Ryecroft Academy: Leeds mum fuming at school’s “extreme” punishment of autistic son, 5, over snapping a pencil

The mother said her son was “terrified" of returning to Ryecroft Academy after the incident last Thursday (October 5) and that her requests for the school to backtrack on the “extreme” punishment were ignored.

The school has responded saying that it adjusts its sanctions for young people with special educational needs “where this is needed”.

The mother said that her son has autism and ADHD and that the school receives additional funding to help cater for his needs. She said that her son had been warned about playing with his pencil before he snapped it during a lesson.

She said: “He’s autistic so he needs stuff to fidget with. They’ve told him to put it down and he’s snapped it because he’s got frustrated.”

She said that as a result he would have to spend 90 minutes “in isolation” for three days, which meant he would not be able to play outside during lunch and break times and be monitored by a teacher instead.

She said: “They say he’s broken school policy but I know what he’s like. He’s not naughty at all.

"I tried to speak to the school but they said they are not going to let it go.”

She said that her son didn’t go to school on Friday because he was “so scared” and that when she walked him to school on Monday morning a teacher had to come and escort him onto the premises as he didn’t want to leave his mum.

“He was terrified”, she said. “He doesn’t understand what’s happened.

"He’s had a lot of change having gone from reception to Year 1 and this has really thrown him.

"It’s heart breaking. It’s crazy that this has happened over a pencil. It’s extreme.”

A spokesperson for the GORSE Academies Trust said: “Unfortunately, we are unable to share information related to the circumstance of a specific individual pupil.

"At Ryecroft Academy we place emphasis on praising and rewarding young people and, where a sanction is appropriate, we would always adjust this for a young person with special educational needs where this is needed.”