A parent’s story at Inscape

School isn’t there to contain young people. It’s there to help them grow. To bring them hope for a happy future. But not everyone thrives in a mainstream setting. When we first met James, he’d been out of school for 18 months after a long and difficult journey. His family had to fight for his future, but now he is thriving. Jacqui, James’ mum, shares their Inscape story...

James’ story

James had various diagnoses from when he was three-years-old, but it wasn’t until he was 13 that he was diagnosed with autism and pathological demand avoidance (PDA). The mainstream school had been a nightmare. James was self-harming badly and he would often run away from school. The school wasn’t doing anything to support him and he wasn’t learning anything, they were just containing him. James had been out of school for 18 months before we found Inscape House School.

It makes me really cross that in the past he was forced into an education setting that he clearly didn’t fit into. It’s such a fight.  We even went to a tribunal, and then two appeals. But we won because Inscape had everything that James needed.

“Life is much easier knowing that there is a future for James.”

I was very emotional when he first started. James had spent so many years in schools where they didn’t get him, but now he’d found somewhere he belonged. He’s very much an outdoor child, so James’ programme at Inscape totally meets his needs. He studies mainly off-site, one day working on a farm and one day doing woodwork. He also volunteers at a community centre one day a week, and he’s at Inscape working on redesigning two of the gardens. I never imagined he’d be able to do his schooling in that way, one that can accommodate all the things he’s good at. He’s gone from having quite low attendance to 100% attendance – he absolutely loves school. It’s had a massive impact at home because he’s calmer and he’s stopped self-harming. 

James has a very rigid routine – he knows what he’s doing, when he’s doing it and who will be there. But things are adaptable enough so that if something does go wrong, James can swap activities and do something else. We were going through some desperate times, times when he didn’t want to live. But, now he’s happy and he can’t wait till Monday when he can see his teacher David. It’s great that he has that bond with his teacher.

“He needed to find his place and Inscape has helped him do that. They’ve helped him on his journey to find out who he is, so that he can have a future.”

Life is much easier knowing there’s a future for James. When your child is out of school, not happy or too anxious to leave the house, you worry about what their life is going to be like. But now I know there is something out there for him. Be it gardening or animal care, I know he’s got a future doing something, and that’s massive. I want to go back to everyone who said that James would never do exams and say – look what he’s doing! He’s 15 and he’s doing an Open University course in ICT, animal, and horticultural qualifications and he’s thriving.

James is getting the right support and his self-esteem is growing day-by-day. It was very hard for him before, when his needs weren’t being met, but now he’s growing into the person he wants to be. He needed to find his place and Inscape has helped him do that. They’ve helped him on his journey to find out who he is, so that he can have a future.”

With thanks to James’ mum, Jacqui, for sharing their story with us.