According to the Telegraph, Matravers School in Wiltshire, is being criticised by parents after it was claimed that a number of pupils, including a 12-year-old autistic boy, were "hidden away" during the inspection.
One mother who was told to keep her 12-year-old autistic boy at home by the school, said: "I was shocked. My son needs routine, and they took that routine away from him. If he has got a problem his needs should be met. As a parent I feel that for those two days he wasn't included. My son asked me why he was kept off school for two days. I didn't know what to say to him.”
Martin Gillingham father of 15-year-old Jamie who is dyslexic claims that his son was placed in a two-day mechanics lesson and was informed that it was to stop Jamie and three others causing “disruption”. Talking about the incident, Martin said: "It would appear the school have tried to hide away any child that poses a possible risk of causing disruption. They have said their actions were in the best interests of the children. How can it be in the best interests to have a false Ofsted report? Any Ofsted report now holds no weight."
Wiltshire councillor and governor of the school Russell Hawker admitted that “a very small handful” of pupils who were considered “disruptive” were removed as the school wanted to get a “good Ofsted report.”
In response to the claims, Mr Hawker said: “Two types of students have been involved in this, one of which was those who are very autistic children whose parents or carers were contacted by the school because of the Ofsted visit and because of the change in routine they would be kept at the Link Centre [a support unit for special needs children]. The second group were children who had a history of being disruptive in class, that's my understanding. I'm very sure that no staff would try to tell children to stay at home. There was a very small handful where some people with a track record of causing disruption were taken out of class because you don't know what they are going to do. My belief is the school did what was in the best interest of the whole school and their objective is to get a good Ofsted report."
However, a spokesman for the school said the councilor's comments were “untrue and misinformed”.
The spokesman added: "Matravers School is proud to be a fully inclusive school that successfully accommodates students with a wide variety of educational needs. We encourage parents who have any concerns to contact the school so we can respond to their individual queries sensitively and constructively."
