Fury after school 'hides' special needs pupils to get better Ofsted report

PARENTS have hit out at a school for “hiding” special needs children to get a better Ofsted report.

Back of head of young boyGETTY

Parents were furious when their children were taken out of the classroom to stop 'distruption'

Martin Gillingham, 46, was furious when his dyslexic son Jamie, 15, was taken out of classes at Matravers School in Westbury, Wiltshire.

Jamie and three others were told it was to stop “disruption” in front of inspectors.

“It’s unfair,” Martin said. “To me the Ofsted visit is to see how they cope with discipline.”

Another parent whose 12-year-old has ADHD said she was told to keep him at home because he “wouldn’t be able to cope”.

She said: “My son needs routine and they took that routine away from him.”

A school spokesman said: “A tiny number of parents of our most vulnerable students were contacted. This was as a supportive and caring measure.”

School governor Russell Hawker added: “The school did what was in the best interest of the whole school and their objective is to get a good Ofsted report.”

Zenna Atkins, 49, the former head of Ofsted, yesterday apologised after complaints about lewd remarks on her Facebook page, including one in which she said she had offered to perform a sex act on a “handsome man”. “

My jokes/comments were only meant to be seen by my friends," she said.

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