Parents were left “shocked” when they received a version of a primary school class photo with children’s “complex needs” removed.
Those removed from the photos include a nine-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who is in a wheelchair and a girl who requires additional support (ASN).
A mother whose daughter was removed from a set of photos said it felt like her child was “erased from history”.
The quote was provided by Cornwall-based company Tempest Photography, which employs local photographers to take school photos across the UK.
A photographer took two separate photos of a class at Aboyne Primary School in Aberdeenshire, which has a dedicated extra needs centre, and the child with ASN was reportedly removed from one of the photos .
Parents were then sent a link with two versions to choose from.
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Natalie Pinnell, whose daughter Erin was left out, told the outlet News and Periodicals: “I’m absolutely heartbroken. Furious.”
She added: “To have people choose to erase my daughter from history for the sake of optics is frankly inhumane. One of the cruelest things I have ever experienced.
“I and other parents are incredibly shocked.”
she told Mail online Thankfully, Erin was unaware of the situation but was “terrified” of having to explain it to her sister.
“It’s a very difficult thing to deal with as a family. As a mother I want to support her and to have people think she can be erased is just incredibly devastating,” she told the newspaper.
She added: “This has been the most traumatic experience our family has ever gone through.
“I really want to believe there are different reasons. I’m trying to find reasons why someone made this decision.
“We mourned. We were hurt. I don’t think I’ve hit rock bottom yet. It’s absolutely devastating.”
A second parent, Lisa Boyd, also told the newspaper that her daughter Lily, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, was removed from another photo,
She added that the nine-year-old’s twin sister was “devastated”.
“Her twin sister Iona was in another class and I only took one picture of that class but I took two pictures of Lily – one without my child. It was horrible,” she told reporters Mail online.
Parents on both sides were keen to stress that the school itself was an inclusive environment and that they were not responsible for the incident.
Aberdeenshire Council later apologized to parents, saying the decision was not the school’s and immediately removed the link to the photo.
A spokesman said: “We are aware that following recent school class photos at Aboyne Primary School, links to purchase the photos included images of pupils with and without complex needs.
“While this was not a decision made by the school, we absolutely understand the distress and hurt this has caused some parents and carers and we are sincerely sorry.
“This issue has been discussed directly with the photography company as this is completely unacceptable.
“Aboyne is an inclusive school and every child should be included, involved and involved in their learning and school experience.”
Baofeng Photography also stated that it has launched an investigation into the matter and said: “We are currently investigating the situation with the school and will not make further comments.”
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