Row over Ruth Kelly's private school decision: UPDATE

[nellie]

A couple of stories highlighting Ruth Kelly's decision to send her child with special needs to private school.

 

 

Row over Ruth Kelly's private school decision

http://www.adfero.co.uk/news/news/educatio...#036;462701.htm

 

No 10 defends Kelly over school

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6240165.stm

Edited January 8, 2007 by nellie

[Kathryn]

This is the first I've heard that Ruth Kelly has a child with SEN. Does anyone know what kind of learning difficulty he/she has?

 

K x

[nellie]

Kathryn,

 

It is believed the child in question has dyslexia.

Edited January 8, 2007 by nellie

[mossgrove]

She is lucky enough to be in a position to buy the best possible education for her child and has done so. I am happy that it is a private decsion for her family to take.

 

Simon

[Kathryn]

I think that public figures who have a hand in formulating the policies that shape our daily lives should be accountable for all decisions they make in public or in private.

 

I'm not disputing RK's right to send her child to a private school if she chooses, but it would be good to hear an explanation from her as to why she thinks her local state schools are inadequate.

 

K x

[Elanor]

Whilst I feel I should be generous and agree with Mossgrove on this one, I'm afraid I'm actually with Kathryn.

 

Ruth Kelly is not any other private person - she is someone who took decisions that impacted on the eduction that all our kids experience. I'd like to know why the local state schools cannot deal with her child's dyslexia - and whether Ruth Kelly had responsibility for it.

 

Elanor

[Katiebell]

She is lucky enough to be in a position to buy the best possible education for her child and has done so. I am happy that it is a private decsion for her family to take.

 

Simon

 

Sorry Simon I don't agree.

 

Ruth Kelly by sending her child to a private school is saying that HER government's provision for children with SEN is not adequate. As a government minister, which is her choice, her personal decisions are not always private. She should be fighting like the rest of us for a better deal for her child instead of taking the easy hypocritical option.

 

This topic has made me so angry when I can't even get my children properly assessed because of Ruth Kelly's government starving my LEA of desperatly needed funding.

 

Katiebell

[Paula]

Ruth Kelly has done the best for her child shes lucky coz shes got the cash to do so.And hats of to her.

 

 

Thing is though unless youre lucky enough to have escellent special needs school in youre area and gaine a place like we managed to all be it with a struggle then if yer skint yer left with the stinking mainstream system and no ###### in goverment gives a toss.

 

Her diecision highlights the fact that mainstreaming doesnt work for all.

She should now i think speak out and explaine fully why it werent good enough for her kid but will do for ours.

[chriss]

You are absolutely right Paula!

 

It's interesting that her LEA are now saying- that they think the provision in their state schools IS sufficient. This goes against what Ruth Kelly has said, but how can the LEA admit that their schools aren't adequate for an SEN child? I think Ruth is about to become the latest in a long line of parents to be stitched up by an LEA!

 

Ruth earns good money as an Mp and I'm sure she works hard for it, but I find it sickenly ironic that she is using that money to pay for a private school because services she was responsible for just aren't available in state schools. As an MP she should be ashamed but as a parent she has to do the best for her child.

 

By the way does anyone believe David Cameron when he says he wants to send his kids to state schools?

Edited January 8, 2007 by chriss

[TheNeil]

By the way does anyone believe David Cameron when he says he wants to send his kids to state schools?

 

Would that be state schools like Eton?

[Paula]

David Cameran sending his kids to a state school to get there toffee nose heads kicked in .....................i doubt it very much.Itll be all hushed up but theyll go to a nice well proivided for private school where every ###### called humphry or rupert.............

 

 

 

MPs make the rules but have enough dosh not to have to live by them.They wouldnt last two minutes liveing in the real world.Yea some harp on about being brought up in councel estates and how they had it tough in Liverpool slums.....but funny no ###### speaks with a liverpool accent and they no longer live in the area they were brought up in.

 

 

 

 

I aint getting at liverpool its just an example.

