School and wheelchair

[elliejjtiny]

DS2 (7) went on a school trip in the last week of term to the ss great Britain. He has hypermobility syndrome and uses a wheelchair for anything other than very short distances. He gets HRM DLA.

When he was picked up from school he was dragging his feet and looked shattered. I later found out that the teacher had left the wheelchair behind. The evening was awful as he was so tired and he was crying in pain because he has overexerted himself. In the end he just fell over on the bathroom floor and couldn't get up so I had to carry him to bed. When DH took him to school he reluctantly talked to the teacher (he thinks it was no big deal) and she said there wasn't much walking on the trip so they left the wheelchair behind. This isn't the first time DS2's needs have been ignored at school and I've had to deal with the fallout at home and I'm so fed up with it. I'm dreading DS4 (22m) having to go there as he has more complex needs.

Just sounds like a misunderstanding about how much "not much walking" actually is.
Perhaps get it recorded at school what you mean by "anything other than short distances" so that they can use the same measure of distance, rather than having to make their own estimate.

Does he have a statement, or care plan?

Ds has it written into his that his sn buggy should be taken on all walks/trips, he will walk for short distances, like your ds2, but it is obvious when he starts slowing down and falling that he needs to sit.

It is tricky, too, when the kids themselves don't want to be different and have to use a wheelchair when they are the only one. (dd is 16 and hypermobile)
But most kids aged 7 all want a go on a wheelchair and are quite jealous.

Agree with the above - make sure that they are aware that they have caused the pain that they did, and that they should always have the wheelchair on all trips in case dc has used up his mobility buffer in some way that they weren't expecting. Kids can get involved in an unplanned physical game in the blink of an eye, and their best measured plans of distance will be irrelevant.

Could his physio have a word? Or write a letter stating that his chair is needed for ALL trips?
My DS2 is the same, and when he was younger the physio explained to his teachers that for him everyday walking was like wading through treacle..and that he needed to sit even if he didn't say so. It was a good analogy and after that they always took his chair and made him have a rest! DS2 never said he was tired (or if his afos had rubbed him raw!) and we made it clear that staff had to take the lead in ensuring he didn't over do it.

Thanks. DS2 doesn't have a statement or a care plan. He was on SA under the old system but now he gets nothing. I found his previous teachers were more accommodating of his needs when they understood his needs better but it always takes at least 2 terms and then it's not long before he gets a new teacher and the whole "he looks fine to me" thing starts all over again. I think I need to get his consultant to write a letter explaining clearly what his limitations are.

Definitley make an appointment with the SENCO and a medical professional (probably your physio is the best placed here) to sit down and get a car plan written.
It is at least a start.

He needs a care plan, and you need to give your DH a boot up the arse.
No one ever decides to leave medication behind because 'He looks fine to me' so why is the wheelchair optional for the teacher?
It should be available whenever your DS decides that he needs it.

Oh, and I'd also insist on a transition meeting before he moves year groups, with the SENCO and the teacher. So it doesn't take two terms for them to get their shit together.