La Passerelle students reported missing nearly 300 times

BBC News

a day ago

Students from a school set up to support children with additional needs have been reported missing to the police by their parents and carers 291 times between September 2023 and January 2025.La Passerelle was set up to support students who struggle to attend mainstream school because of a range of issues such as high anxiety.A parent, who we are calling Paul to protect the identity of his child, said the school's decision to mix neurodiverse children with children who have been in trouble with the law was leading to students going missing and taking part in anti-social behaviour.La Passerelle and education minister Deputy Rob Ward said no students have been reported missing from the school during the day, but if pupils leave the school site, staff will follow the pupil and keep them in sight until their parents arrive.
The States of Jersey Police declined an interview request and were unable to tell the BBC how many students the 291 incidents related to.A separate BBC Freedom of information request found that there are 61 pupils at La Passerelle secondary and 15 students at the primary school. Paul's child has autism and joined La Passerelle after struggling in mainstream education because of their anxiety.He and his wife were told La Passerelle would provide a caring, nurturing environment for their child but he said: "It's turned into a nightmare and we bitterly regret putting them into the school."Paul explained that after a few weeks at the school his child went from being "mild mannered to being confrontational with authority".
'A toxic mix'
Paul said his child became friends with children who had been in trouble with the law and because of their autism they would "mimic behaviour to fit in".Paul felt the decision to put children with different complex needs in one small school led to a "toxic mix".He said: "The children who had been in trouble with the law had a huge influence on the neurodiverse children including my child."The children who had criminal behaviours, their way of getting their fix was to be chased by the police, to be out overnight… to get reported missing by their parents and carers, and they encouraged other students to come out with them."
Paul said his child would often go missing with other students after school but there were several occasions where they went missing from school premises during the day.He said: "Some of the students who were suspended were actually coming up to the school to actively encourage other students who were in school to go missing and that happened a couple of times with my child."Another parent told the BBC her child and other children were going missing both during and after school hours. She said her child started to go missing after becoming friends with children who had been in trouble with the law.
When asked if their child should be taking more responsibility for their own behaviour, Paul said: "It's well-known that some autistic children do go missing, they do get involved in anti-social behaviour, they have no idea or consequences of what they are actually doing."For us as parents it's a daily battle to protect our child from the behaviour they become involved with. We have even moved house but it's made little difference." Paul thinks the education department needs to be doing more to help neurodiverse children: "There are a lot of parents in similar situations to us who are just pulling our hair out with education."Education are not listening to us or our children and they're not providing the right environment for our children to flourish and to be educated."
The school and the minister for education and life long learning declined to do an interview but they sent the BBC a joint statement.It said: "No students have been 'missing' or 'reported missing' by school during the school day from La Passerelle."Non-attendance is recorded when pupils do not arrive at school and following a multi-agency update, school will then be made aware that the pupils have been reported as missing."Parents are always notified if pupils leave the school site, and the staff will support by following the pupil and keeping them in sight until their parents and carers are able to arrive."All pupils who attend La Passerelle have neurodiverse needs and staff work alongside parents, carers and partner agencies to ensure each pupil's individual needs are met."