[curra]

I think that Ruth Kelly's message to parents of children with SEN is that the inclusion policy doesn't work and in fact is so ineffective even for a child with dyslexia (not to mention children with ASD) that she has to send her own child to a private school. She's not the only MP who sends their children to private schools at the same time that special schools are closing. What are we supposed to think?

 

Curra

[Jill]

Wait a minute, wasn't she one of the advocats for closing special schools and pushing "inclusion" down everyone's throats?

 

Whilst I can't really argue with her trying to do the best for her child (hand on heart I would do the same in her position) she shouldn't then just move on with an "I'm all right Jack" attitude, she should be using her position and influence to change things for the better.

[Karen A]

Hi I thought I would put up a post as we live in the Borough that has been qouted in the BBC reprt.Whilst Ben has excellent provision in mainstream I am aware that children in the Borough who have Dyslexia are not as well provided for.I know of several parents who have children with Dyslexia or Dxyspraxia who continue to push for more help.I think Ruth Kelly has done what any parent would do if they had the money and I do not blame her.It is just sad that this level of provision is not avalable for all.

I want to emphasise that provision within the Borough for children with ASD is excellent-both in mainsteam and within the Specialist ASD provision.What is more there are plans to extend specialist provision for post sixteen-far from the Specialist proviasion being closed.Karen

Edited January 8, 2007 by Karen A

[tsmom]

I think that Ruth Kelly's message to parents of children with SEN is that the inclusion policy doesn't work and in fact is so ineffective even for a child with dyslexia (not to mention children with ASD) that she has to send her own child to a private school. She's not the only MP who sends their children to private schools at the same time that special schools are closing. What are we supposed to think?

 

Curra

Nerve of that women

Its the old im alright Jack,stuff the rest of you attitude.

I would send my child to a private school if i could afford to but i shouldnt have to do so for her to get a good education.I pay tax she should be able to go to a school that can meet her needs.

I fought for 3 yrs to get her statmented then when they finnaly arged,they give her 25hrs 1-1,yet for yrs all iv heard is shes fine but has an over protective mom.

Do you think im annoyed about this lol.

[Karen A]

David Cameran sending his kids to a state school to get there toffee nose heads kicked in .....................i doubt it very much.Itll be all hushed up but theyll go to a nice well proivided for private school where every ###### called humphry or rupert.............

MPs make the rules but have enough dosh not to have to live by them.They wouldnt last two minutes liveing in the real world.Yea some harp on about being brought up in councel estates and how they had it tough in Liverpool slums.....but funny no ###### speaks with a liverpool accent and they no longer live in the area they were brought up in.

I aint getting at liverpool its just an example.

 

Sorry but I feel the need to make a point very strongly.If Ruth Kelly does live in the Borough quoted in the report then she lives in what is statistically recognised to be one of the Boroughs that is in the top three in the country for levels of deprivation.I live in an ex council house on a very rough estate in the Borough.Yes there are also some areas of prosperity as well.However the Borough is most definitely in the real world.Karen

[loulou]

Hi,

 

I don't blame Ruth Kelly for her decision to what's best for HER child, but what about what's best for EVERYONE ELSE'S child?

 

Maybe this is the sort of publicity needed to open up a nice big can of worms on the subject of SEN and inclusion (again)?

 

Loulou xx

[phasmid]

I wonder what RK will say to the parents of children of a similar level of difficulty who cannot fund the fee's needed to allow their children to attend the school her daughter is going to? Probably not a dickie bird but, lets face it, if the provision is failing her child it MUST be failing others too, there is no way I can accept that her child is that unique that her needs will be that much different to every other child diagnosed with dyslexia in her LA. Don't get me wrong, as has already been pointed out most of us would do the same if we could...the problem is we can't! Good luck to RK's daughter I hope it works for her, will RK now do somehing about the poor provision others are having to endure though I wonder...Hmm, now there's a question!

[Suze]

I was pleased that the media have caught onto this, lets hope they do some digging and raise the issues of in adequate provision for children with SEN, the closure of special schools, the funding from lea to schools for sen............the whole lot needs looking at, because for the vast majority in mainstream schools it ain,t working.My son is dyslexic aswell, prior to his dx of autism he had a half hour every week with the senco, to help with his reading which was 3yrs behing his peers.After a year he was still 3yrs behind .............

