Withdrawing a KS3 child from PE permanently due to medical grounds

[piedpiper4]

Sorry, posting here for traffic. I have posted elsewhere. Basically as it says in the title. I need to find out the legal guidelines for permanently withdrawing dd(13) from PE on medical grounds. I have a meeting with the Head on Tuesday and I'd like to make sure I'm fully prepared. Many thanks.

Do you have medical evidence to back up your request?

A letter from her consultant would help.

I don't think you can withdraw from anything apart from SRE and religious studies. It's part of the curriculum

I don't think there are legal guidelines.

You'll need a letter form medical professionals for a start though.

Has it been recommended by a medical professional that he doesn't undertake certain sport/activity. Obviously that would help because it's clear guidance from an expert.
My dc has a condition that can affect the physical activity they undertake however their specialist is happy for them to be as active as they like as they are able to self regulate however i know of other children with same condition as my own who have been medically advised not to do rugby football etc

No, we don't have a letter from her consultant as of yet, but it wouldn't be hard to get due to her medical history. PE is part of the compulsory curriculum but I have been informed that there is a way to legally remove children from certain subjects if it's in their best interests. I'm just not sure where to look to find the legislation.

Does your child have an EHC plan? Does her condition warrant one? Does she need to miss PE, or PE which better meets her needs? Hard to advise when the information is so vague - is it a physical or mental health condition?

They will probably only agree to make this decision and review annually.

Are you sure it's all PE she has to miss?

Sorry the information is so vague-deliberately so as it would be too outing. It would need to be a permanent withdrawal. I'm hoping the school will be accommodating and I won't need to go down this route, but as I say I just want to be prepared as to what our options are.

I'd be surprised if you can do this OP. DD's friend uses an electric wheelchair & has limited arm movement and has a full time TA but still takes part in PE - KS3

However, as you don't say whatyourDC's condition is so nobody on MN with any experience can advise really.

I havent' seen your other threads so I don't know if there's more information there, but have you already spoken to the school? If not, they might be more accommodating than you expect. Is there some scope for changing activities? For example, we had a boy with ASD at a school I used to work in who did some fitness-style exercises with a TA rather than do rugby training and other team sports. We've also had children who did something else with their parents in the Games slot such as swimming. I would think if you can come up with a way to show that DD is getting physical exercise in or outside of school, they might be more amenable. Obviously, I don't know whether this is possible for your DD. I would think that, with a letter from her consultant, it would be difficult for them to argue anyway, not least because it would not look good if they ignored such a thing and some harm came to her.

I'm hoping we can sort it out directly with the school rather than having to go down the legal route. She definitely needs to be withdrawn. Getting medical evidence isn't a problem as we have masses of that already. Getting a letter from her consultant to say PE is causing harm is merely going to be a formality.

Then gather the paperwork together and present it to the school when you meet. Job done.

Thanks Dahlietta. Unfortunately, harm has already come to her and there's a huge risk it will continue to do so and have long lasting implications to her, hence the seemingly drastic decision.

DS was withdrawn from PE for the last 2 years of secondary due to a heart condition. A letter from his consultant was enough to convince the school. He still attended lessons and helped set up etc, just didn't do any actual sport.

The school has a copy of all her medical evidence anyway, which is why I'm hoping they will be understanding. However, as it's a compulsory subject and therefore a big ask, I was hoping for some advice on how to proceed if they aren't. Thanks for all your replies. I'm aware of how vague this all is, and how difficult it makes replying.

DD won't be able to be part of the PE situation in any way due to the damage that has already been caused, unfortunately. Cryptic or what?! Sorry, it's just a very unique situation and to explain anymore would be too identifying.

So just get the letter from the consultant. You're borrowing problems from tomorrow big time here.

My DD dislocated her kneecap in PE (it is now a regular occurrence) . She is unable to participate in the sport aspect of PE until she has had an operation.

As PE is a legal part of the curriculum in KS3 children cannot be permanently withdrawn at a parent's request. If they have a physical injury there are still things which can be done.If she has a mental health condition which is being worsened, then I do not know, but think you may find it hard to have her excused permanently.

DD is an umpire, a flag holder, a watcher-out-for-trouble person, a bib "monitor". She still has to "participate".