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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

My son needs help - please!

181 replies

FitMum87 · 03/05/2019 01:06

Not an AIBU but I've never posted before and need as much advice as possible.

Will try not to drip feed but thank you for reading in advance. My son is 11. He is autistic in a mainstream school. He is is high functioning with low functioning autism. Physically incredible but socially struggles.

He is being badly bullied in his school. For months lots of his classmates have bullied him and then recruited more bullies. This went on for 3 months and weekly I would be in telling his teacher and her response was always 'I'll have a word' regardless of severity. He had no friends, he was broken. He was punched repeatedly, his stuff broken/stolen, slammed into walls. One time a boy pushed him and my DS pushed him back and only my son was in trouble. The teacher would let them get away with anything (she has been very open about her lack of punishments for the bullies and also big punishments from my son).

Here goes the main bulk of my sadness: these are all teachers. Will change names.

Teachers incidents:
1. DS had problems on the school playground with football and struggled socially to play the game properly. The SENCO (who is a cunt) put in place he can have 10mins each week with the ball alone to practice. He went and asked the playground staff (year 5 teaching assistant) if he could have the ball and the teacher repeated what he said louder and in a mocking ‘retarded’ voice in front of all his bullies. This teacher has admitted this 🙄🙄 and when I informed Mrs W (DSs actual teacher) she ‘spoke’ to this teacher but did not escalate it to the headteacher so the headteacher was unaware until I told her about it and DS is still yet to get an apology from this teacher. Headteacher has said it has now been adequately dealt with.
2. Mrs W (DS teacher) I used to have a good relationship with and over the 3 months of so many of his class bullying him I spoke to her about it and got the response of ‘oh I didn’t know, I’ll speak to them’ - regardless of situation, punching, stealing. SEN, bullying policy is to escalate physical or repeated matters, this was not the case. Parents to be updated - didn’t happen. Victim to have confidence building - didn’t happen. Bully to be adequately punished - all she did was speak to the parents at school pick up. Her words 🙄. So after 3 months of her not doing anything DS had nothing left and that’s when I went to the headteacher and Mrs W has told no one anything about it all when it should have been escalated so DS was still being bullied and no one being punished. One kid pushed him, DS pushed him back and only DS was punished. So this teacher is happy to punish DS and no one else. This teacher was NOT happy I escalated it and we had it out on the playground - I quoted every policy and she admitted everything but saw nothing wrong in her actions. - she is still a cunt but will get to that in a bit.
3. So this was all 3 weeks ago and everyone was ‘intensely’ working to improve things. On Monday one of the kids grabbed him by the collar and threw him around, shouted in his face. Then DS told the on-duty playground attendant (his own TA) and the TA said he’d ‘keep an eye out’. No punishment, nothing, didn’t even check if DS was ok, no policy being followed at all! So then the kid that did this to DS then starts crying and telling everyone that DS told on him so now the ‘recruiting bullying’ starts again so he gets other kids in his face shouting at him. Obviously nothing happened and I had to go into school and tell the teacher and headteacher. Headteacher dealt with it and his teacher Mrs W told DS off for not telling her and I told her that he did tell her for 3 months and she did nothing! Funnily enough she didn’t like that. So teacher is still a cunt. DS did what he should of done and no protection from one TA and being told off for doing what he should have done by his own teacher
4. So today.... 🙄 Thursday afternoon he has this Spanish teacher who anytime anyone makes a noise he announces to the class ‘just a reminder if DS distracts anyone, talks to you or makes a noise, just ignore him’. He doesn’t do this to any other child and does this repeatedly each week or Thursday and Friday afternoons. Friday is ICT. This is the last straw. 4 teacher who he HAS to see not helping him, infact making it worse.