[darky]

ughhhh ive just read that her child has "substantial" learning difficulty, aka dyslexia. well my son has "substantial" learning difficulty as well as Asperger syndrome, but i stand NO chance in even getting him a special school, let alone a private one thanks to labour!! grrr rant rave fume!!

 

dont get me wrong, good luck to the lad, i hope he does well, which of course he will, but it should be the same choice for us all with kids who have sen NOT fair!!!

[brooke]

I really annoyed about this If it was Anyone else then i could understand and if i had the money then my boys would go private too but she is basically proving (by taking her child out of state education) what we already know State Education just isnt good enough for children with sen, and yet she has closed god knows how many special schools and said the best thing is to include children with sen in mainstream. What a hypocryte.

Edited January 8, 2007 by brooke

[JsMum]

Well I cant believe it really, what goes around soon comes around and bites us right on the bottom, and ruth has really gone full circle here.

 

I know from what the news says that the mainstream didnt pick up or diagnose her child Dyslexia and was most likey had to pay a proffessional to assess and diagnose and then was adviced that the only place her child would get any support would be a specific school, as schools dont recognise or give extra help for dyslexia.

 

only for reading if its behind recommened age, no qualified specialist in Dyslexia so loads of kids are been privately assessed and diagnosed but its very unlikely the specialist support will be in school and if support is offered it for half an hour once a week, not near enough when you add up the rest of the lesson in that week timestable where Dyslexia may proove to be difficult with reading, spelling, number recognition, processing information and then independant work, its very clear why ruth has provided her child with a school that provide a more support than the half an hour a week.

 

pitty we dont all have that choice though.

 

 

J goes to a specialist centre once a week for 1 and a half an hours specialist support with a specialist teacher so not in school for one morning a week, it shouldnt be like this.

 

but I cant let him get on with it without support.

 

Thankfully Js School do accomadate his Dyslexia and he does have a statement for his other disabilties but Dyslexia isnt mentioned on his statement, so goes without condisering this.

 

J struggles in all his subjects even the ones he is good at because in Maths lots of the questions are in text and so needs support with reading and then putting in the answer as he gets numbers the wrong way round.

 

The school do understand this is partly due to his Dyslexia and do make allowences but what they should be doing is providing specialist support within education.

 

I do wish ruth kellys child the best of luck now though and hope her child get the support that deserves that sadly just isnt available in a normal mainstream.

 

I can see these units that are attatched to school becoming very full soon as RK has highlighted a very serious situation.

 

our education is not adequate for special needs children.

 

JsMum

Edited January 8, 2007 by JsMum

[darky]

hi J's mum, "dyslexia not picked up or diagnosed in school, had to go private for diagnosis, and mainstream school would not recognise it or treat it"

sounds very familiar!! same happened here, makes me sick. lets i spose try and look positively about this, and HOPE that this highlights the seriousness of the problems in mainstream schools.

 

for some reason, dyslexia is a learning problem that is getting less and less support and funding these days, recognition is the worst.

[clintess]

hi this is the letter i wrote,with bits blanked to ruth kelly back in march 2006 whilst she was still in office.

 

Dear Ms Ruth Kelly,

 

I am writing to you as one parent to another. I am a mother of five children who range from thirteen years, to twins of four. Two of my children have medical conditions; my eldest son , has A.D.H.D, my second son who is 6years, has an ASD condition It is about t that I am writing to you.T has been having speech therapy since he was just over two years old; he has also been seeing a specialist paediatrician, {see original referral report} for his behaviour, in fact they thought T has been having speech therapy since he was just over two years old; he has also been seeing a specialist paediatrician, {see original referral report} for his behaviour, in fact they thought T was deaf due to his lack of speech and was referred to a consultant.

has been having speech therapy since he was just over two years old; he has also been seeing a specialist paediatrician, {see original referral report} for his behaviour.

