Son has had his class changed suddenly

[Sunshineandalltherainbows]

So I had an email from school saying that from the 8th March they were adding another class to the year group with catch up funding. They have picked 4 children from each current class and put them into aa new class. He is one of the 4 that has been chosen. He's autistic and has been moved without any friends. He only has 3 friends and find it very difficult to make new friends and change is really tricky for him. He has locked himself in his room sobbing and has destroyed the house completely. He is saying he won't go to school and I can't force him to. I'm so worried. I'm also unsure why they are making this change the first week back after lockdown. I'm so worried.

Surely an arbitrary decision to move his class, in the knowledge that this will cause distress, fails to meet his needs and make reasonable adjustments in line with the DDA?

I would play hardball OP and refuse to take the call from the teacher.

@MrMucker

So you are fully aware of your child's reaction to change?

So you contacted the school to request that the change not happen?
and you don't yet know the answer, but it sounds from what they sad as if it is ok for your child to not move.
And your child has smashed up the place and locked himself in his room as he cannot handle the prospect of change?

That's completely your fault. You said it was in an email to you. So why tell your child about it even though you knew you had the option of contacting the school to query it first?

And then post on hereabout how much the school have upset him?!

Oh for crying out loud 🙄

@AnitaB888

'Guessing you don’t have a child with ASD Anita....'

No but I know people who work in this area.
Common sense dictates that there should be one 'safe room' where they can be put when 'acting up' so as not to harm himself and others.
Resperidone can be used for aggressive ASD

A true expert would be able to spell the name of the drug they're Internet prescribing.

They said they were using catch up funding. You stated that in your OP. All schools have catch up funding to use as they so wish.

If he has a 1-2-1 TA who will move with him, his funding is not paying for the teacher.

@AnitaB888 thought not and knowing people that work in the area is not the same.
I am willing to bet your opinion would change quickly if you did have a child with additional needs.

A similar thing was goiNg to happen to my son who has autism and I kicked up a MASSIVE fuss. I am not the type to normally kick up a fuss and I get that the school are trying to balance everyone's needs but sometimes you need to stand up for your child. The school backed down in my case.

Write to the head and the chair of governors. Explain your reasons clearly. Ask them why he has been moved. Give them a date you wish to hear back.

I agree it's not been random. The lsa thing sounds like a good call.

Good luck

From what you've said so far.
I'm sure if you contact them and tell them what has been happening they will change their mind.
I think a mistake must have been made.
Contact them on Monday. I'm sure they'll sort it.

@Awalkintime no it's not to pay for the teacher. However every other class in the year have a TA and a teacher. The new class has a teacher and my sons 1:1
All classes are between 19 and 22 in size. This was stated in the letter sent.
Which as I said I have no proof but does make me suspicious as to why his is the only one without a TA and he is the one to move class.

Put your concerns in writing and ask for a written response. They are always more careful about what they say when there is a paper trail. Also get your son to write about his feelings on the matter, to add weight to your argument.

Is it possible that a parent of your sons friend has asked that they are in separate classes? I am not saying this is right or wrong but I work within a school and this happens quite regularly (the request, not it being granted) Sometimes when there are additional needs, be it Asd or even things like severe anxiety it can place a lot of pressure on the friend. I have seen it granted once or twice when it is having a really negative effect on the other child.

I'm happy to hear that this might not be the case but just thought it might be another angle. Either way I hope that they find a solution for your son as it sounds extremely distressing for him.

“No but I know people who work in this area.
Common sense dictates that there should be one 'safe room' where they can be put when 'acting up' so as not to harm himself and others.
Resperidone can be used for aggressive ASD“

That you would describe a primary age child having a meltdown as “acting up” and “aggressive” and suggest putting them on antipsychotic medication with some fairly massive side effects tells me all I need to know about your expertise with ASD. I have a friend who’s an anaesthetist, fancy letting me put you under for your next operation?

The only reason I know he's not with his friends is because their parents messaged to ask if he was still in.... Class. I said no and they said they were upset to hear that. Of course they could by lying and you never know what others feel. I haven't heard any problems in 5 years.
Some people on this thread are making him out to be constantly out of control and needs to be medicated
We've worked very hard to relieve his anxieties and actually he has come a long way and meltdowns do not happen often at all. This was extreme for him and I hadn't anticipated how badly he would take the news. He is not a danger to anyone though.
How ignorant some people can be and thankful that they don't care for anyone disabled.

OP I think you'll need to be quite firm with the school. It's really not fair to move your ds like this particularly when they must be well aware of his needs. I doubt the children were chosen at random but I don't think they have clear criteria /want to be honest about who was moved and why.

