to think keeping ds in at break is an inappropriate punishment?

[Faithin]

Ds is 9, autistic and currently being assessed for adhd.
today he had to stay in at break time to write an apology to a teacher for not doing his work in a maths lesson.
he told me that during m maths he left the class crying, was upset, got told he had to go back in and complete the work, he didn't do anything naughty as such but didn't do any of the work (because he finds it difficult)
his ehcp says he needs a lot of support, regular movement breaks, and to be able to leave the classroom when he is overwhelmed etc obviously in more detail but along those lines
I only know about this because he managed to poke a hole in his had with a pencil during the time he was being kept in at break so he explained what happened.
AIBU to be really annoyed? Why are they making an autistic 9 year old write an apology to a full grown adult for struggling at school?? For things related to his difficulties with learning?

Hmm I'm on the fence. DS has ADHD.

It's like trying to control zebeede after consuming a Kg of amphetamine/speed, and that's on a good day 😳

I don't accept point blank refusing to do work, I will accept taking a break, and returning, taking another break and returning, I will accept attempting to do the work and failing, that's fine, I will accept asking for help to complete and I always help, but outright refusal I do not accept.

This is because, eventually he will be an adult, and he can't just go through life point blank refusing to do what is expected/asked of him. Part of ADHD is learning to cope, learning to manage, it's not a free pass to do as one pleases with no consequence.

It sounds like the EHCP is too woolly and vague to be of any use and therefore isn’t enforceable. Following the AR if the LA won’t amend to make F specified and quantified you should appeal.

"This doesn't sound like a training issue, this sounds like a teacher at the end of their wick with little to no support from above and left to it."

@TheNefariousOrange really?! What in the post made you think that. Whether you can afford fidget cushions or training has no bearing on what has happened to OPs child today.

Sounds to me like a teacher who hasn't bothered themselves to read the EHCP, or adapt their lesson to suit the needs of a pupil, or adequately direct support staff in the room to support his needs.

OP, I'm an assistant head and I have an autistic little boy. I'd raise holy hell as a professional and a parent.

I'd push for special school now. Much harder to try and get special secondary from mainstream placement.
His echp isnt doing its job. Call for amergency review, get his hours quantified and get legal advice.
He has self harmed

Although Y5 ARs often cover secondary school, the phase transfer review should be held in the autumn term of Y6.

Yes I would be really pissed off. His needs are not being appropriately met. I would (as well as call emergency meeting with school) get your EHCP watertight. Make sure all needs outlined well and that the strategies that work for him are clearly documented as what is required to meet his needs. If this means his 1:1/ school staff need additional training in various areas to understand his needs and to meet them effectively then I would have this in the document too.

if financially possible and your ehcp does need updating I would get a very good independent expert witness Ed psych out to write a report so that needs and strategies could be taken from this verbatim.

school need to consider pre requisite skills for certain tasks (eg ones involving working memory if he is on 8th centile). Also whether he has the capacity and the research indicates that he could work on building up the pre requisite skills as well as meaningful
differentiation to take place in the classroom. He should also have support with his emotional regulation so that he has more coping skills.
zones of regulation is a nice one that lends itself well to small group work in mainstream.

good luck x

I was directly responding to the poster who thought normal state schools will have the same access to specialist SEND equipment. You can't blame a teacher for how a school chooses to spend their budget, nor is it reasonable to expect a teacher to pay out of their own pocket to provide this.

The thing is, locally, if a parent first starts to talk about special school transfer at the start of Y6, they will almost certainly struggle to get a Y7 place even if their application is approved, because specialist provision is so oversubscribed it has an 18 month waiting list.

So ime Year 5 is when the process is started (albeit normally a bit later in Y5. but an annual review is, after all, only once a tear) and the Y6 one is basically rubber stamping.

But, in autumn term of Y6 none will have a secondary placement named in their EHCP and waiting lists don’t, or at least shouldn’t be, operated in the same way as they do for normal mainstream admissions, so your LA shouldn’t be operating as they are with a waiting list for secondary specialist placements. If the LA accept a specialist placement is necessary they should name one, even if that means expensive independents &/or residentials - although I know that doesn’t stop LAs forcing parents to appeal.

The special schools are almost all all-through (4-16) schools, so it’s more complex. The increase in size at Y7 is not - by several hundred places - large enough to match those who need them. I agree this is appalling.

Keeping him in is like shooting yourself in both feet and a hand as a teacher... Only going to make the situation worse.

From an EHCP phase transfer perspective being all-through schools makes no difference. I bet your LA are wrongly not amending the EHCPs for secondary transfer of pupils already on roll at the all-through schools and most likely not specifying section I correctly.

LAs don’t like it but they should be naming out of area, independents and residential placements if they don’t have capacity.