The first report Dr compiled was for the school, clearly stating T would be a child with SEN {see first report} but despite this, whilst T School, nothing was put into place except that his speech therapy continued. He was not put onto school action, or even had an IEP.

 

One parents evening in October 2004, T classroom teacher told me that he was so far behind they didn?t have the time for him and unless he was in front of her visually doing something connected to his speech, she could not understand him. I tried several times to approach the school, which dismissed me as being a nuisance. My son?s education is the most important thing, it will help him to become a fully independent adult, gain a good career and without his education, were would my son be?

After seven months, discussing the subject with both Speech Therapist and ? Specialist Paediatrician, I removed both my boys from their existing school and placed them into School, Luckily for T a very experienced and skilled SENCO/HEAD, Mrs Nhad also joined the school and gave me back the faith that I had previously lost with regards to the school system

Mrs N has done so much for my son T in such a short amount of time he has been with them. Within three months he was placed on school

 

action plus, within eight months he was receiving one to one along with other educational provisions to aid his learning, including teaching him visually where possible.

 

After moving my sons and concentrating on them settling in I then decided to complain to the chair of governors at School, Mrs B. {See enclosed letters} but to no avail, so I also wrote to the area officer for local education and the local MP

 

Mr mp then passed the details I sent him to Mr R Councillor for Kent education.

Mr R on my behalf, also contacted the LEA and School. I have enclosed the reply letter he sent to me, also my reply back.

I think the LEA should train teachers, such as Mrs P, in the complex area of Special Educational Needs when they take on this position as SENCO, this is so they can gain the skills required to provide the education most appropriate for each individual child.

 

I find it disgraceful, that although SENCOS have a teachers? qualification, yet they can lack such a specialised skill (also no qualification) in such a complexed field of education and I feel strongly that this needs to be addressed.

I feel that the governments policy of inclusion for SEN children is a good idea, but would not be suitable for all SEN children, that if they insist on such policies at least have the correct provisions in place and teaching staff qualified within that field to implement the correct education by using their skills for those SEN children.

 

If we want our children with SEN to contribute to society in their adult lives with their disabilities (also medical conditions) we must allow them to receive the right education from a young age. I believe at this young age it is here the building blocks of life are made and can be improved upon. If we fail to get this right, then those children with SEN?s will find adult life even more difficult and with my own son I want to avoid this as best I can.

Children with special needs make up two-thirds of all children excluded from school

I will also be writing to the Prime Minster, Mr Tony Blair, regarding the DWP forms, as a doctor not unqualified SENCO?S, should be filling these out.

A report from the school should be obtained, but only by a qualified SENCO.

 

I have read, with much interest, IPSEA (Independent Panel for Special Educational Advice), which launched a campaign in April 2005 to end the scandal of children with special needs being denied the help at school to which they are legally entitled. IPSEA had support from three parliamentary candidates.

 

The causes of the scandal were:

� Local Education Authorities (LEAs) unlawfully refusing to assess children's needs and -- also unlawfully -- refusing to specify how much help children are entitled to receive; and

� The Secretary of State for Education and Skills failing to take a firm stand against LEA law-breakers, despite having the power and the duty to do so.

It appears to me, with evidence from my own son?s situation, that still the LEA is not assessing children with SEN?s thoroughly.

John Wright from IPSEA states:

"We want all candidates to pledge themselves to take up the issue of unlawful behaviour by LEAs within their own parties (none of the main parties has a clean record sheet at LEA level with regard to obeying the law on special educational needs). And, if elected, we want Members to press the Secretary of State on the need for reform of his/her investigative functions when complaints of unlawful behaviour by LEAs are lodged. At present it can take up to a year for an investigation to be completed, even when all the evidence needed is supplied at the beginning along with the complaint.

Following the election, IPSEA will be contacting MPs who signed the pledges to see what action they have been able to take to defend the rights of children with special needs."

 

I know said College has a course for diplomas in SEN, for teachers and other professionals. A course like this should be made compulsory and allocated to teaching staff on their staff training days.

