Boy walked nine miles home

Tania Chamberlain of Burton Pedwardine met with officials at Ruskington’s St George’s Academy on Monday after she discovered 14-year-old Jack had walked home alone on Thursday.

Mrs Chamberlain said Jack is autistic, has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyspraxia. She said he has not been able to return to school since the incident as the long walk made his legs sore from chafing because of his dyspraxia.

Mrs Chamberlain said: “He will start at a new school in September with his brother when we move in July. An apology is not good enough.”

She said St George’s had originally been recommended as better suited to Jack because of its smaller size.

Mrs Chamberlain said: “I first knew he was missing when I had a telephone call at 1.19pm from the school asking me if Jack had been in touch. Jack had left the school grounds at 10.10am without them seeing him.”

She eventually found him at home where Jack told her that other pupils had allegedly thrown books at him prompting him to walk out.

Claire Adams, vice-principal at St George’s Academy, said she had a ‘constructive meeting’ with Mrs Chamberlain about the events and how to move forward.

She said Jack had left at the start of period two and they were aware of his disappearance by period three - an hour later - at first thinking he may be hiding on campus.

“Despite repeated attempts to contact Mrs Chamberlain she did not reply to us until after lunch,” said Mrs Adams. “We alerted the police and sent a member of staff out in their car to look for Jack.

“We are required to take two registers each day, however at the Academy we do more and this is how we knew Jack was not in class.”

She went on to say in recent weeks there had been ‘a couple of low level incidents to which the school has successfully and fully responded’ and there had been no complaints from Jack’s mother.

She said Jack had been making ‘good progress’.

“All of Jack’s teachers are aware of his condition and are very supportive,” she added.