A school has apologised to a pupil and his parents after he was handed out more than 250 punishments by teachers. A tribunal found that St Joseph’s Catholic School in Port Talbot, Wales, did not reasonably support Kian Mills, 15, and discriminated against him in the way it applied its behaviour policy. Evidence was heard from the teenager’s parents, who now home educate him. They claimed his ADHD and dyslexia were not considered by staff.
Instead of Kian being helped at the school, he was given many detentions, exclusions and isolations for “tiny things” that they were “worried for his wellbeing”, Aldon and Julie Mills said. In June 2024, Julia was tasked to visit the school and was told Kian, who was then 14, would receive yet another spell in isolation. His mother worked out that, at that point, her son had had more than 250 sanctions in two years.
“We took him out of school in June of year nine because they were going to give him isolation again and I thought that enough is enough,” she told WalesOnline.
“The system is not working for many, many families. At school, Kian was so unhappy. He was getting depressed.”
Julia added: “There was nowhere we could turn when things went wrong. Home education is not a choice and we do it with great difficulty.
“With the right support in place I would love him to be in school with his friends – it’s sad that he’s not with his friends and learning social skills.”
Tribunal judge Paul Allen concluded: “[The school’s] approach that pupils should be on time for lessons, should be present in lessons, should not fidget or move around or distract others, and should all produce the same amount of work, would put a disabled child at a particular disadvantage, and put Kian at a substantial disadvantage compared with a pupils who were not disabled.”
He added that the following should take place:
- The school will write a letter of apology to Kian, couched in terms that are appropriate to his age and understanding, and a separate letter of apology to Mrs Mills, for the school’s discrimination towards Kian by its failure to put in place reasonable measures to support him in school, and by the application of its behaviour policy to him, by the 31st of January 2025. A copy of the letters will be provided to the Tribunal.
Kian’s education records will be added to, to show that there has been a tribunal decision that he has not been adequately supported in school and has been discriminated against, by January 31 2025.
- The behaviour and additional learning needs policies of the school will be updated and approved by the school governors 23 by March 28 2025 and a letter confirming that is has been carried out will be sent to the tribunal by the school’s headteacher by March 31 2025.
Training of school staff and school governors will be carried out in relation to the newly adopted behaviour and additional learning needs policies and how they must be applied by the30th of April 2025 and a letter confirming that is has been carried out will be sent to the tribunal by the school’s headteacher by the 5th of May 2025.
Training of school staff and school governors will be carried out in relation to neurodiverse pupils and the challenges they face, and in relation to the Equality Act 2010 and disability discrimination, by the end of the summer term 2025, and a letter confirming that is has been carried out will be sent to the tribunal by the school’s headteacher by September 30 2025.