Other professions re-train consistently, such as the Ambulance and Police services; this should also be the same were SEN are concerned.

 

I hope that you will find my letter informative, as a parent with children who have SEN?s, I felt it prudent that I write to share my grave concerns for the future of our nation?s society of SEN children.

 

I await a response from you.

 

Yours Sincerely

 

i received a reply stateing it was not her department so to speak and contact the ombudsman i then rewrote another letter stateing she totally missed the point about the point i was making regarding sen in general not just my particulair case.But still had reply sateing it wasnt her deparment.

[Tilly]

Does anyone think that there would have been such an outcry if RK son was going to attend a state SEN school?

 

Why has she had to go to a private special needs school is it because there are no state SEN schools in her area? Or have the government closed them down? Could it be that they are over subscribed, or has she queue jumped by being able to pay the fees? I don't know as I'm not from that borough. Does she know that as a parent of a child with learning difficulties that mainstream is not the right environment for a majority of children and it is the cheaper option to keep them in mainstream with a TA who "has been on a course".

 

Thankfully my dd does attend a SEN and I have often commented that she is receiving the equivalent of a private education, with small class numbers and state of the art technology - I dread to think that this would only be available to people with fat purses.

 

RK defends herself by saying she needs to do what is right for her children. So do I but unfortunately our rights are being withdrawn from us with more and more of a SEN schools being earmarked to close.

 

Tilly

[opheila]

While i understand as a parent she wants the best for her child, uh wake up so does every other parent. I am so sick of MPS making a mess of the education system and then they got the brass neck to send their own kids to Private schools. Well Ms kelly what does that say about the complete mess you and others made of our education system. Many parents like my self dont have the money to follow your chosen path so we have to grin shout and scream and bear the mess you have made for the rest of us. rant over how about we all write to tony blair and tell him what we all think ?

[Emum]

is it because there are no state SEN schools in her area? Or have the government closed them down? Could it be that they are over subscribed, or has she queue jumped by being able to pay the fees?

 

There are, as the press have quoted, some special schools still functioning in Tower Hamlets, however what the press have not made clear is that the admissions policy for these schools is strictly defined, and none of them would be suitable for a child of her child's age whose learning difficulty is dyslexia.

 

As KarenA has pointed out TH is a good borough for children on the autistic spectrum, but other learning difficulties are less well supported and in the main children with other learning difficulties are either educated in the mainstream with support, or are funded to attend special schools out of borough.

 

My understanding, and this is based only on what I read in the paper, is that RK's child was assessed and statemented to the effect that he required the particular provision which he is getting, and the LA were prepared to fund that provision under the statement, but she decided that she would pay for it herself, rather than take money out of the public purse. That may however be political spin, and I would certainly be asking whether the LA would have been quite so quick to statement in these terms for another child (Tower Hamlets is still BTW a labour controlled borough at Council level, though at national level our MP is a Respect Party candidate)

 

How do people feel though about dyslexia being categorised as a serious learning difficulty as some of the media have done. I appreciate that it makes acquiring and expressing information more difficult, which must put it into the category of a learning difficulty, but my understanding is that dyslexia does not cause the kind of cognitive processing difficulties that many of our children have, so should it fall into the category of "serious"? My DD can't read or write either , but the nature of her learning difficulties impacts the whole of her life, and there are very many other fairly basic life skills she hasn't been able to acquire either, so personally I think her entitlement to education at a special school is much more clear cut. Is this me just being insensitive to a different kind of disability about which I know little though?

[lorryw]

Hi Emum,

Im so pleased you feel as I do that dyslexia is being wrongly described as a severe learning difficulty. Severe Learning difficulty is the politically correct phrase for mental handicap.

[curra]

Excuse my french, but RK is not just another parent who wants the best for her child, she was the secretary of education and therefore someone responsible for the quality of state education all over the country. She is not just a parent who is lucky enough to have sufficient money to send her daughter to a private school because there are no state schools in her borough who can provide support for dyslexia. She is still a secretary of state and her salary is paid by the taxpayers. Not only that, she is part of a New Labour government that has pledged to improve education!

