Concern over pupil suspensions at special unit

Parents of pupils at a special needs unit in Berkshire say every single child has been suspended since the start of the last month's new school year.

Resource Base at Kennet Valley Primary School opened the dedicated unit in 2024 but since then had to close, temporarily, because of staffing issues.

Saffy, who's son Kai was sent home, claimed it followed the introduction of a new behaviour code. "It's been horrific," she said.

West Berkshire Council pushed back against the parents' claims. It said only 40% of pupils had been suspended, according to the government's definition, as the school works to "strengthen standards."

Kai's mother said she thought her son had won the "golden ticket," when he was offered a place at the newly opened unit.

She admitted he bore much of the blame for his three week suspension, including the upcoming half term holiday.

But she added, the point of the Resource Base was to provide somewhere that could cope with children like her son, who is autistic and has ADHD.

"The children are getting suspended over the most minute thing, but what is being put in place to help them?" she asked.

The school is rated good by Ofsted, but an interim inspection, earlier this year, noted there had been, "some instability in staffing and leadership since the last inspection, particularly in the specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs."

Saffy said pupils had received what she described as an "internal suspension," where they had been removed from class for up to a day, "or they've had an external suspension where they haven't been able to go into school at all.

"We have a WhatsApp group and all the parents are like, who's next?"

The BBC was shown messages shared by other parents on the group. "This one is from today," said Saffy, reading a post by another mum.

"I don't want to send him in because one more thing could trigger him and I'll get a phone call saying he's been suspended. Honestly I feel so drained and anxious all the time. I worry for his future."

Kai is due to leave for secondary school at the end of the summer term, next year. She said his departure along with six classmates, will leave just two pupils in the unit. She claims the school has already told the parents and carers of two of them that they might be better elsewhere.

She said the suspensions would allow the school to "wash their hands of them (the children) and say you're somebody else's problem."

The school and West Berkshire Council, which is the local education authority, deny all the pupils have been suspended at some point during the first half term.

They said only 40% of cases met the Department for Education definition that pupils have to actually be barred from the school premises. They could not comment on how many had been removed from class.

A statement from the school said, "We remain committed to working with the local authority and other professionals to ensure that children within the provision receive appropriate support."

West Berkshire Council's spokesperson added, "Our priority remains ensuring that every child receives a safe, high-quality education that meets their needs."