Timeline
What happened, and when
A date-by-date summary drawn from our own records and correspondence. Dates marked in red are the moments that matter most to us. All dates are in 2026.
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A UK specialist service issues a formal Therapeutic Needs Assessment for our elder son, describing his strengths and the support he needs in school — and warning that his needs "emerge over time," not in a short trial.
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Our family relocates to the Larnaca area for work.
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Our first enquiry to the school. We provide a detailed educational history and disclose that a specialist report exists for our elder son.
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Visits and meetings. The school offers places; admissions confirms the Head Teacher has agreed to place our elder son in Year 5, subject to review of the report and a trial day. A registration payment per child is requested, with a disclosure form.
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We share the full specialist findings and summarise our son's profile, expressly inviting the school to "have an open and honest conversation now" if his needs would be difficult to accommodate. The school offers a taster day rather than declining.
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Trial day arranged in the Year 5 class.
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Enrolment finalised; registration paid per child; statements of account issued. The children begin attending towards the end of February.
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Our first written concern to the Head Teacher (lost breaks, public exclusion from a music lesson, an emotional release at home; a request that the emphasis stay on regulation and support). No response is received.
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We request a meeting about our son's settling-in. The school announces two English progression tests before Easter and two Maths tests afterwards.
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Our son is named "Star of the Week"; the Spring Show invitation is circulated. We inform the teacher of sad family news affecting him.
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We message the class teacher about homework overload, ask that punitive point deductions not be used, and re-send our son's special-needs form and report "in case it hasn't been shared."
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63 pages of homework set for our elder son over the break, much of it generic worksheets unrelated to lessons. On our account he reaches a state of burnout — low energy, anxiety, fear of not finishing, and episodes of becoming non-verbal and shutting down.
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We record contemporaneous written notes of the classroom practices observed and reported.
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We formally withdraw both children with immediate effect, setting out our son's documented requirements and our wellbeing concerns for both boys.
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Having had no substantive response, we follow up and ask for a reply within 48 hours.
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The Head Teacher declines any refund, relying on a price-list clause. We require a full refund of €7,672.50. The Director of Globeducate Cyprus states the fees are "non-negotiable," that the matter is "closed," and that no further correspondence will be addressed. We confirm we will escalate to the educational and consumer authorities and seek advice.