To think that this is discriminatory and out of order (sn ASD related)

[pigletmania]

DD 5 goes to a mainstream school, she has dx social communication disorder and speech and lang developmental delay. They are having a trip to Whipsnade zoo, which dd cannot go to, we were given the choice to acompany her but we are not able to do that. We are fine with that as she would find it all too overwhelming and would not enjoy being with 50+ children, and would actually prefer it going into school which she would enjoy more. We will take her another time.

Anyway there is a boy in dd class who has ASD and his mother was told by the HT that he could not go on the trip, no option for his parents to accompan him, his parents have also been told that he cannot go into school either and that he has to stay at home,. This cannot be right, he has a legal right to go to school, I have told his mum to contact her LEA as its unacceptable and discriminatory. He has a TA as like dd he is statemented, I have heard from a friend who works within the school that she is being used to help the other children on the trip. This cant be right, that is his TA for him. All the mother was told that her ds could not go into school, if he did we would all regret it

sounds like the school are royally taking the mick, as even if the risk of this boy going to the zoo was too great re:his own safety (which of course is v debatable) there is no way he should be at home so the school can have his TA as an extra pair of hands for the trip!

and juniper, just at your school.

thanks bochead i will tell her when i speak to her on the phone next week

'My school policy is dictated by the parents, not our head.'

The policy should also comply with the legal requirements. I can't understand why none of the staff have challenged it.

God now i feel hard done by as they should have made more effort to include dd in a trip too.

I've never worked in a school like juniper's, or had contact with one.
Can I take this opportunity to apologise to everyone on the sn boards if I've ever been a bit confused as to some of the shit you've had to put up with from MS schools? Ever doubted that it was school policy?
It astounds me that teachers would let something as prejudiced as excluding a child with sn stand unchallenged. And it's the bloody head allowing and encouraging it!

It sounds very suspect to me. If the funding for that TA is on the basis of his needing 1-1 support then I cannot see where the HT is coming from at all, and even if she could take his TA away for the day, she should have given the parents the option to chaperone him.

I know a senco, not in my own school, who purposefully made life difficult for a family wanting to get their wheelchair bound son into the school. She didn't like the mum, so went out of her way to delay the process. She got fired. She was racist, homophobic and generally bigoted. Great hiring choice.

My own senco made comments about an sen child leaving, along the lines of "no great loss", which made me especially as the kid was lovely, but just very below average intellectually. She was not a problem child in any shape or form.

If you read the boards in primary education and AIBU, there are always parents complaining about the SEN kids in their dc's class, and how horrendous they are etc. They are the type of parents who make a fuss to schools, and schools react to please parents. Mine bonds over backwards and frequently disses the teachers to parents.

piglet, what are you doing with DD when the trip is going on? Is she going to go to school?

I don't understand the arangements.

HAve the school told you that DD can't go on the trip, or have you decided that she shouldn't go?

If you have decided she shouldn't go, and it is because she will be overstimulated, have the school suggested an alternative? I would say they should offer to take her, with a 1-1 who takes her round the zoo separately from the group, if that would allow her to access it more comfortably. They could meet up for lunch, or to see the seals being fed, or whatever.

You should not be keeping her off school because their choice of trip is not appropriate .

As for the boy, the same applies. The school have a duty to take him on the trip. Even if they need to take on extra staff, they have to do it. That should have been part of the discussion about costings.

When this happened to me, I simply went into the HT and said 'what are you going to do to ensure that DS is given the same opportunities as his peers? She squirmed, and tried to get me to come, or keep him at home, but I just stood my ground and said I had other plans that day. In the end, I suggested they employ the school meals staff (who would have been laid off that day, as the children were all out). They were happy for the extra cash, and to be included as part of the school, the children loved having the dinner ladies with them, and the HT was P-ed off at the extra expense, but DS had a lovely, successful day trip!

At the end of the day, it is illegal for the school to plan a trip that is not accessible to all its pupils. They are not allowed to ask parents to come, or to not take the child on that day (unless officially excluded...which the HT might decide to do if that way inclined ).

As just one member of staff, it is near impossible to go against the decision of the senco, head, deputy and assistant head. They all just think I'm being overly left wing when I say things about every child mattering...

Or if there were good reasons for excluding him from the trip for his own benefit then he should stay in school with his TA. She should not be going on the trip without him.

gosh i think that they will be pleased to see the back of dd when she is transferred to another school, they were the ones to tell me that the school is not right for her. Thre teachers and children will be able to be at peace because the pirana wont be there

'If you read the boards in primary education and AIBU, there are always parents complaining about the SEN kids in their dc's class, and how horrendous they are etc. They are the type of parents who make a fuss to schools, and schools react to please parents.'

Yes you get parents like that, you always do. That's why the school should be standing up for the children involved, promoting inclusion and having a backbone when parents want to shape policy through their own prejudices and fears.
It would be the same if parents were whining about children with EAL. Or black children.
Would you discriminate then?

the school told me that dd could go if i accompany her, thats not possible as i have a baby and do not drive (havent passed test yet). I also feel that because its a big group of children going 59 plus that she will not really enjoy it and her behaviour wll not be all that great tbh. They then told me that dd could go to school as normal, dame i came all fired up for an argment after speaking to that boys mother. so yes dd wll be going to school, and her TA will be there to help her

'As just one member of staff, it is near impossible to go against the decision of the senco, head, deputy and assistant head. They all just think I'm being overly left wing when I say things about every child mattering...'

Yes, it is hard. Which is why the parents need to involve outside agencies to force change if no one at the school will live up to their professional responsibilities.

One thing that jumps out at me from your OP is the last sentence. You would all regret what if the little boy goes into school? What is the HT threatening?

I am not sure, iwantbrie, that is what the mothr told me the TH said to her. English is not her first lang so she might have been exactly what the HT said

might not be exactly what the HT said to her. I told her to go back to the HT for a meeting to clarify and to get her side accross and to contact her LEA too that is just not on

Aah, I see. Just read like the HT was trying to make some kind of threat..

i am not sure, the mother,s English is not all that fluent so she might not have understood or when explaining to me might have used another phrase, that is why i asked her to have another meeting with HT to clarify

against the law excluding on the basis of SN. dd's mainstream accomodates every child, even on residential where one lad required oxygen and night one to one. No child is ever left out of anything.

the boy should be on the trip with his TA! I'd inform the school that this isn't acceptable and that you are contacting the LEA. And that you have advised the mum to do the same.

The trip went ahead this week, dd had to stay at school with her TA but the other boy did not go to the trip or the school. Instead he stayed at home with his mum, his TA was used on the trip to help other children . His sister goes to the nursery attached to the school, on the day of the trip the mum had to drop her dd there with ds in tow, he saw the buses for the trip and started to cry, telling his mug that he wanted to go on the trip with his friends .

I asked the mu what the HT meant by we would all regret it if she bought ds into school on the day of the trip and the HT meant that he would run off and would regret it. Before the trip the boys mum had a meeting with the HT and she threatened her with calling the lea which she did, the HT changed her tune became very sweet and told the boy mum to bring him into school on th day of the trip, she did not.

Than dd and ds got a worksheet in their book bags about thee trip, th cheek of it . I am livid that they can do this to SN chi,dren, they would not dare for race or sexual orientation, sn seems to be fair game. I have to,d the mu. To take it higher, governors, lea, of stead etc

Meant mother silly predictive text

Dd was given the option of going on the trip if I we t with her but I could not, this boys parents were not given that option