Problems in school
Eden is 13 and in S2. Eden has been getting into trouble in school for mucking about in class and challenging his teachers. His mum spoke to Eden about what had been happening as he had previously been happy in school. Eden said that since starting high school he was finding his schoolwork too easy, was often bored in class and so began distracting other pupils. Eden’s mum had spoken to his primary school and also his high school about giving him more challenging work as he often completed his work very quickly and would wait for extra tasks.
Feeling frustrated
Eden’s mum felt frustrated because she felt that the school were not taking her seriously and seemed to concentrating on Eden’s behaviour rather than the reason why he was misbehaving. While some teachers had given him additional work to do, Eden’s mum felt there was not a consistent plan for supporting him.
Eden said he felt embarrassed talking to his teachers about finding work too easy and was worried that he might stand out from his classmates if he was doing different work to them.
Eden’s mum found out from a teacher friend that being very able can mean that a child might need additional support with their learning. She also learned that a My Rights, My Say advocacy worker could help Eden to speak to his school about how he felt and how he could be supported in school in a way that made him comfortable. Eden said he was interested in speaking to an advocacy worker.
With help from My Rights, My Say
Eden found someone he could talk to about his needs, and someone who could help him understand his rights to additional support at school.
He said that he found it easier telling James, his advocacy worker, how he felt rather than talking to his teachers, as he was worried they would be annoyed he didn’t enjoy their classes. James explained that he could arrange a meeting with the school to explain how Eden was feeling and what might help. Eden wanted James to talk to his guidance teacher who could then work out a plan of how to support him with his other teachers.
Outcome
Eden’s guidance teacher was really supportive and said that she was sorry that he had felt this way and hadn’t realised he could talk to her about how he felt. She suggested arranging a meeting to speak to Eden’s mum about the next steps and that together they could create a learner profile and share it with his teachers, if Eden was happy with that idea. Eden was so pleased with the plan that he said that he would like to attend the meeting if James could come too and help him share his views with the school. After this meeting Eden’s guidance teacher and Eden agreed to have a catch-up once a term to find out how things were going and if he was receiving the right support in class.