Jan 11, 2020, Manchester Evening News: No school for little Rudi, kicked out for 'violent behaviour' aged just five https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/no-school-little-rudi-kicked-17502390 …Headteacher Mrs Janine Parker took the decision to exclude Rudi after an incident in which he kicked and punched teaching staff, tipped over chairs and a table, and pulled displays off a wall. It was the culmination of a pattern of violent behaviour that began in nursery when he was just three-years-old. While they understand why the school made the drastic decision, his parents are distraught and believe more should have been done to keep him in school and get him the help he clearly needs. The couple say they have no idea where Rudi's behaviour comes from and that it doesn't happen at home…. There were just 118 children permanently excluded aged five across the country in 2017-18, according to the Department for Education. In Manchester, only thirteen pupils in total were permanently excluded from state-funded primary schools…. However, as the M.E.N has reported previously , soaring rates of exclusions has been a serious problem in Manchester schools in recent years…. In November 2019, Manchester Council responded by launching a new 'Inclusion Strategy' that was designed to tackle exclusion rates. But the sad story of how Rudi Barnes came to be kicked out of school at such a young age, and his parents' ongoing battle to make sure he gets an education, highlights how this continues to be a challenging problem. Many of those tasked with preventing exclusions, from school staff to mental health services, are struggling with a rapidly increasing workload and dwindling budgets after a decade of government funding cuts. Four months after his permanent exclusion, Rudi still hasn't had another day at school or been assessed by a mental health professional, despite being referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) at least nine times, the M.E.N understands. By law, the local authority must make arrangements for a child's full time education from the sixth day of exclusion onwards. Rudi has been offered alternative provision at Bridgelea, a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) for permanently excluded children but it has left the parents in a quandry…. Carl, 40, is a full-time carer to partner Claire who has diabetes, and is also responsible for getting Rudi's nine-year-old brother and two-year-old sister to school every day….
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