Education system failed my autistic son, cambian Somerset school full of untrained unqualified staff

[Jml23]

My son has diagnosis of ASD, severe anxiety and sleep disorder. He presents as PDA. So he is difficult to manage or teach if you like.
From the age of 4yrs we have had endless problems with schools, staff and practitioners. If it’s not hard enough bringing up a child with such a different way of thinking to my own, I have had to learn his way to help him and myself have some happiness in our day to day lives.
I then have the battles with the education system.
My son is gifted intellectually. He has missed 5years plus of vital education.
The education system has failed us massively. I’m tired of fighting but part of me wants to unleash fury over his most recent school. Cambian Somerset school is an autism based school that claims to deliver therapeutic education to a wide range of needs.
It does not. I found out that the staff have no training in autism, anxiety, pda, adhd or any other diagnosis. Some have training they acquired at previous employment, some have personal experience but they are not trained at cambian.
Also they are teaching subjects they are not qualified in, I’m told this is acceptable in private schools. As long as the head agrees they are capable. So qualified PE teachers are teaching my autistic son, geography, maths, history, IT and IT related lessons. He struggles to learn by the standard mainstream curriculum and needs to be taught in a PDA, autism styled way. These teachers are not even qualified to teach these subjects so how is my son going to pass his GCSE?
Just before the Easter break a staff member asked my son to fight him in an altercation at school. My son was heightened and had self harmed, this staff member thought it appropriate to challenge my son for a fight? He is still at work now and my son is at home. How do these schools get away with this? Why can’t I get any help? They only care about his funding
They don’t even care that he is not in school.
I’ve watched staff laughing at a student aggressively bullying a vulnerable autistic student, I reported it and their solution was to move parents away from the school when collecting, so we can’t observe staff being out of line.
I’m hoping my son will have more Success in college, I’ll be able to support him more there but it’s just not right. He should be able to go to school.

So sorry to hear about the problems you have had and about the very worrying teaching and attitudes from the school staff. I'm very concerned about the quality of SEN teaching both in state schools and independents. I have a 9 year old son with severe autism. It's exhausting keeping fighting, and not right we have to do it along with everything else, I do hope you get somewhere this time

Thank you
Sorry to hear you have issues too.
I don’t think I will get anywhere but I’m going to give it everything I have and then at the very least I can look my son in the eyes and tell him that I tried.
I have contacted everyone I can think of to complain and to try and get someone to look into the school. Just got to wait now and see if anything happens. I think that some staff working with our children genuinely just don’t have the knowledge or skills to cope but that shouldn’t mean they neglect them. These staff wouldn’t treat their children this way. At school my son was tied to a chair by a member of staff and other students were told to hurl abuse at him. Then they had a turn. The school told me this was a lesson?! I don’t understand how they are getting away with this? I complain and tell all the right authorities but I am brushed under the rug every single time.
Is your son in school? What kind of problems have you had?

Sorry to hear about this but not surprised. It chimes with my experience of Cambian as a teacher. It was commonplace for unqualified teachers - PE teachers seemed to be teaching all subjects and the use of unqualified TAs to teach. Care staff were abusive, as were some of the TAs. No understanding of PDA - just thought kids were spoilt - saw kids being provoked into meltdowns. I reported above and was suspended. DofE and Ofsted not interested. Cambian is so expensive and outcomes for kids very low from my personal experience. The staff turnover is ridiculous. Seems a common theme in cambian schools and run like a pyramid scheme to keep recruiting enough bodies to keep minimum safeguarding numbers. It shocked me what went on, but most of all how little care or compassion for children. But then there was no real understanding of ASD Etc. And with constant staff turnover no continuity of care.

Did you watch this:

amp.theguardian.com/society/2017/dec/13/itv-film-reveals-serious-failings-at-uk-childrens-homes

We were horrified!

Yes watched it, but not surprised as had seen similar whilst working at a Cambian school. This too www.buzzfeed.com/richholmes/care-price

Hi there
I can’t believe it as I have a 13 year old pda child exactly the same profile and present at the same time at school. I was sad to read your experience for your son it was exactly ours, our child was there from April to June.
We had the same experience it was horrific I have complained to directors and been ignored. Our children so vulnerable given this chance again to be failed. My child suffered abuse there. They had a complaint I believe but ofsted rated them good!!!!!
I’m now raising to ofsted and the Ombudsman
We should join together and fight as others will continue to suffer
The head is so corrupt too. He covered up a lot. Horrendous. My daughter witnessed a child get restrained and it was covered up
We need to do something to raise the issues and get justice. They should not be classed as an ASD school the staff have no clue and it’s mainly challenging behaviour there which is the opposite of what asd need.
Honestly I could tell you a lot more!

I agree you need to complain and this school sounds horrendous, but what is happening about your son in the meantime? What is the LA doing about making the provision set out in his EHCP?

We just won our tribunal against LA - they left our child without education after placement failed for 6 months. Massive cover up and corruption they don’t care about these kids it’s all about money sadly
Finally got a suitable place but child now too broken to attend after what they have been through. Honestly I can’t believe what goes on....something needs to change

This is shocking and the organisation needs to be exposed, perhaps if parents stood together against them to take legal action and/or contact media?, Is your local MP any good? I Will certainly take heed of your warning as currently looking for independent provision.

Sadly, the mistreatment of SEN children is a nationwide epidemic. Local Authorities and Headteachers work together to protect each other's budgets and deny SEN children the education to which they are legally entitled.

It's terrible.

This is exactly it. Corruption and politics at the end of day its only about money and not our vulnerable children. I wish it were easy to expose it but seriously even the complaints channels are ‘sewn up’ and it takes you down a dark path mentally as you are still coping with situation at home and looking forward becomes more important than giving energy to the past.
Sad to say that as I want change and justice more than anyone but I’ve hit a brick wall. I will send it all to ofsted and ombudsman and spread the world but that is the best I can do 😔
We need an undercover investigation

This is not the only independent “specialist” school operating in such a way. My DS at a different bit same profiled school in another county with the same issues. It takes something like the Stanbridge Earls scandal for anyone to listen. It happens and continues to happen.

I was listening to LBC this morning, when they had the current head of OFSTED on. She was saying she is very worried about all the Special Needs kids who just aren't in school. Earlier this afternoon I was browsing through the postings on UK homeschooling facebook groups. There is a huge number of SEND (largely but not exclusively ASD) children whose parents have pulled them out of mainstream to rescue their children's mental health. What a sad state the education system is in. And how dare OFSTED game the parents. Isn't their job to report on failing schools?