In 2021, KW was excluded from his academy for persistent breaches of the school code. He had not long been at the school, his time there having been interrupted by the imposition of the national Coronavirus lockdown.
Prior to his arrival at the academy, his mother alerted the Principal to the fact that her son suffered with dyspraxia and that support would need to be put in place to support him.
Unfortunately, the academy did not provide sufficient support to address the underlying cause of his behavioural problems. It was apparent that the principal had not appreciated that the child's dyspraxia could be a factor in his errant behaviour.
It was the timely intervention of the SEN expert during the review hearing which emphasised just how dyspraxia might create anxiety in a child and lead to behavioural problems.
The original hearing before the Disciplinary Committee revealed a degree of defensiveness on the part of the principal, but the proceedings were otherwise in order.
At the review hearing, both mother and child addressed the panel and injected a vital human touch to the proceedings and illustrated the importance of student/parent participation in the process.
The review panel was concerned by the failure of the academy to provide suitable support for the child and directed that they reconsider the exclusion.
This resulted in KW being reinstated to the academy.
Ironically, KW's mother was not keen on him returning, but KW stated he was keen to prove to the academy that he could behave with the appropriate support provided for him.