Special needs: Mum wants answers over daughter's school injuries

A family are seeking further answers about head injuries sustained by their disabled daughter while at school.

Katie Mitchell has severe autism, learning difficulties and attends CEARA School in Lurgan.

The 18-year-old was recorded by staff as banging her head off the ground 10 to 20 times over a period of one to two minutes.

A spokesperson for the school said: "We cannot comment on individual incidents."

Katie's family said they had concerns about the safeguarding procedures in place at the school.

New figures obtained by BBC News NI show that there have been more than 22,000 accidents and unsafe acts recorded in schools across Northern Ireland during the last four years.

These include falls, burns, sports injuries, and assaults.

Almost 10,000 of the incidents took place in primary school settings.

A spokesperson for CEARA School added: "We can assure parents that our school has robust safeguarding policies and procedures which were followed on this occasion."

There are only 39 special schools in Northern Ireland but they represented 30% of incidents reported to the Education Authority.

In a statement the Education Authority said: "The safety and wellbeing of pupils remains the highest priority for the Education Authority and our schools."

Katie's story

Warning: Content below features an image of a head injury

Katie Mitchell is non-verbal and has been attending CEARA special school since she was a child.

On 31 May 2023, the family received a phone call stating that Katie had fallen in the playground and had continued to bang her head off the ground 10 to 20 times and had sustained a head injury.

Katie's family eventually received a copy of the school incident report into what happened.

Katie's sister Eileen and her mother Deirdre say they still have questions about what happened

It stated that as Katie was walking to the park area she became "dysregulated and was attempting to attack staff".

The report stated that staff created a safe space between them and Katie for "safety reasons", but stayed close enough to "provide support if needed".

The report also described unsuccessful attempts by staff to "stabilise" Katie and then staff "disengaged".

The report then described how Katie began to bang her head off the ground "vigorously".

Staff reported that they approached to provide a cushion, towel and beanbag between Katie and the ground. But staff described how Katie grabbed their hands and clothing when they approached.

The report said that Katie continued to bang her head in the region of "10 to 20 times for one or two minutes".

At this point, staff deemed this was causing her significant harm and decided further "restrictive physical intervention" was required.

Katie was then brought into the school to sit in a chair and her parents and an ambulance were phoned.

Katie sustained a head injury

Katie's mother, Deirdre, still has a number of questions about the incident.

She said: "When you send a young person with complicated needs to school, you know that things can happen.

"But I don't understand how it got to that level that she was able to hit her heard that many times and how it took so long to intervene."

Katie's sister, Eileen, added: "Even the fact that somebody was able count the number of times she hit her head, I find quite shocking.

"A school is meant to be a safe environment. We don't want another other family to have to go through something like this."

In a statement, CEARA School added: "The safety of pupils and staff at the school is our highest priority.

"If an issue arises, we will investigate it thoroughly and, if needed, will update our policies and procedures to ensure the safety of our children and young people."

Reporting incidents

In September 2019, the Education Authority introduced an online accident reporting format for accidents, incidents, near misses, unsafe acts and unsafe conditions at schools.

Commenting on the figures Northern Ireland's new Children's Commissioner, Chris Quinn, said they were "alarming".

He added: "The fact that there were 22,000 accidents and unsafe acts in our schools in recent years shows action is needed immediately. What is particularly worrying is that a large proportion take place in special schools.

"There are almost 1000 schools in Northern Ireland, so for 30% of these incidents to be taking place in the 39 special schools clearly represents a grave disproportionality and is cause for huge concern."

A spokesperson for the Education Authority said: "EA offer a range of services to safeguard our pupils and staff. This includes training and capacity building for staff, as well as appropriate direct support for pupils in line with their needs.

"In addition, EA continue to prioritise the funding of works to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our children and young people.

"The safety and wellbeing of pupils and staff remains the highest priority for the Education Authority and our schools."