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.

We withdrew dd1 from PE in year 7 (she's 15 now and just left school to be home educated). The school already had her medical letters etc and we just informed them she was no longer able to do PE it was straightforward

I don't understand. You wanted her to do the same as her peers and that caused injury?
Is there really NO physical activity she can do at all? What do you expect her to do during the lessons? Watch her friends? Sit somewhere else and do what?
If she has a (is it called (EHCP?!) what used to be IEP. Why doesn't it set out her needs?

I think the key is what do you expect her to be doing when her peers are in pe? Will the school need to provide additional provision elsewhere for her?

Too vague, how can we all possibly comment!! Surely the starting point is a meeting with the school, if they say no then medical evidence asap! Seems fairly straight forward to me and you are predicting the outcome of something that has not happened yet! We withdrew DD13 from PE for 2 terms due to anorexia, the school didn't question it but then again it was hard to not see the issue so appreciate it's maybe a different situation.

Can I just say, I know haven't given any idea as to DD's issues, but to be honest that's not what my OP is about. I've asked for help finding the legal guidelines for removing a child from a compulsory subject. I know that you're all taking time to post and I thank you for that, but this really isn't a 'Sarah's developed large breasts and doesn't want to do PE' situation (quoting a pp).

I think the issue is there isn't actually a legal right per se to remove your child from the national curriculum without coming under disability discrimination, religious discrimination or similar. So we can't point you in the direction of guidelines to my knowledge.

However schools can agree quite quickly if they agree it's not he child's best interest. My question of what do your expect your dd to do in the meantime has value purely because based on the information you've given she could either be totally fine sat in the library studying alone or require at least one support staff with her at all times. Now if I was a school on a small budget I would have to factor in any cost of your child missing pe.

School have to make appropriate provision. Can she not do any physical activity at all? What does her consultant say?

Do you know what you want her to do instead? Have a plan and tell the school what you are envisioning and then they'll tell you what they think and then you can go from there.

For example when my DD was removed from PE the school's plan was that she sat on a bench at the side of each lesson. That wasn't acceptable to me. Now she goes to the library instead.

My dd in year 10 doesn't do PE. This is due to anxiety /? ASD. The school were fine about it and provide her with maths to do during the lessons. I have never provided medical evidence

Pengggwn I thought that was you. What I was trying to say (in what I can see is a clumsy way) is that this is your first scenario and not your second.
Boo she would be fine in the library studying, or in fact anywhere other than PE. The school also has an inclusion unit which she could utilise.

You have decided she shouldn't do PE. Is this on the recommendation of the consultant? Have you discussed appropriate provision with the school?

I used to be a governor responsible for ensuring that the school complied with health and safety guidelines.

Could you use this approach? Surely a letter from the appropriate medical authority outlining the danger to the child should cover everything.

Thanks LoniceraJaponica. This is going to be our approach.

Just a perspective. And I agree with PPs who say that a consultant letter will help, but have an open conversation with the school about the situation and what can be done (and what steps need to be taken to protect your daughter), it's in their interests to protect her from harm and to tell you what you need to do to allow that to happen.

By the age of 15 had been a competitive athlete (only county level but talk of a specialist incubator school) for five years, I was fit for a long time, I had also developed an eating disorder, which manifested as an exercise addiction.

My parents told me I had been removed from PE due to injuries (some of which I still feel now on a cold day), it only occurred to me that they removed me due to the ED when I was in my 20's.

I don't know if it helped, or if I would always have 'got better', but I do know that you don't give an alcoholic two glasses of wine a week, which was what PE had become to me.

Does she have some sort of provision through an EHCP for instance? For dd there is no "medical" reason why she couldn't theoretically do PE in so far as she is fit and well however she has ASD and severe anxiety and the choice the school faced was to have her attend the lessons she could cope with or risk her refusing to attend. Dropping PE and therefore the anxiety surrounding it such as the noise in the changing rooms, people being in her space, the teacher shouting, balls coming in her direction etc etc enabled her to attend lessons that I would consider more worthwhile for dd. Initially it was a temporary situation but because the benefits spoke for themselves and no one could see any point in trying to reintroduce PE for dd it was put in the statement and became permanent.
Now in year ten it looks like Philosophy and Ethics is likely to go the same way as the topics are just too triggering for dd in spite of having one to one support. For now we are trying to pull out all the stops to keep her in the lesson but sooner or later it gets to the point that even with intensive support it isn't working and so we decide to stop.
Dd is fortunate in so far as she has a TA to support her and so attendance or not in lessons doesn't leave her at a loose end and so the lessons themselves are filled with other things rather than her being left to her own devices or the school needing to find somewhere to accommodate her.

That's a better situation to be arguing from then if she can self supervise. Are the school generally supportive and accepting of the issues she is facing?

My friends ds was taken out of PE lessons for the last 2 years of high school, he had ASD and couldn't mentally handle PE lessons, he began to self harm to get out of lessons.

OP it will be fine. We have a pupil who does not do PE due to a medical condition and in the past have had a few. Issues ranging from brittle bones to cancer survivors with lasting issues and heart conditions. School will be understanding.

As well as pupils with MH issues I should have added

Just to add to my earlier post.
Although it is harder this year and we need back from my DDs consultant, we have explained that we want the missed PE lessons to be used for catch up.
Our DD missed a lot of school last year due to illness so she needs to go through what she has missed.
Sorry if this is repeating other posters or anything you have already thought of.

I would provide medical evidence you have and state DD needs to be permanently withdrawn from PE.
If the school say she needs a consultants letter categorically stating that say it's fine but until that time she'll be collected and taken home during pe lessons if they can't temporarily give her medical leave.
Email to confirm the conversation and that you have informed them ANY form of pe is dangerous to DD health and she is not to take part and that you are in the process of gathering the evidence they need.

I think that you are possibly anticipating a battle with the school that you won't have to face. If medical evidence is provided then I am sure that the school would not go against it.

Also, although it is part of curriculum, children do not have to take it as a GCSE, so it's not like asking that she doesn't ever attend a Maths lesson.

I would be gobsmacked if the school had an issue with this at all but would fully expect you to have to provide medical evidence.

Will she be able to do dance and drama ?

Meeting tomorrow?

Is it solely the performance elements she must not do? What about learning to coach and/or theory (both of which are frequently used alternatives for those who are unable through illness, injury or long-standing condition). Because I think it's quite possible that as PE is curriculum, she would go on to the adjusted version rather than be permitted to drop it. So I think you need to be very clear what potential adjustments would still be unsuitable based on the medical evidence.

@piedpiper4 How did you get on? Were school reasonable?