I took my son to an introductory Muay Thai class because he was genuinely interested in trying it. Unfortunately, the experience left us very uncomfortable, and we ultimately decided not to return, despite my son wanting to continue. The instructor speaks about respect and professionalism, yet on that day we had arranged for him to meet my son, who has autism, before class so he could feel comfortable. He did not show. He eventually arrived approximately 20 minutes late, leaving three young girls locked out and unsupervised in the heat. He arrived with a drink in hand, focused on his phone, with no apology or acknowledgement to either us or the girls. I do not consider that professional or respectful. There was another child at the class who had previously been involved in an unrelated bullying situation with my son. The situation was mutual, with both children involved. My son was part of a group that had bullied her, although he did not initiate the situation, and she also participated in the bullying with her own group. Before the class, the other child spoke privately to the instructor about what had happened. From that point, I felt the instructor had already formed an opinion about my son based on one side of an unrelated situation, without knowing the full circumstances. When I spoke to him afterwards, rather than remaining neutral and focusing on what was happening within his class, he appeared to defend the other child and was quite accusatory towards my son. He also mentioned that he connected with the other child because she was mixed race and he understood what it was like to be “different.” My son knows what it is like to feel different too, but I felt that this seemed to be disregarded when considering his side of the situation. This was particularly disappointing because I would expect a martial arts instructor to understand the importance of teaching children not only not to bully others, but also to stand up for themselves, take responsibility for their own actions, acknowledge when their own behaviour has contributed to a situation, and learn from difficult experiences. Instead, the situation created an awkward and uncomfortable environment for my son during what should have been a positive experience. The instructor later contacted me about my son potentially joining. Unfortunately, that conversation reinforced my concerns. I found his approach biased, smug, unsympathetic and unprofessional, and I did not feel comfortable putting my son into an environment where I felt he had already been judged. My son actually enjoyed the class itself and wanted to continue, but the way the situation was handled put him off. That is particularly disappointing. I have no issue with the instructor acknowledging the other child's concerns. What I take issue with is how he handled the situation afterwards. When we communicated, he showed little consideration for our side of what had happened. He offered to “help”, but had already made it clear that my son would not be accepted into that class. That was not a genuine solution. What I expected was fairness, neutrality and an opportunity for both children to move forward. Instead, I felt he took sides. I will also be angry and hostile towards someone I feel is “taking the piss” and not being genuine with me. That reaction did not come from nowhere; it came from how I felt we had been treated. I maintain that his conduct towards us was dismissive, biased and unprofessional. The fairness and positivity he promotes clearly did not extend to my son. I also question whether the fact that the other child is regularly featured in his business publicity influenced how the situation was handled. I cannot know whether it did, but given the circumstances, I believe it is a reasonable question to raise. Based on his conduct that day and his subsequent communication with me, I cannot recommend this business.