My five-year-old son was expelled from school for a ridiculous reason – he’s done nothing wrong
A DAD claims his autistic five-year-old son was expelled from school for a ridiculous reason.
Bodhi Draper was diagnosed with autism aged two while he was at nursery and was non-verbal until December 2022.
His dad, Carl Draper, 48, claims his son was suspended immediately after climbing the 5ft fence at his school’s playground in Poole, Dorset.
Just four days later Carl got a letter to say Bodhi had been permanently expelled because his behaviour “places him at risk of serious harm” and he has been out of lessons ever since.
His shocked parents have tried in vain to get him back into education but haven’t been given a place.
The fence incident came after the lad got in trouble for running over a teacher’s foot with a wheelchair at Montacute School, his dad claims.
Carl and his partner, Charlotte Walker, 44, a clinical supervisor, were also previously called into the head’s office after Bodhi was accused of running into the teacher and injuring his groin.
And the devastated dad has now had to stop working to home-school his son.
Carl, a photographer, from St Leonards, Dorset, said: “The impact on our well-being is devastating – we’re lost.
“We have been dumped at the roadside and we are now finding out how common this is for people.
“We are completely in the dark. I have Bodhi all day every day. Charlotte works full time and she is now having to work extra time to pay for my bills.
“Our son has a mark on his record for being excluded. We want him cleared and in school.”
Bodhi started at the Montacute School, Poole, in September 2020, and Carl said he loved classes and his teachers.
There were no problems until two years later, when Carl and Charlotte had a meeting with the head teacher for Bodhi’s annual review.
The pair claimed they were told that the school had “gone as far as we can go with Bodhi”, but he remained at the school.
Carl claims he was called in for a meeting when Bodhi had caused “serious injury” by running over a teacher’s foot with an empty wheelchair.
He said: “A case was now being built against Bodhi, the school were not helping him and there was no person-centred care approach.”
‘CATASTROPHIC’
Speaking about Bodhi’s expulsion in May 2023, the dad added: “We received a letter from the school saying how they have decided to permanently exclude Bodhi.
“We challenged the school and asked where his support staff were.
“Bodhi has been discriminated. He has been left behind and the impact on his development is catastrophic.
“The impact on our lives as parents is incalculable.
“We now have Bodhi at home 24/7 and it is his right to an education and right to not be discriminated.”
He continued: “The local authority has been extremely slow to help us over the past two months since Bodhi was expelled.
“We think they are trying to keep him out of school until September 2024 to save money.
“Being any child having a disruption any week is bad. Having an autistic child is really bad, there was a huge knock-on effect for us.”
Carl and Charlotte have now instructed a solicitor to help fight Bodhi’s case and have set up a GoFundMe to raise the legal fees.
Bodhi has a right to an education and a right to not be discriminated. He has been left behind.”
Carl Draper, 48
A Dorset Council spokesperson said: “Although the school involved with this case is in the BCP Council area, Dorset Council is aware of the situation.
“We are working with BCP Council and with the family to look for an alternative, suitable placement for Bodhi, in settings across both council areas.
“Every child has the right to the best possible education to meet their needs, and we will continue to work with the family and other relevant agencies to support Bodhi going forwards.”
A spokesperson for the Montacute School, said: “Our school is a vibrant learning community supporting nearly 100 children with complex learning difficulties and disabilities. Around 50% of our pupil population have had an autism diagnosis.
“We work tirelessly to support our pupils, and are proud of our work to help children and young people from the ages of 2 – 19. At the heart of this is our commitment to ensuring that every child is safe and is able to thrive through the personalised learning pathways we put into place for them.
“Very occasionally we have children who, despite significant work and support, struggle at our school. Permanent exclusions are incredibly rare.
“In making any decision like this, we have to consider not only the safety and wellbeing of the child who is being excluded, but also the impact that they have on the much broader school community. It is a decision that we would only make as a last resort when all other avenues have been exhausted.
“In relation to this specific case, the police are currently investigating issues in relation to comments made on social media and we have been advised not to comment further whilst this is ongoing.”
A fundraiser has been set up here.