Son 6 with SEN escaped specialist school

[Mojo161989]

Really looking for some advice here on what to do about this awful situation and if it's unreasonable to escalate this incident.

My son is 6 years old and is autistic, he has significant needs, is non verbal, has no danger awareness, is a climber, runner, and needs supervision around the clock. He attends a specialist school setting and on Tuesday I got the most horrific phonecall, when I answered I asked if everything was okay as I always do as I have high anxiety around my son injuring himself/becoming poorly at school, and when the reply I got was "no, no it's not okay, I need you to remain calm" I couldn't even listen to what was wrong my heart sank and I passed the phone to my partner to hear as i was in a state of panic and froze, they told him our 6 year old had managed to escape the school playground which has a very high fencing area all the way around it by climbing up a tree, he was out of the school grounds and off into the streets. He has zero awareness of danger and just bolts off, and cannot communicate at all, so my head was in such a mess waiting for them to get back to me as they said to try and remain calm and wait and that they had contacted the police and are all out looking for him. I was thinking the worst if he were to get to a main road he would be straight out in front of the traffic as he needs to be restrained at all times with an adult. Luckily a member of the public saw him and they called me back and told me he was safe.

I just don't know what to do about this situation, he is in a specialist school with high security, he is meant to have a 1 to 1 outside at all times as stated in his EHCP plan. I just cannot understand how this has happened, how in a small playground with a small number of children he has managed to climb a tree and over a very high fence and end up outside of the school grounds. I am just so thankful he is alive more than anything, but my trust in the school has been sullied. When the head spoke to me after the incident she said he had a camouflage kind of coat on so he would have been hard to notice, but he is meant to be being watched at all times. I'm so upset, angry, anxious, there are no other alternative schools he can attend, I fought so hard to get him into this one.

I have a meeting on Tuesday with the school as I have asked to see the incident report, the CCTV footage of this incident to get some clarity. They have arranged a tree surgeon to cut the tree down that he managed to climb and said he will be wearing a high vis at all times outside and will be being watched 1 to 1 which he should be anyway.

So I guess what I'm asking here is aibu to want more than this, I am absolutely heartbroken, anything could have happened to my amazing little boy. I'm just a nervous wreck right now. The ironic thing is I called his teacher around half an hour before this incident as I've been struggling at home with his escaping the doors so have had to put bolts across every door and wanted to see if there was any more support I could get at home. I'm just beside myself right now and could really use some advice.

@Mojo161989 I would be reassured by the school's response. I was an SEN governor and we had a similar incident. Sometimes a risk isn't known until something happens.

DD1 was similar and I dropped her at a youth BBQ when she was 11. I was going to stay, but was urged to get a cuppa and reassured that she would be looked after. Within a few minutes she had climbed a very tall tree and the church pastor had to stack two ladders to help her down.

In terms of home safety, I found an electromagnetic lock for the front door really helpful - we mounted it near the ceiling and you had to press the button and pull the door at the same time, so it required coordination.

If a child has a 1:1 it doesn’t include a clause where “if the responsible adult need to relieve themselves they will be left unattended”

what a stupid comment

Be prepared for the school to downplay everything and shift blame, eg why did you put him in that coat?
Any formal complaint would be unlikely to go anywhere, the governors sole purpose are to make the school look blame free.

What an horrendous phone call to receive.

I have a non verbal escape artist who is extremely good at climbing and in special school, I live in fear of this phone call. I also work in a special school, there is never a time a student is left alone, if someone needs the loo, you radio for someone else to swap. The child escaping is a 'never event'. If everyone was doing their job there is no way it should have happened, regardless of coat colour. Raise hell, do not accept any excuses, if the school is in a trust, go to the trust directors. School governors, Ofsted etc. It should never happen again, and they need to tell you exactly what steps they are taking. It's only luck that he was ok, he could have been killed, for all of those downplaying it, imagine it was your 18 month old that had escaped from nursery, and the incredible danger they would be in.

WTF?
From the patronising "I need you to remain calm" phonecall to the camouflage coat (so blaming your choice) to the fact they're now cutting down a tree due to their incompetence? Wow

I would be making a huge deal of this. You had to request to see an incident report?.They should've offered it straight away

They are paid money to provide 1 to 1 care and they clearly failed to. I would want the LEA and any disability rights support groups in on this. Someone should be sacked. A total breakdown of the use of proper procedure put your DS at significant risk of harm. I would want to check the police were aware as I would imagine they have a duty of care to report serious concerns.

A child in "fight or flee" response can be very fast. I speak from experience of both of my ds's having escaped from different schools. In my opinion its not that the child has escaped once (as it is difficult to predict every scenario) but how the school responds in putting in measures such that it doesn't happen again. So, for example, ds2's schools put in 2:1 if he had to exit the classroom to go to the loo and put in additional security on the main door so even if he evaded the 1:1's he couldn't get out of the building.

I would be asking how school are going to proceed going forward, before being too angry with them. It's very possible that there haven't been children like your son before. Maybe they honestly thought that he'd be ok with the 1-2-1 being distracted for a moment or two and that you child couldn't get out. If going forward they are going to increase the security and make sure the 1-2-1 isn't distracted then that sounds good. They did something, it went wrong, they know what to do instead, and are doing it! If it happens again that's a different story...

Then their legal obligation is to swap out with another member of staff. A child's needs do not suddenly disappear because someone needs a comfort break.

The priority is the child, and this child was failed by his 1:1.

