The boy who hasn't been to school all year and is growing more violent each day

Tyler Darbo used to be what many would consider a model student. The autistic teen showed up to all his lessons and never missed a day of education.

But on one morning in early 2021, Tyler decided he no longer wanted to attend Piper Hill High School, his special needs school in Wythenshawe.

The 16-year-old would attend classes intermittently but only for outdoor activities in the afternoon – meaning he’d miss the educational lessons in the mornings.

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Two years on, his family are in turmoil, fearing the non-verbal teen is “rotting” away in his bedroom and growing more violent by the day.

“Tyler is very demanding, obsessive, controlling and ritualistic,” his dad, Chris Ward, said. He has to be in control all the time and can get violent if he doesn’t get his own way.

“He’s getting more violent and more frustrated. He’s only getting bigger and stronger; he’s been violent for the past 10 years. If you don’t do as he pleases all the time, he’s like a volcano.

“Once he’s started, he can’t control it. The more time he spends at home, the worse he gets. Two years of education has been non-existent.”

Tyler was due to start his post-16 programme at the school in September 2022 but attended once for three hours and hasn’t been back since.

His family, who live in Wythenshawe, claim a Piper Hill High School staff member visited their home in September 2021 to help get Tyler to school.

They say she helped the teen get dressed and he agreed to go to school with her “within minutes” - proving the method really does work.

Following the visit, Tyler started attending school for just under three hours a day, but his attendance dwindled once more when the help did not continue.

Chris says the visit only happened once, and