Mother protests at staff training

Children with autism can become frustrated if their routine is disrupted

The mother of a 14-year-old boy with autism is leading a protest against plans to extend the summer holidays by a week in September for staff training.

Foxwood Special School in Hythe, Kent is holding five training days together at the start of the academic year.

"I am not against a block of days, but to have it at the end of the summer holidays makes things extremely difficult," said Nicola Batzis.

Headteacher Chris Soulsby said he was looking at moving training next year.

Ms Batzis, whose son George has severe autism, has collected 125 signatures on a petition against the training week scheduled for this September.

Routine disrupted

"If you have a child with challenging behaviour and special needs, it is very difficult to find places to take them and keep them and everybody else safe," she said.

"George is a big lad and has violent outbursts if things are not going his way."

She said children with autism become frustrated if their routine is disrupted.

During the training week in September 2007, Ms Batzis had to take George with her on the school run for her other children.

"When we got home he decided to go into the kitchen and throw everything he could find on to the floor and break it and show his frustration in that way," she said.

Mr Soulsby said six families from the school had signed Ms Batzis' petition, with the other signatures coming from friends and other contacts.

A survey of parents conducted by the school, which has 120 boarding and day pupils aged from two to 19, showed 95% were in favour of staff training being carried out in a block.

"It is possible, but it is clumsy, to do it in single days," he said.

"There is an issue, which we are more than willing to take on board about whether to hold the training week at the beginning of the academic year."