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Education

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Issues with a Steiner School

20 replies

leelizard · 15/01/2019 14:48

My son goes to a private School which is a steiner school which teach differently to a normal school, of which we pay for. We are also based in Wales so it is one of the only English Medium schools. My son has behavioral issues including high anxiety which we are currently getting accessed by a doctor but both ourselves in the school are in agreement that there is some greater issues and various mechanisms have been put in place to try and cope with this. Two years ago I asked if they school was able to meet his needs as that would be the time to take him out so he could re-adjust in another school before he went to far down the steiner route. They agreed to keep him on.

2 years later the school have suggested that we take him out of the school to either another school or been home schooled as they feel that he needs more one on one tuition which they are unwilling to pay for an additional staff member for. They often go on about school policy. The issue for us is due to the way they teach i.e not learning to read and write till they are 7 means he is very unlikely to get what he needs going back to a state school which teaches in the medium of welsh and I feel I simple dont have what it takes to home school him.

The school repeatedly sends him home if they feel he is not listening or co-operating, sometimes as often as 2-3 times a week, this is informally done with a phone until today when i questioned the legality of it and they sent be a two day exclusion for not listening. I feel in a state school where you would be fined if your children missed this much school.

So maybe questions are if anyone knows:

1.) Are they able to exclude him on such a regular basis? Surely a child has a right to an education.

2.) Is the school legally required to meet his needs regardless that it is private? Surely if he was in a wheel chair they would need to meet these needs legally?

OP posts:
CandleConcerto · 15/01/2019 14:50

Surely he’s been assessed and is entitled to additional funding if his needs are that pronounced?

leelizard · 15/01/2019 14:51

Candleconcerto its in progress and taking time, i am not sure with being a private school they could access additional fund from the local council

OP posts:
CandleConcerto · 15/01/2019 14:52

Sorry - you said in the process of assessment. Okay. So there’s no additional funding for 1-1? The school isn’t legally required to meet his needs unless they have the money resulting from an assessment of need. In fact, I think Steiner schools can exclude as they wish if they feel there’s a risk to other children’s safety.

JustKeepSwimmingJustKeepSwimmi · 15/01/2019 14:53

I think they are way off base and unfortunately you're not the only ones with issues with Steiner.

I think you will need some help bridging the gap to get back into the state system. Maybe visit some.schools and see what support they could give your son to get up to speed.

PatriciaHolm · 15/01/2019 15:00

Do you really want him in a school that has made it abundantly clear they don't want him?

It's a private school, if they don't want your business any more, they can request you remove your child I'm afraid.

Strictly speaking, if they discriminate against him because of his disability, you could take action under the equality act, but realistically if they don't want to teach him, it's not the place for him, is it?

fleshmarketclose · 15/01/2019 15:01

To be fair if you have a child with SEN it is probably better that they are in the state system not least because in a private school they can and do expect you to pay for any provision over and above the norm.
Teaching one child to read is pretty easy so you could do that probably within just a few weeks if that is your only reason for not wanting to move him now.
I would also look into applying for a statement of SEN if you are in Wales with support from IPSEA or SOSSEN using the experience of school so far with repeated exclusions as evidence. Likewise you need a referral to a developmental paed and probably CAMHS to assess your son's difficulties.

PatriciaHolm · 15/01/2019 15:04

....and I'd missed the fact you don't have a assessment/diagnosis, which would make any action much harder.

I would suggest a private tutor for a short period to help bring him up to nearer his peers, and pushing hard for an actual diagnosis and an Individual Development Plan, which will help a state school access funds for his support.

leelizard · 15/01/2019 15:07

I think realistically he will do his last term there, I just feel he has been hung out to dry and I worry about his future. The other issue I have is I have another child there who thrives and being a single dad I cant get to two schools at 9am especially considering they are 30 mins apart and 1.30 and half round trip if I need to collect them from there mothers.

There mother wants to home school but I worry just wont work between two house holds especially when I have to run a business already around school runs and kids

OP posts:
cowfacemonkey · 15/01/2019 15:10

If he currently doesn't have a diagnosed disability then I'm not sure what legal recourse you have in terms of discrimination. I would say in my experience when a school make it this clear that they do not want your child attending (either state or private) then it is in your child's best interests to find a different setting where he will be supported. He is never going to thrive in this setting I'm afraid.

cowfacemonkey · 15/01/2019 15:12

You will get excellent advice on the children SN board on here so worth posting in that section too.

LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett · 15/01/2019 15:17

Stereotyping wildly here, but Steiner schools aren't great with additional support needs. I think the issue is that there's a belief the Steiner 'way' is infinitely flexible, but actually like all 'ways' it really isn't. It's a real shame school weren't honest about this when you raised it a couple of years ago though.

Without a diagnosis it will be very difficult to hold them to account. And of course, any private school has the right to teach who they want - if they don't feel he's the right fit then unfortunately that's their right.

As to what you do next - state school is probably going to be your best bet, but I don't have a clue what you do about Welsh medium at this late stage unfortunately.

helpmum2003 · 15/01/2019 15:21

I think the Welsh issue is not necessarily a problem. We have friends and relatives who moved late into Welsh schools and they got small group tuition catch up.

They were north Wales.

CandleConcerto · 15/01/2019 15:25

Also an inherently fascist philosophy so I wouldn’t expect much tbh.

LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett · 15/01/2019 15:26

And there was me being diplomatic Candle Grin

CandleConcerto · 15/01/2019 15:27

Sorry! The rep that Steiner schools get for being so wholistically rewarding for all children winds me
up.

Jackshouse · 15/01/2019 15:32
  1. private schools can exclude whenever they want
  2. if he does not have a diagnosed disability then you can’t he is been excluded due to said disability

This school is obviously not meeting this needs and it is time to move him.

queenrollo · 15/01/2019 15:37

My eldest child is home educated between two households and it can work really well. There is also quite a lot of support within the Home Ed community for working with children with additional needs.
It's definitely worth you looking into more deeply to see if it could be an option for you as a family.

LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett · 16/01/2019 09:07

Candle me too.

AvengingGerbil · 16/01/2019 09:24

The Equality Act 2010 applies to private schools. There is no exemption from the requirement not to discriminate on grounds of disability.

NicolaStart · 20/01/2019 15:00

Do you know what the Steiner belief and philosophy is, wrt SEN and disability?

I wouldn’t have a child with any SEN anywhere near a Steiner school.

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