Our Story
I speak from experience on exclusion. My son was at Dean Close Preparatory School in Cheltenham for 5 years, when my husband and I were informed that the school did not feel he would be able to keep up. (This is a very hazy area. What is the definition of ‘keeping up’ or ‘poor performance’? By what yardstick do schools decide who is or isn’t failing?) His reports (which I still have) showed he wasn’t bottom in the class in anything and in fact, in Science, he scored 86% and was 5th out of the whole year of 30. He is dyspraxic – something akin to dyslexia.
My son wasn’t the only child asked to leave Dean Close that year. Six children went, including one with muscular dystrophy. The school knew about that boy’s illness when it accepted him – in fact their website at the time welcomed children with such disabilities. Other parents trying to be supportive of a child with a terminal illness, rallied around and raised £3,000 for a lift to enable the boy to go from the pre-prep into the prep school. But the school insisted he left and the money was eventually handed over to his parents to further his education. One teacher resigned over the affair.
A solicitor I contacted, pointed out that the school was ridding itself of children who needed learning support before new legislation on disability came into force - (The Disability and Discrimination Act 1995, amended in 2000, implemented in 2002). Of course, none of the parents was aware of such an Act and ironically, the school has always purported to have strong Christian values and be non-selective.
What did I do?
- I wrote to the Governors, repeatedly, asking to see them and discuss this: they refused. We met the Head, very briefly, who was unsympathetic and dismissive. He subsequently left the school in a ‘surprise resignation’.
- I also sent a barrage of letters to bodies up and down the country, from the HMC to the IAPS, all organisations involved one way or another with independent schools. Geoff Lucas of the HMC was the most helpful and said he would raise my concerns with the sub-committee which has responsibility for education in HMC schools. Some never even bothered to reply.
- I also had a letter published by John Clare in the Telegraph’s education column, in which he said that ‘a state school, of course, would have to take its education (and social) responsibilities rather more seriously’. And therein lies the crunch – in a long conversation with our local Shire Hall, it was explained to me that in the state sector, there is total inclusion, but in the private sector, schools are a law unto themselves.
- This was reiterated in a reply from the then Department for Education and Skills, Independent Schools Registration Team at Darlington, when I was told:
“Decisions on the exclusion of pupils are matters for independent schools themselves. There is no legislation governing appeals procedures in the independent sector and the Secretary of State has no powers to intervene in matters relating to exclusions.”
- I spoke recently to a solicitor specialising in educational law and he recommends starting by lobbying your MP (see under Proposed Course of Action).