SENCO - oh boy - what an arse! One who doesn’t want an EHCP for a severely autistic boy in DDs class as it’s ‘a lot of work’. All the SEN parents hate her. DS was repeatedly (like 20-30 times A DAY!) bulled by one kid (KID R) and when it was brought to their attention (SENCO and headteacher) rather than punishing the bully and teaching them to be better they wanted to ‘rebuild’ the friendship in play therapy session. I then said ‘DS doesn’t want to do that as he doesn’t feel comfortable around KID R and has requested that he just stops bullying him’. To which the SENCO replied: ‘yes he said the same to me but I thought it would help’
🙄 WHAT THE FUCK. DS (victim) has expressed he doesn’t want to be put with the bully as he doesn’t believe he will stop and doesn’t feel comfortable and the SENCO was forcing that he does that!! Funnily enough DS was told that KID R is going through some ‘family struggles’ so they are giving him some extra chances!! my Ex destroyed DS for many years emotionally and physically and is never allowed near him again. If anyone has family struggles it’s him!!! 🤬🤬🤬

OP posts:
IsYourGoogleBroken · 03/05/2019 01:13

Remove him.

But I presume at 11 he will be changing schools in September. Is HE an option until July?

Governors, councillors, MP and who ever the Secretary of State for Education is this week. Write to them all.

FitMum87 · 03/05/2019 01:14

After months of hoping and stupidly trusting that my DS teacher would stop the bullying I escalated it to the headteacher as my son is now a shadow of his former self. Appetite and sleep are fucked. He is alone all the time. He can only speak in his voice if he is explaining something that is wrong, every other word is in this character he has created. He actually can't function or live without being this 'character'. He's gone.

On the day of the headteacher meeting my son went up to Mrs W (his teacher) and said 'I can't do this anymore, it's all too much, I want to go' and then got interrupted by another kid and the teacher told me son she's speak to him later. She did. 6 hours and 20minutes later according to the teacher.

The only time my son has EVER said those words were when he finished his sentence with 'i don't want to live anymore'.

And teacher left him, left him alone. Now I know I have an invested emotion as it is my son however if any human of any age said that surely people would go 'crap this person needs help' but knowing he has been bullied for 3 months, I've told her weekly that my son is getting more and more miserable and losing himself, she knew about teachers bullying him (and obviously aware of her own bullying) and she knew of his past, she just left him.

I have no words to explain this emotion I feel towards them all.

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FitMum87 · 03/05/2019 01:16

@IsYourGoogleBroken

We are removing him as of now. Have a GP appointment tomorrow to have him signed off for education and under section 19 (I think) they have to provide us with work to do at home as they cannot adequately protect him.

Thank you for the advice on escalating it. My daughter is still at the school (year 3) and I want to move her but she has also been through crap with her dad (same dad for both) and my partner is unsure about moving her as she is extremely fragile and now settled.

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RubberTreePlant · 03/05/2019 01:17

I didn't even read all of that.

Find a better school for him.

Also talk to the SEN team at your LA.

If you stop sending him in, explain to the LA why, but DO NOT formally remove him from the school roll, you should be able to get the LAs help finding him a suitable in-year place. You might have to be a bit pushy.

RubberTreePlant · 03/05/2019 01:19

Poor boy Sad

FitMum87 · 03/05/2019 01:19

@RubberTreePlant

Thank you, brilliant advice. Will find the details for the LAs SEN team.

Yep, he's an easy target sadly.

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IsYourGoogleBroken · 03/05/2019 01:20

Have you got CAMHs involvement? If not, please take this 'i don't want to live anymore' to your gp for a referral.

The school website should have all their policies listed, there for you should be able to access their anti-bullying policy

RubberTreePlant · 03/05/2019 01:22

Also google IPSEA. They're very good.

NorthEndGal · 03/05/2019 01:24

Was he acting as this character before , like in the years previously, or is it new?

FitMum87 · 03/05/2019 01:25

@IsYourGoogleBroken have it all written down ready for GP tomorrow.

I've got all their SEN and bullying policies and had meetings with the headteacher and SENCO and both have admitted that the school has failed to follow these policies.

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dontfluffthefluffer · 03/05/2019 01:27

Absolutely take him out immediately. I see you are.

Like pp says, don't remove from school roll but write to everyone. MPs school governors head of education in your local authority. Tell them everything.

I am so angry and so sad for you both. This is wholly unacceptable and just an abhorrent situation you've been forced into due to utter failings of the school.

Also maybe contact the people that do the inspections. My brain is fried tonight and I can't think of the name 😳.

Keep notes and logs of all appointments and issues and also who is doing the bullying and what actions have been taken that you know of.

Can children be "signed off" like adults can from work? Mad question but maybe worth asking tomorrow at the gp.