BTW dyslexia, as far as I know, is a learning difficulty (not a disability) which most schools should be able to manage giving appropriate support. I find it incredible that the former secretary of education thinks that there is not a single school in her borough that can do this. It's a slap on the face to state education.

 

Sorry for the rant

 

Curra

[Kathryn]

I've just been sent this link: excellent in depth report on channel 4 news last night. Best bit is towards the end where Jon Snow gets stuck into the Chief Whip about SEN provision.

 

http://www.channel4.com/news/ Go down to "school row" and click on "Watch the report". (Grab yourself a cup of tea first, it's about 20 minutes long!)

 

K x

[pumpkinpie]

Just watched it my opinion on jon Snow has gone up - was brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[curra]

Thanks for the link, Kathryn.

 

No amount of spin by the Chief Whip could hide the fact that Ruth Kelly jumped the queue, which is something that a poor mother cannot do, and that by not going through the statementing process her decision is an admission that the educational system (which she is greatly responsible for) is faling children with SEN.

 

Bravo for Jon Snow!

 

Curra

[Karen A]

Hi.Thanks for the link Kathryn I have just watched the report and want to make a couple of comments.Firstly Channel 4 and the BBC have not given an accurate view of the provision in TH. Both reports have talked about the Special Schools in the Borough.There are some very good Special Schools in TH that have had good Ofsted reports.Indeed children from neighbouring Boroughs come into TH to school.However none of the schools offers provision for children with Dyslexia who do not have other additional SEN.These children are provided for in mainstream schools.

Personaly I ended up feeling a bit cross.We went through the struggle to get a Statement last year in TH.The process took a year.I gave up work because I could not continue to juggle appointments and work.Ben has a statement and as I have said we are very happy with the support he is getting.However I cannot think of one week during the last year when I have not had an appointment or needed to liase with a professional.I would not have opted for Ben to go a boarding school if it had been offered.However I wonder how RK would have continued to juggle her career with the commitment involved in having a child in a mainstream school with Special Needs.It amuses me that the Channel 4 report suggested that any parent of a child with particular needs in TH could have a choice and be able to make the best decision for their child-I do not remember ever being offered the option of funding for private provision.

As I said previously I am aware of several parents in TH who have children with Dyslexia or Dyspraxia.Most struggle to get help at School Action or School Action Plus.Few are able to get an Assessment of SEN.I suspect that very few are able to get a Statement that includes significant help in mainstream.

I am aware that it is not usual to talk about a specific place in detail on the forum.I shall understand if the post is edited.However I am fed up with TV and newspaper coverage which includes details that are inacurate.I feel those who have experience of the situation in TH need a place to provide feedback.Karen.

[Karen A]

There are, as the press have quoted, some special schools still functioning in Tower Hamlets, however what the press have not made clear is that the admissions policy for these schools is strictly defined, and none of them would be suitable for a child of her child's age whose learning difficulty is dyslexia.

 

As KarenA has pointed out TH is a good borough for children on the autistic spectrum, but other learning difficulties are less well supported and in the main children with other learning difficulties are either educated in the mainstream with support, or are funded to attend special schools out of borough.

 

My understanding, and this is based only on what I read in the paper, is that RK's child was assessed and statemented to the effect that he required the particular provision which he is getting, and the LA were prepared to fund that provision under the statement, but she decided that she would pay for it herself, rather than take money out of the public purse. That may however be political spin, and I would certainly be asking whether the LA would have been quite so quick to statement in these terms for another child (Tower Hamlets is still BTW a labour controlled borough at Council level, though at national level our MP is a Respect Party candidate)

 

How do people feel though about dyslexia being categorised as a serious learning difficulty as some of the media have done. I appreciate that it makes acquiring and expressing information more difficult, which must put it into the category of a learning difficulty, but my understanding is that dyslexia does not cause the kind of cognitive processing difficulties that many of our children have, so should it fall into the category of "serious"? My DD can't read or write either , but the nature of her learning difficulties impacts the whole of her life, and there are very many other fairly basic life skills she hasn't been able to acquire either, so personally I think her entitlement to education at a special school is much more clear cut. Is this me just being insensitive to a different kind of disability about which I know little though?

