Mansfield Woodhouse mum accuses school of failing her autistic son after claiming child walkedout of school unchallenged

Laura Parkin, of Mansfield Woodhouse, also says The Manor Academy is failing to address her son Ollie’s needs and that she was left waiting five hours in reception to speak to a teacher without ever getting to do so.

The Mansfield Woodhouse academy said the safety of its pupils is its highest priority and it continued to work with the family.

Ollie, aged 12, is on a part-time timetable at the school, on Park Hall Road, and has two hours of one-to-one lessons with a teaching assistant.

Laura said: “My son is severely autistic and needs support all the time. He was told he was not allowed to attend mainstream lessons any more, because he and a friend threw a pen at each other.

“Ollie didn’t have a pen, so asked his friend for one, but his TA had a pen for him to use, so he threw it back to his friend and then got sent out.

“He was taken to student reception and from there he was just let go out of the school without any supervision.

“I asked the school what they were doing, as my other son is also autistic, but goes to a different school, so I was 35 minutes away.

“They said there was nothing they had to do if the child had left, but I could read through the policies and procedures online if I wanted.

“I got to the school about 9.30am, just as Ollie came back.

“I asked to have a meeting with the head of special needs, so we could discuss what was obviously a safeguarding issue.

“About 20 minutes later, I was told I wasn’t allowed to have a meeting because she was teaching.

“I was told the teachers were all busy, so I said I would wait for someone to be available to talk to because I was really concerned.

“I was told someone would call me, which I wasn’t happy about, so I said I’d wait in reception to speak to a teacher. I waited five hours and no-one came to talk to me.

“I want the school to take my concerns more seriously.

“I’d like to know how my son was allowed to just walk out of school when we have filled in the forms saying he has severe autism and is not allowed to leave unattended.

“Also, why do parents have to wait weeks for a call from the school to talk about serious issues?

“I’ve heard nothing from the school about this.”

A school spokesman said: “The health, safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is of the upmost importance. This includes prioritising the safety of those who attend and work at the school.

“An incident took place last week where a student left the school site, despite safety measures being in place.

“We took immediate action to search for the individual and inform the parent.

“The individual was returned to school safely.

“The parent was seen by staff on the day and we are continuing to work with the family, key members of the school support team and other professionals to support this student and their family.”