable.