Boy, 4, excluded from school

Paul Rogers was excluded on his fourth day at the school

A four-year-old boy has been excluded from school in his first week as a pupil.

Paul Rogers from Tonbridge in Kent was judged by his new primary school to be unmanageable and a danger to himself.

Staff at the town's Cage Green Primary School said Paul had sworn at them and been aggressive to other pupils.

But his mother says he has a clinical behaviour disorder which the school knew about and should have coped with.

Paul has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

They knew exactly what they were letting themselves in for Alison Homewood

His mother Alison Homewood said the school had been warned he had ADHD before he started there and that his older brother also has the disorder, so they should have known how to react to Paul.

But she said she got a phone call on his fourth day as a pupil there to say he was being excluded.

She said: "He was there on the Thursday and the Friday, then on the Monday he told me he had to go to the head mistress's office.

"I thought 'right, fair enough', and then the next day I got a phone call to say that he'd been excluded from school.

"They were saying that they couldn't put up with him being so active and with his behaviour and he was being a danger to himself and threatening to run away from school."

Paul is being allowed back to school, but initially only on a part-time basis.

Alison Homewood said the school should have known how to cope

Mrs Homewood said the school was discriminating against her son because he was ill - and that she had expected better having told staff he had ADHD.

She said: "They knew exactly what they were letting themselves in for.

"They knew in June what was going on and how Paul would react.

"His older brother is at the school as well and he's got ADHD.

"They've been through the rigmarole with my other son so they should have been the same with Paul."

The school would not comment, but Kent County Council issued a statement on the school's behalf.

It said: "Paul started in the reception class last week and caused such disruption that the school had no option than to exclude him.

"An additional learning support assistant has now been appointed and Paul is being integrated into school slowly, starting with three mornings per week."