A parent walks wearily up to the school gate at the end of another long day. Already feeling frazzled and wondering how the next four hours or so until bedtime will go today, this parent arrives in time to overhear a small group huddle together, commenting, “That child just seems all over the place, can’t sit still for five minutes!”; “Well if you ask me,” says another, “I think it’s just misbehaviour, trying to seek attention. I wonder what’s going on at home…?” This conversation quickly dies down to silence as one of the group catches sight of Jack’s mother coming up the school path towards them…
For the third time that week Jack’s parents were called in to speak to the class teacher and the SENCO about their son’s behaviour in class and the playground. On Monday it was Jack sitting under the table and refusing to come out and sit down to put his ideas for a story into his draft literacy workbook. This disrupted the class for fifteen minutes. Then on Tuesday it was an altercation in the playground over name-calling, but no-one found out who really started it; Jack, it was assumed, seemed to be the most likely culprit and to top it all off, on Thursday he’d somehow got away with being served that pink custard sprinkled with coconut as part of his school meal, or had he swapped with a friend? “Don’t they take it seriously? I’ve told them more than once that certain food colourings seem to make him more energetic than usual?” fumed Jack’s mother, forcing a tight smile as she walked quietly by the other parents, eyes averted, to stand a little way off waiting for the inevitable whirlwind that was Jack. Several minutes and one shrill school bell later he came flying out of school, half his shirt hanging out, the latest school letter screwed up at the bottom of his bag, with one shoe lace almost undone waiting for a fall…
Alastair Fielden is our Education Consultant with over 20 years experience in SEND Education and assistive technologies.