 

 

Hi Emum.I thought as you did that RK's child had been assessed and Statemented.Having seen the channel 4

clip it appears that having had an opinion from an EP she decided to arrange alternative provision rather than asking for an Assessment.It is sad that we never got to see what TH would have done had she applied. Regards Karen

[pumpkinpie]

I really do think the bbcs coverage of this subject has been very poor. Did anyone catch the daily politics slot at about 12.00. Im so despairing at their attitude!

Parents do not have choice regarding special education and the way the politicians brease over it was very irritating - can we all go on question time with Ruth Kelly? What a show that would be???????????????

[curra]

I really do think the bbcs coverage of this subject has been very poor. Did anyone catch the daily politics slot at about 12.00. Im so despairing at their attitude!

Parents do not have choice regarding special education and the way the politicians brease over it was very irritating - can we all go on question time with Ruth Kelly? What a show that would be???????????????

 

Here's another point of view :

 

http://www.express.co.uk/news_detail.html?sku=1020

 

Curra

[oxgirl]

I feel angry. What she's ultimately saying is that the SN provision is not adequate. The thing is, the rest of us have to put up with what poor provision there is. When I was forced to home ed my lad, I wrote to Ruth Kelly's office asking why there wasn't approprioate provision to meet my son's needs. Needless to say, I got no reply!

 

~ Mel ~

[darky]

maybe i should be the villian here, now ive had time to think about it. obviously RK has not said much about her decision, i wonder what would have happend if she had choosen for her son to stay in mainstream school and attempted to get him statemented. if she had of got him statemented, would'nt people be saying that she only got that for her role in government, and that tax payers money was being spent on giving him support where other parents have failed?? in a way, should we not be grateful that she has put her son in a private school, putting more money in the sen pot for people who cannot afford to send their kids to private schools?? in a way, getting her son statemented would REALLY be going against government policy would'nt it, as the government are hell bent on reducing statements!

 

i guess its natural for us all to jump to conclusions about RK's reasons behind her decision. it is still a gutwrencher that the majority of parents with sen kids dont have a choice though, and thats still a big kick in the teeth. im not saying i agree with this, but just another idea really.

[Kathryn]

maybe i should be the villian here, now ive had time to think about it. obviously RK has not said much about her decision, i wonder what would have happend if she had choosen for her son to stay in mainstream school and attempted to get him statemented. if she had of got him statemented, would'nt people be saying that she only got that for her role in government, and that tax payers money was being spent on giving him support where other parents have failed?? in a way, should we not be grateful that she has put her son in a private school, putting more money in the sen pot for people who cannot afford to send their kids to private schools?? in a way, getting her son statemented would REALLY be going against government policy would'nt it, as the government are hell bent on reducing statements!

 

You have a point, darky, but I think going through the statementing process and staying within the state mainstream system would have been a gesture of solidarity with parents who have no other option, and would have demonstrated her faith in the education system she helped to create.

 

It also might have helped to focus attention on the process and highlight some of the flaws, maybe leading to improvements for many more children with SEN in the area. She could still have avoided criticism by opting to pay the cost of her son's statemented provision.

 

K x

[lisa]

If a child "only" has dyslexia I believe it's quite rare for them to be able to get a statement and unheard of to be awarded one of the precious few special school placements. My daughter has dyslexia, AS, Mears Irlen and probably ADD but it's still taken nearly 3 years of battling to get her statement and then they've only offered 10 hours LSA support.

 

I'm sure TH would have assessed in RK's case though being the ex secretary of education. Probably falling over themselves smarming up to her!

 

Pity we don't have as many options (aka money) as RK. Having said that I'm sure most of us would have done the same thing and I hope her son does well. I do think that she should speak out more about her experience and own up that the SEN system in this country is disgraceful instead of this "do as I say, not as I do" attitude.

 

Lisa