Wolverhampton mum keeps son off school because classroom is too noisy

May 29 2011 by Anuji Varma, Sunday Mercury

A BLACK Country mum could face court for keeping her son off school for eight months – because he claims his classroom is TOO NOISY.

Dawn Baldwin says 11 year-old Ben has refused to attend Westcroft Sports College in Wolverhampton since October because of the rowdy behaviour of fellow pupils.

The single mum revealed her son, who has learning disabilities, had barricaded himself in his bedroom because he is terrified.

Dawn, 47, has pleaded with education chiefs to move Ben to a more suitable school, or allow her to teach him at home.

But she has been warned he must attend Westcroft, which caters for special needs youngsters, or she could face a truancy prosecution which carries a huge fine – or jail.

Dawn, of Wednesfield, said: “I’ve tried to convince him to go to school, but he says he is scared of the noise and that there are too many children.

“I can’t force him to go to school because he lashes out.

‘‘He has even barricaded himself in his bedroom and moved a bookcase in front of the door so I couldn’t get in.’’

She added: ‘‘Ben has all the classic signs of autism and does not speak a lot as he suffers from self-mutism.

‘‘He is in a classroom of just eight pupils, yet to him it feels double that amount.

‘‘He needs to be given another option regarding his education. Instead I’ve been told that if he doesn’t go I will go to court over the matter.”

Dawn self-taught eldest child Martin, now 22, whilst her other son Jay, 15, who has Apergers, attends a school where he receives one-to-one tuition.

Ben has been attending Westcroft since 2008. But problems began when he moved to the senior section of the school in September.

“I want him to go to a school like Jay’s but officials have told me that he has to remain at Westcroft,’’ said his mum.

‘‘I’ve asked if I could teach him and the response was very rude as it suggested that I didn’t have the intelligence or the finance to do that.