Excluded at Seven Ch4 9pm

[HalfShellHero]

Anyone watching? Im hoping its a balanced thoughtful piece not a daily mail esque their parents must be crack heads! type programme..

horridhenrietta you are so right. I have had kids put back into mainstream with no support at all, except for odd peripatetic teachers who tended to turn up without advance notice, armed with inappropriate 'work' and insist on dragging the child out of class and then using up all my break time getting me to complete their evaluation sheets. More than one had never even met the child before so wtf they thought wafting in would do I have no idea. But no real practical support was ever offered, not even proper records , sometimes which considering the huge amount that is resourced to the special schools is very short sighted and unfair to mainstream schools.

Local authorities are always trying to do things on the cheap, one child turned up on a Monday morning at my school, funnily enough I had been in his last school the previous week and had heard talk of a series of huge meltdowns, the last of which ended up with police being called(to a primary!), I recognised him and said half joking to the HT I hope he has come with a full support package after what happened at X, and she looked puzzled! The LA had not said a dickybird to her, she thought he was a normal admission. The phone lines ran red hot and the LA put guilt funding into a full time TA for him. She was excellent , his class teacher was very good , the new class was settled and things worked out well for him, he had a good year ,calmed down and moved on to secondary with no problems, But that was more luck than good management by the LA.

Youarenotkiddingme- I typed that wrong meant 14 weeks to get a final if it is agreed they are going to issue. If they decide not to issue I should know four weeks before this. We are still looking at 5 oct to finalise tho assuming no futher delays and this is from initial applucation of mid March and previous two years of not managing at school pre assessment

What we need to acknowledge in the UK is that a class of 30 with one teacher doesn't exist because that has been found to be the best way to serve the needs of children. It exists because that's the maximum they can get away with squeezing into a classroom in a way that costs as little as possible. If education was focussed on getting the best out of it for the children then classes would be much smaller and far more child led.

Definitely parents of these children need support and some need to attend parenting skills classes. However the money isn't there.

I'm sure the money would be there if it was a priority for the government but unfortunately it isn't.

Why are there so many children waiting to come to this school what has happened you wouldnt have had this school years ago everything gets worse. I doubt i ever knew swear words at their age.

Its a breakdown in discipline and so many complicated family systems.

Lovely patient teacher why she should have to take abuse from a 7 year old though shocking.

Did anyone see the Panorama (?) on nurture groups within mainstream schools - which sounds like what MeanAger is talking about? Similar techniques and results, but achieved within school, so the children weren't moving away into a totally new and alien environment once they were ready? It seemed like a great idea, and was working really well, but alas, not enough money in the pot etc. etc. etc. Saving pennies now to spend them down the line when children like these need far more expensive adolescent and adult services .

I hope Harvey and Adam find a place that works for them. You could see how Harvey, in his most difficult moments, was in a state of absolute panic.

My ds spent 2 afternoons a week in a nurture unit when in juniors. They did emotions stuff and cooked too! He made most academic progress during this period too. Purely because he was in a place he could learn emotionally.
It all fell apart when he started secondary and got given a laptop - because that'll replace 15.5 hours human support and fire his autism
Took a breakdown for him to be placed in a better school with 20 hours of support via an EHCP. It's still MS but he's a different child a year on.

I really wish local authorities would sit down and think about which is the most cost effective solution in the long run. As a 1:1 for this child, I'm employed to keep this child functioning in school but I'm not qualified to do more than basic academic and behaviour support. It's very frustrating. We may be able to get him through primary but there's no way he'll cope in secondary. He'll be excluded and end up in an expensive specialist school. Perhaps a small unit within a mainstream school is the better and cheaper solution in the long run.
It's important to avoid being judgemental about parents and making assumptions. I have dealt with brilliant supportive parents and parents who were part of the problem. It just makes all the difference. If a child is well rested, well fed and had a calm start to the day, there's much less chance of them melting down and kicking off over minor things. However if they've gone to bed at 11, after playing Xbox for hours, been sworn at home and kicked out of the car with a cereal bar, they are not going to come into school with the right frame of mind. It can go downhill quickly with a start to the day like that. However some parents seem unable to get that.

With schools becoming academies, most local authorities have a budget of about 50p now. Sitting down and thinking about what might be best for the child is definitely not going to happen.

Dottypotter- years ago there were special schools so kids with autism wouldn't have been forced into mainstream. There is also a lot more pressure on young kids academically when I was at school. Im sure there are some bad parents but don't tar everyone with same brush, until you have an autistic child, particularly a high functioning one that seems 'normal' you have no idea what life is like. Everyday I go to work and spend the day worrying and waiting for next phone call from the school. Ds is mainly well behaved at home and I have no control over what happens at school, school find a reason why anything I suggest can't be done. I'm spending hours of my life liasing with the court and local authority trying to get support. What more can I do???

Concerned ta- I agree with your comments, it's so short sighted trying to save money on the short term. With my so I really think that with support at a higher level now we could get him to a point where he needed less support in a few years and could stay in mainstream. Instead it could get to the point where he ends in in a specialist provision. Also I dread to think how much is being wasted on legal costs for cases going through tribunal, this money could be put back into funding Sen rather than paying solicitors instead

Did anyone see the Panorama (?) on nurture groups within mainstream schools - which sounds like what MeanAger is talking about?

