Here is the letter I have just emailed to various education organisations and the Scottish government (including the new Education Secetary). There is a summary at the end if you don't have time to read the whole thing.

As a parent of 3 ASD teens who ALL struggled HUGELY with school and being ASD myself, I think it is essential that things are improved for Scottish ASD teens in and out of the official education system. I was a High School teacher myself and the experiences of some of my students are also mentioned in the letter. Please sign to show support that CHANGE must happen in order for the education system to be equitable for the ASD community. Thank you. 
 
To whom it may concern and Jenny Gilruth MSP, Education Scotland,

I am writing to inform you of the real difficulties parents like me have accessing education for our ASD children.

I have three children with ASD, but we didn’t know until last year. I have also found out that I myself am ASD and ADHD).

Later diagnosis isn’t uncommon because the primary school environment is more suited to many ASD children. Once they enter secondary school, the situation will change for most ASD tweens if they haven’t already been diagnosed.

 

All my children struggled with the sensory issues in the secondary school classroom. They all started ‘school refusing’ by around S2 or S3. I say ‘school refusing’ in inverted commas because a book I have recently read called ‘My child is not broken’ encouraged us parents NOT to think of this as school refusing, but as the school environment being so unsuitable that some ASD pupils are not provided for.

My children’s school (Queen Anne High School) is to be praised, however, as they have an off campus provision for pupils who have issues like ASD. This is only on a Thursday and it is will only lead to Nat 3s and Nat 4s, but that is what got my daughter Joni into Fife College. My daughter Sara is just starting the off campus provision now. Until recently I was teaching at Inverkeithing High School and would see ASD pupils struggling in the classroom. Too intelligent for DAS (department of additional support) and yet too overwhelmed to function properly during the school day. One of them seemed to cope well, but informed me that she went to bed around 4pm, woke at midnight for a snack and then went back to sleep until it was time to get ready for school again. School, sleep, school, sleep. That is it. Surely that is not an ideal situation? Two others mainly had their heads on the desk and one of them had to take herself for time out from classes without permission just to try to get through the day.

 

My daughter Joni still found Fife College difficult. The noise in the National 5 classrooms was overwhelming. She had a high absence rate due to exhaustion and had to take a lot of work to the library instead of participating with the rest of the class.

 

Joni needs Nat 5 Maths, English and a Science to get into the AC Equine Studies course that she wants to do. Fife College didn’t offer Maths or Science NAT 5 last year (Maths is only offered in the second year) and Joni would have to travel to Glenrothes to do some sort of combined Science qualification if she were to continue there. Travelling to Glenrothes is too much for her. 

 

Due to my youngest two children’s needs I have had to give up teaching in High School and am trying to start my own tutoring business so I can support them more at home. Joni will be homeschooling this year. She will certainly do better studying from home until she is ready for the Equine Studies. Nobody in the whole of Scotland seems to offer Nat 5s online except Aberdeen Uni (we are taking Maths with them). We have had to sign up to an online platform to do Edexcel IGCSEs. We will have to sit the exams at Basil Paterson for those. All this is expensive (including exams it will come to around £1300-£1500. 

 

This whole situation feels like exclusion because of ASD issues.

 

It is such a shame that Scotland seems to have made online learning so difficult for teenagers. Autistic teenagers often need an alternative to school (in the current system) and Scotland is not providing this for them. I am writing to you (the education secretary and my MSP) regarding my experiences as something really needs to be done. It is such a shame we are having to 'go English' and pay well over £1000 in order to stay in education.

 

So in summary:

 

·       There are many parents in my situation. I am going to make this letter public on a petition so you may get an idea of how many.

·       Scotland doesn’t GIRFEC (get it right for every child) when it comes to Autism. GIRFEC is a great policy, but only when practical steps are put into place. Many have, but not enough to meet the needs of ASD pupils.

·       Changes can be made to help our autistic young people. Off campus provision at every school, for example. Even ONE day a week means that autistic students can have a quieter environment and still get qualifications. It leaves them at least one academic year behind their peers, but it is something and is one practical solution.

·       Scotland needs qualifications that are accessible online. We have had to go to the English system in order to get Joni the entry requirements for Scottish Highers.

·       The education system is to change and so now is one of the best times to consider how to better include Autistic students who need to learn from home and the needs of those who have to be in school.

·       Autistic students in school need a quiet space that is ASD friendly (no non-ASD pupils) and they can go to with a pass anytime (or at least at organised times). They may need a reduced timetable so they can have this recovery time in school and still have some energy for life outside of school.

·       Would the government consider (in the meantime) subsidising the costs that parents face homeschooling their children / teens when they would much rather the school was a suitable environment. I am paying over £1000 because the Scottish education system can’t meet the needs of my children.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Rena Brown