School Punished Him 250 Times—But When His Parents Fought Back, the Shocking Truth Was Finally Exposed

A Welsh school has been told to apologize to a teenager and his family after a tribunal found it discriminated against him by failing to support his additional needs—and it’s a story that’s hitting home for many parents. 15-year-old Kian Mills, from Port Talbot, was pulled out of St Joseph’s Catholic School by his parents last June, after what they describe as a relentless and unfair cycle of punishments.

Over just two years, Kian received more than 250 sanctions, including detentions, exclusions, and isolations. His parents, Julie and Aldon, say the school failed to take his ADHD and dyslexia into account and that instead of helping him, it made things worse, reported Wales Online.

Things came to a breaking point when the school told Julie that her son was being sent to isolation again. That’s when they decided enough was enough and began home-educating him. “He was so unhappy he was getting depressed,” Julie said. “The system is not working for many, many families.”

Kian had enjoyed primary school, but secondary proved to be a different story. Under strict post-Covid rules, students had to stay in the same classroom for hours on end—something Kian, full of energy and undiagnosed at the time, really struggled with. When he couldn’t sit still or work like the others, he got into trouble again and again. Julie paid privately for an ADHD assessment, which confirmed the diagnosis in Year 8. Still, she says, the school didn’t give him the help he needed, and not all his teachers even knew about his diagnosis.

After trying every route—including the school governors, local education authority, and even the Children’s Commissioner—Julie finally took the school to an education tribunal. She represented Kian herself. In January, the tribunal ruled in their favor, stating that St Joseph’s had failed to make reasonable adjustments and that their behavior policy put Kian at a clear disadvantage.

Judge Paul Allen said Kian’s breakdown in education was “entirely preventable”. While he acknowledged the school’s leadership had since taken steps to reflect, the ruling was clear: the system had let Kian down. The school must now apologize, update its policies, and provide staff training on disability discrimination and neurodiversity. Kian’s records will also reflect the tribunal’s findings.

Julie, in tears, when the decision came through, said home education wasn’t what they wanted, but they had no choice. “We do it with great difficulty,” she said. “With the right support, I’d love him to be in school with his friends.” For now, Kian’s learning from home, and feeling better. “No one was listening to me,” he said. “It’s a lot better not being in school.”