Wow! So the child can be left while the 1:1 goes to the loo? A child with a 1:1 should never be left, you would assign somebody else to watch them if you needed to leave them. This incident should never have happened. If you have a child that is known to escape/run you cannot take your eyes off them for a second. How long was someone not watching for the child to be able to climb a tree, scale a fence and run off? Absolutely take this further. The Head’s excuse of his coat is very unprofessional. I would be fuming. I hope you get a satisfactory outcome and can continue sending your son to the school confident in the knowledge that this will never happen again.

Then somebody should take over
Op i have a,severely autistic 14 year old he's always been in a special school, I can understand how worrying this is its sounds like they were not watching him how could he escape if they were watching himn1:1 all the time
Request an emergency EHCP review, to discuss this if he's not safe with 1:1 he might need 2:1

I wouldn't take the comment about the coat as blaming you OP, just an observation, that when they quickly scanned he was difficult to see.

Others have talked about hi-vis jackets at their DC's schools and I would be asking about that.

As a teacher, I'd feel massively uncomfortable putting our "1:1" children (I work in a mainstream setting) in hi-vis jackets. Smacks of 'othering' to me and not inclusive at all. Completely agree with you wanting a meeting and going in calmly with all the questions you have. Sounds like school are taking the correct steps- an adjustment to your child's behaviour/safety plan and a risk assessment on current practice/measures in place/ the playground itself sounds like a careful and thorough response to what must have been a very scary situation for you all

I think the school has responded well by organising for the tree to be cut down and for hi vis to be worn, and by reinforcing the 1 to 1..

I think the comment about camo jacket was a bit off and it's clear he wasn't being watched very closely which was a mistake. They should apologise for that, but it's quite hard to get a sorry out of people and not always worth the effort.

I would ask if they have reported themselves to the LADO and for a copy of the response. (This is the Local Area Designated Officer, which is the LA safeguarding lead. We call when things like giving an allergic chikd an allergen etc happen, just for an external layer of scrutiny)

I am not sure what further you woukd like done? As realistically you can't change what has happened, there is unlikely to be a better school he can go to instead and they have taken all the appropriate measures in response.

The only other things are asking for an updated risk assessment and an emergency review of the ehcp if its not worded tightly enough around 1 to 1

As a teacher, I'd feel massively uncomfortable putting our "1:1" children (I work in a mainstream setting) in hi-vis jackets.

In the case for the OP all children could wear them. Realistically any child could have done the same as the OP's ds.

If it states in the EHCP he should have a 1:1 with him at all times that's what should happen an EHCP os a legal document school can't just say they are doing their best ,recruitment problems are not the concern of the parents
Special school, s are different to mainstream aa all the pupils have complex disabilities.

This happened to my friend 20 years ago with her son who sounds exactly like yours , same situation as well .
You are not in Essex by any chance , wondering if same school ?

I would be worried about this also. Equally my daughter is also a climber and runner and I have been stood watching her and she very quickly climbed over a 6ft fence she was so fast and I thought it was also secure. Clearly it wasn't.

I think the school are taking the matter seriously and trying to prevent it happening in future

Have you had your echp annual review yet? Can you insist he now has 2:1 support staff rather than 1:1. In your situation I would be requesting this and say I will contact OFSTED or local MP if it’s not put into action. I have a son with autism btw so can relate.

I’ve worked in a school and with a child like this. At play time there is a very clear plan for members of staff, two people are designated to be by the fences at all times and watching him at all times. No one turns their back or gets distracted if that’s their designated position they focus only on that. Other staff are aware that the “watchers” are not available to look out for other children and so don’t ask for help or assume they will step in.

It’s hard for one person to follow a child constantly who is a flight risk especially if they’re quick. It’s much easier to stand by the areas of potential escape and watch and then make a move if he comes close. It also needs two people. Doesn’t really matter about reseources or staffing it has to be done. I’ve seen the receptionist and the site supervisor do a playground shift on days when numbers are low.

To the poster calling for someone to be sacked. Who will do the job then? It’s very, very difficult to recruit LSA/1:1s - it’s very poorly paid and very demanding.

Yes, absolutely ridiculous witch hunting behaviour.
Where's this 'money' they are provided with?

I have a dc who is an absconder. Once in primary school, they ran out of the school
gates and home with the teaching assistant running behind them.

Two schools told me they could not keep dc safe. They eventually went to a residential school where they still escaped regularly and that was with 2:1. Once they took the school keys when staff were distracted by an incident and they left and no one noticed for several hours. I’ve got loads of examples unfortunately.

It is hard to live with the worry I know but I think you will have to be realistic about this incident or you could lose the school placement completely. It sounds like the school will be trying to put extra measures in place.

It's a special school, all the children will have complex needs ,if it says in the EHCP the child needs to have a 1:1 than that's what need ,s to happen, the money will come from the LEA who place the children in the school and make provision, s for them via their EHCP,s

In which case the 1:1 should have notified another member of staff to watch this child.

Its a shame you're so blase about this. A non verbal autistic child with no sense of danger could easily have been killed. Would your response have been the same if a neurotypical child had escaped? I think not.

The amount of times I took my ASHD/ASD son out when he was little in his camouflage coat and wondered where the fuck he had gone and stood there looking for him like a twat was zero times lol I don't have any advice but that comment alone would have pissed me right off and I can't believe someone actually said that to you lol as if you sent him to school in an invisible cloak lmao it's fucking ridiculous.