It may help to get support from any other agencies involved with your ds eg CAMHS or maybe Sendias.

It can be difficult to know when to tell your child information that might upset them. Too soon can be as bad as too late and the nature of the information can turn everything on its head.

OP I would ignore the posters who seem to think they know so much better from behind their screens and stick with the practical advice about approaching the school.

Anita, my child very occasionally trashes my house and probably would in the circumstances op describes. He wouldn’t hurt anyone. Except probably himself, he self harms quite a lot when extremely distressed, which fortunately isn’t often. I cannot imagine any professional agreeing to medicate him for that given 99.9% of the time he’s happy, engaged and all round awesome. In fact all advice I’ve received (from actual experts) is to try to avoid triggering these episodes by actually considering and meeting his needs, not one has ever suggested any medical intervention at all. He’s no threat to anyone and he’d be on meds, especially those ones, over my cold, dead body.

@AnitaB888 you cannot just "spring things" on an autistic child. You need to prepare them over a long period of time to avoid meltdowns. OP was preparing him for a call on Monday, this is quite normal.

Also, autistic children generally do not need to be medicated "for his own and other peoples' protection". But surely you would know that seeing as you know people that work in this area...

OP, I would not let the teacher speak to him on Monday, and get on to the senco, first thing in the morning. I'm sure schools do this sort of thing on a Friday so parents can't complain over the weekend!
Also, maybe contact ipsea and see if they can offer any advice. I think you're right about the TA, funding is for your son, they shouldn't be using them as a class TA!

I wouldn’t let the call on Monday go ahead.
I would email the school clearly stating that you are not in agreement with the decision and do not consent for a sudden change which will cause him both distress and trauma. I’d also state that if the school do not reverse their decision immediately you will be seeking legal advice.
I would also book an IPSEA call - don’t panic if you don’t see an appointment straight away; slots are often released over the weekend so just keep refreshing and one usually pops up.

He will be fine. Try not to worry unnecessarily.wait & see how he gets on first. Teachers tend to want the best for children.

@AnitaB888 you might want to to read up on the first drug you come across on an Internet search before you go prescribing it: www.bps.org.uk/blogs/guest/risperidone-risks-vulnerable-children-uk

There is a reason why children with ASD are not routinely medicated in this country, it's because they don't need to be.

Sit yourself back down.

Hi. They are on really dodgy ground with the Equality Act here. This is not a reasonable adjustment and the way it has been done is deffo not a reasonable adjustment. Time to get your teeth out and gnash. I think your hunch that they will use the TA is correct, in which case the LEA will take a dim view. 30 hours of funding is not small beans so your son has significant needs. If he was moved with one of his friends, then I could understand that. Also, if your son is fine academically, he needs pushing on with that not putting in the class with the non readers who need a very graduated approach. I get that a smaller, less busy class may be better for him but this seems to lack thought.

Hi OP. Like the other posters have said, this absolutely won’t have been done at random. Most likely they will have picked four kids from each class that they have identified as falling behind or needing additional help. That’s why they are giving this nurture class extra funding to help them catch up a bit.

If your child has an EHCP like a previous poster has mentioned, his funding should be for his own one-to-one private teaching assistant, for him only. If he’s not on an EHCP and gets just general extra funding for being SEND then the school will use that funding how they think is best - this could be extra classes, an extra TA in that class for the whole class, more differentiated resources etc.

He's not behind though. He is given additional challenges to extend etc. He's always been very able academically. I teach maths and have been able to push him on even more.
The new class isn't any smaller they have all been made smaller so they are equivalent sizes. It's a large junior school and his year group is going from 5 to 6 classes.
I had a call from one of his very good friends mum this morning her son is really upset that they will be in different classes. They're going to have a zoom session which I hope will lift his spirits.
I have taken on board advice and am awaiting calls back from SENDIAS and others.
He's due to have a phonecall on Monday and is in school Tues-Thurs with key worker provision. I need to get this sorted with school I just hope they get back to me on Monday.

I wouldn't answer the phone on Monday if they haven't got back to you, and I might even go as far as to say you refuse to let him move classes whenever they fancy, as a stable environment is a reasonable adjustment for a child with your DSs needs and ehcp.

The EHCP route seems the one to pursue, and I agree that duties of reasonable adjustments may also come into it.

If you do not get a response fairly early on Monday and certainly by lunchtime, contact the school again. Offer to visit I suggest if possible (as much as social distancing etc allows).

Disclosure- a nephew has Asperger's and I can imagine what his reaction would have been at that age. Not that it happened or is quite the same condition.