Yep, the one my son is going to calls it the nurture unit.

until you have an autistic child, particularly a high functioning one that seems 'normal' you have no idea what life is like. Everyday I go to work and spend the day worrying and waiting for next phone call from the school. Ds is mainly well behaved at home and I have no control over what happens at school, school find a reason why anything I suggest can't be done

Same here!

It was an academy that withdrew all ds support and argued til they were blue in the face he didn't need it - even to tribunal judge who actually asked why they disagreed with all the professionals and agreed with la?!
He's in a state maintained school now who do their best. I'm sure he could and should get more and do better but his Mh is good and I'm happy with that

The added recent changes to the curriculum and the addition of year2 SATs tests has increased the pressure on everyone, child, teacher, headteacher.
There has been a spike in the last two years of year 1 children requiring behaviour support. This isn't because we suddenly have 'naughty' ( not that I believe in that word) children in year 1, but because the expectations are so far removed from what real children need.

There's so much pressure on getting results that there's little time for any extra nurture in the classroom. Reception children have to achieve a good level of development whether they are ready or not, otherwise teacher gets it in the neck. Year One children need to pass phonics screening or teacher gets it in the neck. Year 2 children have to achieve National Average in Reading, Writing and Maths or the teacher gets it again. Then, we're onto KS2 and pushing, pushing so they achieve National Expectations in Year 6. It is absolutely relentless. True child development doesn't come into it.

My child was never excluded but only because I removed him to home educate at age 8. I don't think anyone who hasn't been through this can comprehend the utter hopelessness of a child who absolutely cannot manage in mainstream school no matter what support is put in place. He has HFA amongst other diagnoses and the the concurrent diagnoses meant that absolutely nothing worked for him. He had full time one to one, all therapeutic input you can imagine yet almost every day I received a phone call by 10.00 am asking me to return to school to support him. He escaped school numerous times and would run away and lock himself into small cupboards - clearly trying to reduce sensory input. He was violent and aggressive and uncooperative at school in a way he never was at home. In the end they would give him a set of headphones and park him on the class computer in the corner and I didn't even mind. There was no other way to contain him. The only thing that worked was home Ed and I know many other similar home ed children.

It's the disbelief that's the most difficult thing to deal with. From everyone, professionals, family, friends. They all thought and still often do that it was his home life, my parenting etc. The fact is for some children, school will never work, no matter what support is in place and I think most people find that very hard to understand.

MsGame people also don't believe me that I don't have the issues at home that DS has at school. Since school broke up (we are in NI) he has been so unbelievably happy. He is light In the way you are when you haven't a care in the world. He is singing and playing using his imagination. I haven't heard him tell me he is stupid or can't do anything in weeks. He hasn't asked me what is "wrong" with him because at home there is nothing wrong. When he goes back to school after mid term breaks there is always a real rocky period and the teacher and head were convinced it was because of whatever was going on at home while he was off school. They blamed the lack of routine at home during the break. (Wrong because I work so he goes to a CMer) he is just completely overwhelmed by the classroom he can't cope. They wouldn't even let him have ear defenders.

MeanAger I would say to them "I do not recognise this child that you're describing". I honestly couldn't get my head round it. In the end it started feeling like I was beating my head against a brick wall. I remember his head teacher at his final school telling me earnestly that he was "manipulative". At this point he was non verbal and had been for around two weeks. He was coming home with restraints injuries every day. I just couldn't let it go on but I was lucky that I was in a position to be able to home educate. It's affected my relationships with family though. Their inability unwillingness to understand has created a rift that I don't think will ever heal.

Do they provide any support for your son at all? I'm thinking not if he's not even allowed headphones. I well remember the feeling of lightness and happiness in our house whenever school holidays started. We still get it really as my younger child also has autism but generally manages well in school and likes being there. Still lots of problems though but nowhere near as bad as when ds was in school.

He was coming home with restraints injuries every day

poor boy.

I have sat in shock so many times as they described behaviours my son had done in class. I've asked them what I can do from home when all this stuff is happening in class when I am not there, I don't get these behaviours at home so I can't say what is causing them. The class he has just left he was moved to last year after I discovered he was being left to sit all day in the cloakroom or bathroom because the teacher didn't know what to do with him. This had been going on for weeks and I hadn't been informed. No they aren't providing any support for him. I asked if he can be sat on a table by himself as he really struggles with people in his personal space and talking at him/over him while he is trying to concentrate. This wasn't possible apparently. If it wasn't for his (fantastic) social worker helping us get the new school place then I would be home educating him now. It still isn't off the cards depending on how the new school placement goes. I have given up my job and am starting work from home to allow me to be present should I need to take him out of school.

These stories are so sad, a child being left in a cloakroom ffs that is not on. Seems like some schools are absolutely unwilling to compromise in any way. How hard would it be to allow a child to sit on their own? I mean seriously!

No it's not on at all. When the teacher told me he had been in the bathroom all day I asked why no-one had called me and she looked baffled and said "he is always in the bathroom, he goes straight there most mornings when he arrives". You could have knocked me over with a feather. I was in tears as she told me it had been going on for weeks. All I could say was "why did no-one tell me?" She said she thought I knew!

How hard would it be to allow a child to sit on their own?

In my school we don't have the room and by that I mean that we have no spare tables in the room and no space for a table to go, and IF we could fit a table in there he would still be sat by another pupil with no space.

So very hard.

Okay fair enough, I get that it's not always easy as I made out. I still stand by the fact that it's unacceptable for any school to flat out refuse to consider any suggestions that might help a child cope with daily school life. Such as refusing to allow ear defenders.