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Apology after wheelchair girl misses out on party
Caroline McClatchey
A DISABLED pupil who was left out of an end of year party has won an apology from Hampstead School.
Zahrah Manuel, 18, was barred from attending the function onboard a boat on the Thames because it wasn't fitted with wheelchair access.
Made to feel like a second-class citizen, she took her case to a Special Educational Needs tribunal last month and won.
Zahrah, who has cerebral palsy and cannot talk or write but can communicate with her mum Preethi, said: "I was really upset. I'm really happy with the decision. I enjoyed some champagne."
Zahrah, who lives in Iverson Road, West Hampstead, has been at the Westbere Road school for five years and as the first disabled pupil, she paved the way for others.
The full-time drama student was desperate to go to the party in July 2005 and her mum said the school could have chosen another boat which had disabled access.
She said: "For her, these trips are really important. To be excluded crushes her. I can see the disappointment in her face because she cannot talk about it.
"They had a whole year to plan. Zahrah and I talk about discrimination but when it actually happens, it hurts like hell - for her and for me.
"Had she been on the boat trip, other pupils too would have shared in her joy - she's simply ecstatic when we take her out.
"If the school was making errors like this in the first year, I could understand because it was all a bit new and they were trying to learn from her. But five years down the line if you cannot get school trips right then there's something seriously wrong with the management."
In 2004, the school was praised by Ofsted for its inclusive policies but it was around this time that Ms Manuel brought her first tribunal action against the school.
She said: "Her requirement for trained teaching assistants was not provided. The school changed its processes and policies as a result.
"You cannot say you are inclusive in name only as a way of getting some kind of kudos. You have to be practising it in everything you do and planning for it."
She added: "She has some brilliant teaching assistants and drama teachers and I want to be proud of the school."
Apologising to Zahrah and her family, a Camden Council spokesman said: "The disco is something the school has run for many years, and unfortunately on this occasion it was not possible to book a boat that was fully wheelchair accessible. The school looked to arrange an alternative trip, but Zahrah did not wish to attend.
"Although the Special Educational Needs tribunal felt more could have been done to make the trip accessible it found the school was an inclusive school and did not award any compensation."
caroline.mcclatchey@hamhigh.co.uk
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