FitMum87 · 03/05/2019 01:28

@RubberTreePlant will google them now, thank you.

@NorthEndGal - new character, it's loud and way OTT. He can't speak normally.
For example:

Me: 'DS, would you like a drink?'
DS: 'who this guy? This guy wants a drink, drink will be good, this guy thirsty'

Which was first was funny as we thought he was being humorous but now he can't be anything else. It's been weeks now.

OP posts:
FitMum87 · 03/05/2019 01:30

@IsYourGoogleBroken sorry forgot to reply, no CAHMS involvement. SEN help in my area is notoriously difficult. Hoping the doctor can help CAHMS involvement tomorrow

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dontfluffthefluffer · 03/05/2019 01:31

Ok, it sounds like the character is being used so he can dissociate from situations/general life.

Making decisions, dealing with emotions etc.

This needs highlighted to cahms and his educational psychologist so they can work with him on this.

Poor sausage.

NorthEndGal · 03/05/2019 01:31

It sounds so hard, clearly he is doing it as a coping strategy, but it must be a struggle to talk with people and get them to listen if he is doing it.
What does he say about it, when you talk to him about it?

FitMum87 · 03/05/2019 01:32

@dontfluffthefluffer
It's becoming my FT job sorting out this school and then helping my son through the aftermath. He's so down and believes this is how he will be treated by people.

Will protect him at all costs. Thank you for mentioning about not taking him off the school roll, I was unaware of that before this thread so it's good to know to keep him 'in' on paper to seek help.

OP posts:
FitMum87 · 03/05/2019 01:34

@NorthEndGal
All he says is 'I don't understand why they do it, I just want them to stop, I've asked them to stop'

He's very black and white. He knows the rules and doesn't understand why he gets in trouble and others don't.

He is so confused.

I am not great at articulating myself with medicinal professionals so appreciate the wording of his character and saying about disassociation and will mention that tomorrow to the GP.

OP posts:
FitMum87 · 03/05/2019 01:35

*medical

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FitMum87 · 03/05/2019 01:36

@dontfluffthefluffer 100%

He's not him anymore 😢

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Cruelstepmother · 03/05/2019 01:42

That is appalling. I would have been sending solicitor's letters to the head teacher and writing official letters of complaint to the school governors long ago. I'm so glad to hear he is out of there. In your place I would be considering home education.

HomeEdRocks18 · 03/05/2019 01:45

You should deregister him and home educate him. I did this with my children and they are so much happier now that they are at home.

RubberTreePlant · 03/05/2019 01:46

From the moment he doesn't have to go in any more, he will start to recover.
Although the uncertainty about wheeee next will be its own stress, to an extent, until he's placed elsewhere and settled in.

But he will start to improve as soon as he knows he doesn't have to go back. The "character" is a coping mechanism.

dontfluffthefluffer · 03/05/2019 01:48

My heart aches for him. My dd is the same with rules (she has asd, social and communication issues and is the same age as your ds) and they really do get so confused when rules are bent and not adhered to. The school know this yet are flouting their own policies.

I admire you for having managed to keep your cool for so long.

Sadly the one that shouts loudest gets heard in situations like this so you need to make all the noise (metaphorically) and just involve everyone.

Call your MP and head of education ASAP. Get the gp to do an urgent referral to cahms as your ds is saying things like he doesn't want to live anymore.

I do wonder why the school have failed him so incredibly badly. Nurturing children and keeping them safe is their most basic remit.

Shinesweetfreedom · 03/05/2019 01:53

He does not go into that school tomorrow or ever again.

WattdeEll · 03/05/2019 01:54

So sorry to read this. My son is also on the spectrum. It sounds as if the school is massively failing your son and I would refuse to send him as they cannot keep him safe.
On the school website there will be a complaints policy, read it and follow it to the letter. You will be making a complaint about the Head in amongst all of this so it is likely to go straight to a Stage 2 complaint where you write a complaint to the Chair of Governors. I am Chair of Governors and also a SEN Governor and heads would roll if this was happening at my school. It is wholly unacceptable. You have to give the Chair of Governors the time in their Complaonta Policy to respond before complaining to the LA, however get in touch with your Autism Outreach Team for urgent help.
Get on to IPSEA also. Flowers Hope this turns out well for him.

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