Anyone escalated a complaint who can help me?

[youarenotkiddingme]

I've posted before about Ds having a knife pulled on him during a lesson. I was given a verbal account of incident and a written account has been made.

First stage of complaint resulted in school stating in fact they made an error in their wording

I'm escalating to panel. Now, they didn't follow their behaviour policy whether knife was actually pulled or not. So would you state clearly you don't accept their response that it was a mistake but even if they badly worded their report they didn't follow the policy?

I'm only going through this to be able to take it to the Secretary of State.

But they are adamant that refusing to respond to my expressed concerns about this pupil bullying Ds, then HT refusing to meet me to discuss incident afterwards is not a safeguarding issue - because they made an inaccurate report and he was just carrying knife and didn't actually pull it

Anyone who has successfully escalated a complaint have any words of wisdom?

Surely a pupil who carries a knife at school would automatically be permanently excluded if caught?
Let alone threatening someone with it.
This seems all sorts of wrong...

I agree. All schools I've worked in, permanent exclusion for even having a knife on them.

Not necessarily permanent exclusion, but sounds like it should have been in this case!

I remember your previous thread, and how badly the school treated you and your DS. Have the school admitted anywhere on paper that this kid had a knife? That could be the key to escalating this and quickly. I don't know if it was in the national news much, but a year ago a young man was killed in school in Aberdeen by a boy who routinely brought a knife to school and nothing was done. Google Bailey Gwynne if you've not heard of it. I really hope you get somewhere with your complaint, things clearly need to change in that school, and fast. How is your DS now?

Yes they admit he had a knife but are now denying it was ever pulled and their reporting was incorrect.

My argument against this their behaviour policy states for carrying a knife, making threats against a student or carrying offensive weapon that could be dangerous if used can be permanent exclusion. It states that witness reports should be taken whilst it's investigated.

They took no witness statement from DS claiming he declined. Ds wasn't asked and has ASD so they know he needs direction not decision.

Plus, 2 weeks previous to this when the same pupil pinned DS up against the wall and DS punched him they made both students write a report before giving both a social exclusion.

They also claim that they had a make a judgement on what they saw re whether DS had anxiety or not. His statement clearly states you can't read his feelings through outward presentation and both the GP and Camhs said he was anxious.

Would it seem really sarcastic if I asked for copies of their medical qualifications to make a counter active decision?

Escalate this. Request copies if things. Are there other witness statements? Do you have it in writing that ds refused to give a statement.

Their lack of expertise, qualifications to question diagnosis needs to be exposed, but in a subtle way. I had the same.

Keep going!!

Is your son still going to school every day?

It sounds like you have more than enough to nail them to the wall by going higher. I sincerely hope you succeed because they have failed your son several times, and in very big ways. Best of luck OP.

Something vaguely similar happened at my school (obv cant give details). Needless to say the student in question and a co-conspirator were out. They're not allowed offensive weapons in school, obviously.

What is your end goal? What is it you are looking for?

He is currently on a managed move in another school whilst on roll at knife school.
He is going there because they actually support him. He is slowly seeming to recover from the incident.

But they didn't take him at end of original 6 week trial and extended it - so who actually knows what will happen.

What do I want? Ideally staff to be accountable for their actions. Once I actually have the truth exposed I will try and make a claim for out of pocket expenses I occured during the time he was out of education.

And I recently spoke ro DS OT who is coming out to see him this week.
She ask d me if I had any idea why knife school have contacted service wanting copies of all information I gave them (had to fill out questionnaires). Even ot said the tone was more questioning what I put rather than how can we help this child.

She did say she wouldn't give the information but as DS has complex needs exposed from questionnaires and following appointments she'll copy them into the report just to point prove if I want!

So that's both EP and OT they've tried to drag into their campaign against me who have both sided with me!

If your son is on a managed move, can you just not get on with making sure he is doing well and is accepted at the new school? I know this sounds harsh, but it might be better to leave all the anguish behind you and move on if he is no longer at the school. I would go all out to try and make sure he gets into the school where he currently is. Do this as quickly as posible because I think any complaint panel meeting is going to slow this down because you are prolonging the ties to the first (knife) school.

I think making a claim for him being out of education is unlikely to be successful. It does seem the knife school has not investigated the incident correctly but I am not sure children, whether they have ASD or not, can be forced to make a statement against their will, or indeed any other child. As he was the aggrieved party, it seems odd that he would not make a statement. How do you know the school did not try very hard to get him to make a statement? If their exclusion policy says they will permanently exclude for having a knife in school, then they should do that but they must have proof that there was a knife. If there are no witnesses and no statements to that effect, the child could argue that the exclusion was not lawful.

He did make a statement to the police because he wanted to make one. However school claim he didn't - their version is different to DS,s.

I do want him to succeed in MM school however they wouldn't take him at end of 6 week trial and extended it - so it's touch and go if they'll accept him. So as he's still in roll at knife school I need to make sure I get them to agree to get him the correct education as an outcome to complaint.
ATM they disagree with what he needs - even what OT and Camhs and EP say he needs
I also think that has been some of the difficulties with MM school - that they didn't realise just how much DS struggles and the amount of support he needs.

I have to say they've been brilliant and very responsive to them though.

Oh and they agree there's a knife - their response clearly states they have a photo of it provided as evidence from the school.
What they are saying is what they and then DS reported as happening is incorrect.

This happened at our school and the parents got police involved immediately.