Mum, from Beyton, near Bury St Edmunds, complains to Department for Education after daughter was excluded from Woolpit Primary Academy and was without schooling

A mother whose autistic daughter missed out on two terms of education says it is ‘heart-breaking’ how the pupil was treated – and wants to highlight her story.

Last week, the Suffolk girl, aged eight, started a new school, but last academic year she was permanently excluded from her previous one, Woolpit Primary Academy, due to her behaviour.

While the permanent exclusion was later overturned, the girl’s mother Sarah-Jayne Traylor, of Beyton, near Bury St Edmunds, says she was not supported to return to school and, other than three hours of tutoring in February, no educational provision was put in place.

She has now submitted a complaint to the Department for Education over her daughter’s permanent exclusion from the school.

In a statement, Woolpit Primary Academy said it was a caring and nurturing school and on the very rare occasions that a pupil was excluded, this was a last resort.

Outlining the statutory guidance on exclusions, the DfE said it would be unlawful to exclude a pupil simply because they have SEN (special educational needs) or a disability the school feels it is unable to meet.

Of her child’s experience at the school, Sarah-Jayne, 38, told SuffolkNews her daughter would be restrained when she had a meltdown, adding one was triggered when her daughter was told she was not allowed to go to the school disco. On another occasion, her foot was stood on.

The mum also claimed an item of her daughter’s, a balloon, that she was attached to, was thrown in the bin.

Sarah-Jayne, who has a number of health problems, said: “It's heart-breaking what she has been exposed to. Schools should not be allowed to expose vulnerable people and families to such heartbreak.

“I feel people should hear our story as I’m sure there will be many parents with the same heartache and confusion as my family.”

Mother-of-three Sarah-Jayne said she has functional neurological disorder which means her ‘body shuts down’ when she is extremely stressed or overwhelmed – fighting the school had caused her to have ‘massive brain fogs’.

Her daughter’s permanent exclusion in December was overturned the following month by a pupil discipline committee, which – while noting the impact of the child’s behaviour on others in the school – concluded ‘further strategies could have been put in place’ to support her.

This included ‘a reduced timetable, consideration of a managed move or offsite direction, contact with SES (Specialist Education Services) and use of suspensions’.

“The committee noted there had not been sufficient time given to allow existing strategies to embed,” Sarah-Jayne was told in correspondence about the committee’s decision.

She said her daughter was not suspended – the action was to go straight to permanent exclusion.

A local authority (LA) statement for the permanent exclusion hearing of the child said their records showed Woolpit did not contact the Education Access Team to seek support for her. Also, a SES referral (to the LA) was submitted only a week before the permanent exclusion.

There was supposed to be a reintegration programme for the child, but Sarah-Jayne, who has also complained to the school and academy trust, claims her daughter was not supported by the school to return.

The statement from the school said: “Woolpit Primary Academy is a caring and nurturing school which has a strong track record of supporting its pupils to achieve their potential.

“Our most recent Ofsted inspection report highlighted the exceptional work undertaken by the school to support all children, including those with additional/special educational needs.

“Our staff always do their very best for all children in our care, often going above and beyond what is expected in most schools.

“On the very rare occasions a pupil is excluded from school, this is done as a last resort and following all national guidelines and laws. We appreciate this is a difficult situation for all involved.

“As this case is subject to a complaint submitted to the Department for Education it would not be appropriate for us to comment on the specifics of this case at this time.”

The school added that it wished the child every success in the future at her new school.

The girl, who has an EHCP (education, health and care plan), is doing really well at her new school, Sarah-Jayne said. “She’s loving it,” she said.

The girl has been making pocket friends to support other children who are also worried about going to school and, with her mum, has created a poem to go with each one. It starts: “I know it’s scary starting school, though I’ll be here through it all.”

Sarah-Jayne added: “I'm so proud of her. She truly is a little star.”

Sarah-Jayne did not want her daughter’s name to be included in the article.