01/12/2026
"There are only two legal reasons to put a child on a part-time timetable: they genuinely can't manage full-time due to need or illness — or there's a clear, short-term reintegration plan," she said.
"What's happening in Somerset looks a lot like informal exclusion. If schools are placing pupils on reduced hours to manage behaviour or because they don't have provision — and the council isn't monitoring it — that's unlawful."
She said the data shows a clear red flag: "All 75 children are recorded as persistently absent. That's unacceptable. For many SEND children, non-attendance is rooted in school-related anxiety — it should be authorised, not treated as truancy.
"If it's unauthorised, parents face threats of fines or prosecution. We've supported families who've been taken to court, when the real issue is the school or council failing to meet a child's needs."
75 children on part-time timetables at 26 schools across the county — all officially classed persistently absent.
