Reduced timetable because school can’t cope

[Growagardenmom87]

Hi
I hope I can get some advice.
My son is 9 years old and in year 5, and has had a terrible start to the school year, without going into too much outing detail he has found out over the summer that having contact with his father (currently imprisoned) isn’t going to happen due to his father having to stay in prison longer.
I do believe this is probably the root cause of his behaviour.
anyway, since going back to school in September he is so unsettled, won’t stay in class, wanders the corridors, sometimes becomes disruptive, knocks on other classrooms doors and windows, generally makes a nuisance of himself.
He is on the waiting list for an ADHD assessment but I know we’re looking at years for that.
he has been excluded 3 times since September, I have been phoned at least ten times to collect him early, and he was put on a 9am-1pm timetable for the last week before October half term.
i have since found out from a friend who works in a school office these early pick ups and reduced hours are “unofficial exclusions” and I wasnt actually obliged to collect him but school demanded so, telling me they don’t know what to do with him and don’t have the staff or resources to follow him round or sit with him so I HAVE to come down right now.
this week he has been awful and got physical with another student, punching them. Of course I am very angry with him and he’s been punished at home, he also received a 3 day official exclusion for this and school have proposed an official reduced timetable from now until Christmas.
he is in for 1 hour a day next week, 2 hours a day the next week, and building up by an hour per week so on until Christmas.
I am a single parent who works and this is going to be hard, I can probably manage it with annual leave, unpaid time off and help from my mum.
I know he’s an absolute pain in the bum and ultimately how he’s behaving is down to him but he needs some sort of help not constant punishments, is it really acceptable for school to just say they don’t have the staff etc and use this as a reason to pass him back to me and basically keep him away as much as they can to make their own jobs easier?
we have a reintegration meeting Monday morning, is there anything I should be saying or asking them to do?
Thank you

As to whether there’s consequences in view of circumstances is another matter entirely!

Whatever consequences you would like there to be is irrelevant.

If the school thinks they have a lawful reason to suspend, they can do that by following the actual process, not making up their own unlawful rules.

It is shortsighted to accept the school acting unlawfully disabled DC are more likely to get support quicker, and therefore not disrupt other pupils as much, if the correct processes are followed.

No I am saying that I would bet that the consequences of a school acting unlawfully in getting a child off premises asap probably would, in most case, be somewhat disappointing to you but not to the overwhelming majority.

You can say “irrelevant” all you like. But the law allows for extenuating circumstances. And if a school needs to get a child off premises also for the safety of children and staff - then yeah, I don’t think the law is going to come down too hard on the school!

I know what you meant. I was pointing out what you want is irrelevant because the law and statutory guidance are what they are and there are ways of challenging unlawful behaviour. You might not like that. You might not want that to be the case. But it is the case.

Schools acting unlawfully are leaving themselves open to JR and DD claims. I have successfully supported parents to challenge schools unlawfully, informally suspending DC. I have successfully supported parents to challenge schools suspending DC simply because the school say they can’t meet needs. I have also successfully supported parents to challenge schools wrongly using part-time timetables to manage behaviour.

If the school thinks they have a lawful reason to suspend, they can do that by following the actual process.