To not understand exclusion from school

[witchofzog]

This is a genuine question so perhaps aibu is not the right place but I just don't get it as it often punishes parents more than dc's. I get that for pupils who are particularly disruptive they need to be removed for a period of time so other pupils dont suffer but then surely isolation or a period of detentions would be more effective (though of course I know these then need to be staffed)

I say this because of dsd's school. She was excluded during the summer for 2 days and spent it sunbathing on her mum's new patio furniture. She was laughing about it saying it was like a mini holiday. 2 of her friends were also excluded. One of whom spent the exclusion in a similar way and one of whose parents took away all privileges and made sure it was a pretty boring couple of days, which is what I think should be done. I know the onus is on the parents to re-inforce correct behaviour in their dc's but at the same time, exclusions happen from year 7 where pupils sometimes are 11 or 12 which is very young to be left alone all day and could result in the parent having to take time off work therefore potentially jeopardizing their jobs.

I was just wondering what others thought about exclusions and whether they feel there could be a better way and if so what that might be?

School is the wrong place for some of these kids and they are terrified of school

And a lot of kids are terrified to go to school because of the violent, aggressive and disruptive behaviour of one or two individuals.* That's why exclusions are sometimes needed.*

What about those kids who are mildly autistic and have challenging behaviours? Should they be excluded? So a double whammy for the parents of these children!

Depends on the behaviours and for how long they've been going on and how much of an impact they are having on the rest of the pupils. Their needs need to be considered too!
And let's not forget that within any one class let alone cohort there will be more than one child with SEND, quite possibly with conflicting needs! It is also my belief that every child is an individual with individual needs rather than categorising children into NT and SEN.
I would argue that if an autistic child is displaying aggressive behaviour over a period of time then they are not happy at the setting, their needs are not able to be met, and that they would be better off in a more specialised setting. I would hope that rather than exclusion the family would be helped to find an alternative placement.
I would also hope that sufficient support and strategies would be in place to support and enable autistic children to succeed in a mainstream setting whenever possible but I think we have to be realistic that not all children's needs can always be met in mainstream.
FWIW I'm a true believer in inclusion and try my hardest in my professional life (and personal) to make adjustments that allow as many pupils as possible to succeed. I have successfully taught several autistic children in a mainstream setting during my time in education but have also witnessed first hand the terror and fear of the rest of the class when a child has a meltdown and is throwing furniture, attaching the teacher/other pupils and the class have to evacuate the classroom. That's when alternative provision needs to be found, for the well being of ALL concerned.

What about those kids who are mildly autistic

what on earth is mildly autistic? You either are or you are not. You cannot be 'a bit' autistic.

What about those kids who are mildly autistic and have challenging behaviours? Should they be excluded? So a double whammy for the parents of these children!

Either you’re autistic, or you’re not. There’s no mildly involved .