Does your DC's infants school keep children in at break until they have finished their work?

[Corrimony]

DS (diagnosed and statemented ASC) is almost 6, Y1, in MS infants. He is very stressed at the moment about all the work he says he has to do at school, and about when he has to stay in at break if he hasn't finished his work. Do they do this at your DC's school, and if so, how do you feel about it? I'd really appreciate knowing. Thanks.

yes.

quite frankly, they should not be kept in as aroutine matter. occasionally if they have mucked about with a couple of warnings of consequences... but if they are kept in regularly then the teaching/activity is being pitched at the wrong level and there is inadequate support for the child in question.

have you asked what they are doing to support his needs so that he can complete his work in class time.

is he not completeing work becasue of his diagnosis and is it a protected disability.

I had to go whoop ass on school recently for similar reasons.

BlackeyedSusan - I agree with you. Did you and school come up with an alternative strategy for when work is not completed? I could suggest I will help him with missed work at home, or perhaps just that finishing work is not a priority when he is anxious?

His autism makes it difficult for him to concentrate in a busy classroom and anxiety makes him resist demands in order to feel a little more in control. Knowing exactly when things are going to happen is really really important for him and the structure helps him feel secure. Changing the timetable makes him so stressed! Now he has gone from liking school to hating it and I am struggling to get him in at all. I your school is being good now!

I think it tells you an awful lot about the school. AT DS1's second m/s primary he was kept in morning, lunchtime and afternoon every day for weeks as he was not working in class. The school thought he needed to 'learn' the consequences of his actions and the fact that it was not working just meant that they needed to do it for longer Any objection from me was an indication of where he got his bad work ethic. Needless to say, I moved him.

No not for any of them (2xNT & 1xASC)
Even if kept in for mucking around it is literally 2 mins and then allowed out
DS with ASC doesn't even stay in always during the lessons (on ABA programme with outside ABA 1:1) - he works for tokens and cashes them in for rewards (5 min break) and can choose where he goes e.g. book corner, IT, outside - I think he would get 1 or 2 breaks in a lesson as he works for 20-30 mins at a time.
Last school tried to make him only take his reward breaks at normal break time - which sort of missed the point that he was supposed to get rewarded immediately - if they dragged out his last token until break every time DS would soon catch on and not bother until the last 5 mins of each lesson
Any school that keeps infant children in to finish work is probably SATS results obsessed and unlikely to be SEN friendly IME
We left DS last school at start Yr 2 when teacher started saying she would be spending zero time with DS that year and delegating his curriculum 100% to a TA as she would be busy getting the other children through their SATS.

Corrie I am outraged and frustrated for your dc.
They are supposed to be meeting her educational needs, not punishing her for being slower than others.

It is so victorian - they'll be bringing the cane back next!

I think you should write a nicey nicey letter explaining that
You appreciate their concern that she should be given a chance to cover all the work that her mainstream peers are doing but you feel they would want to know that it is making her stressed, as she regards herself as being punished for having ASD.

You wonder if they are aware that the classroom environment is much harder for her to learn in than it is for her peers, so she has to work extra hard to get the same amount of work done. You want to be constructive, and wonder if they have they considered asking for help to see what they can do to make it easier for dc to learn for example from the ASD specialist teacher?

And copy it to the ASD specialist teacher (or whoever you think would be helpful) if they haven't been involved yet. Or someone senior if the ASD teacher has been involved and did nothing.

You will know if it would be a good idea to copy your SEN Governor.

So either they change the environment, eg trying a work station or other things an autism specialist teacher would typically recommend, or they reduce the amount of work or both, but DO NOT PUNISH HER FOR SOMETHING THAT IS NOT HER FAULT.

They should not even risk giving the impression that they are punishing her for something that is not her fault.

Good Luck

Isnt it a shame that this is still happening to children with autism!!

They wouldnt keep a child who uses a wheelchair in for taking too long to climb the stairs would they!!

It makes my blood boil! Teachers need training!! Or we need autism specific schools where our children are valued and supported

20 yrs ago my Dd1 who has undiagnosed aspergers and probably add too was kept in most breaktimes for not doing her work!! The teachers were always astonished that she could do the work in 2 minutes at playtime but would mess about for the whole lesson before and not do anything!!!
How many times did I tell them that she simply couldnt concentrate in a busy, free flowing open plan classroom!!

Shame on your Ds's teacher

The teachers were always astonished that she could do the work in 2 minutes at playtime but would mess about for the whole lesson before and not do anything!!!

^^ - exactly. My experience in DS1's 2nd m/s primary was the same as ineed had decades ago.

The reason that the CT saw the issue as personal, a battle of wills between her and DS1, was that he could do the work in 2 mins at break time but had spent the last 45 mins completely unable and unwilling to work. This was interpreted as proving that he could do the work when he wanted to go out and play but was 'choosing' not to do so in lessons because he was lazy/manipulative/a liar/naughty etc.

DS1 was undiagnosed and did not have a statement at the time so I had no option but to move him to somewhere less SATs obsessed. Sod's law though - a year later a different head of BOG, who was SATs/OFSTED rating obsessed, organised a campaign to oust the old SEN friendly head and replaced with a SATs obsessed stooge.

If I were you, I would remind the school of the duty to make reasonable adjustment for disability under Disability Discrimination law. senvet's nice-nicey approach is fine but I would add a sentence reminding them of their legal duty.

I moved Dd1 twice keep but it didnt achieve anything really. She had a few happy yrs at primary with a couple of amazing teachers but ingeneral it was really tough.

Secondary school was better for Dd1 because she had a fab head of house who looked out for her and a little group of friends who didnt really fit in but were great for her!

OP, I agree with keep remind them of their legal duty!