School accused over eczema boy!

Special report: public services
School accused over eczema boy

Rebecca Smithers, education correspondent
Friday March 7, 2003
The Guardian

A six-year-old boy with severe eczema who changed schools after a disagreement about the trousers he wore is to take his school to tribunal under new anti-discrimination laws in the first case of its kind.

Louie Valencia and his mother, Gabriella, will today launch the action - supported by the disability rights commission (DRC) - against St Eugene de Mazenod school in Camden, north London, after he was told to wear the regulation wool flannel trousers, which aggravated the eczema on his legs so much that he could barely walk.

Louie must wear 100% cotton next to his skin to stop the condition from flaring up.

The case coincides with an advertising campaign called Educating for Equality, which is being launched next week by the DRC. It will encourage schools, colleges and universities to give disabled people more than half a chance.

At the start of term in September, Louie had gone to school wearing cotton cord trousers that were the same grey as the regulation trousers. His mother claims that a week later, while he was waiting in line for the school photo, the headteacher picked him out and told him that he could no longer wear them as they were not the standard uniform.

Louie's GP and his consultant at St Mary's hospital wrote to explain that the uniform trousers would exacerbate his eczema and that in their opinion Louie should be allowed to wear 100% cotton.

After it asked that Louie should have another medical examination, Mrs Valencia removed him from the school. Louie's younger sister has also been moved.

St Eugene de Mazenod is a heavily oversubscribed voluntary-aided state Roman Catholic primary school.

A spokeswoman for the DRC said the family was not seeking to return to the school but simply wanted an apology and a recognition that the uniform policy should be changed.

Mrs Valencia said: "The school made Louie feel he had done something wrong and he can't understand why he has been moved away from his friends. It has taken him a while to settle in his new school."

The new laws were introduced under the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act of 2001, which amends the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995. They aim to ensure that disabled pupils are not treated "less favourably" and are not disadvantaged in any aspect of school life.

The school's headteacher, Valerie Robinson, yesterday referred press inquiries to the local education authority, Camden council.

A council spokeswoman said Mrs Robinson challenged the family's version of events, and claimed that she had not been informed of Louie's medical condition at the time of his application or admission to school.