Keep hitting a brick wall with dd school

[hedders]

I have been following advice from ot and supportive parents about getting the SENCO to convene a multi professional meeting so i wrote to SENCO requesting this and also saying we wanted dd to be referred to

ED PSY (4th time we requested now) and we would have no option left but to go down complaints proceedure. AlSO saying the recommendations on the ot report could be put into stratagies into a new iep.

So as usuall we were both called into school about my letter basically they start of the meeting always the same so tell us what your concerns are (ive been telling them for a yr and they still ask) her development i said.

It kind of got heated they dont listen at all anyway she said my dd doesnt have special needs only a few children in that school have an IEP as they have great diffculties and my dd recieves alot of support anyway, she is below average but its not out of the norm???

Senco said the ot report was basically aimed at us and she doesnt need an iep for diffculties holding pencil as reported on ot report along with the other recommendations.

She struggled to answer my questions about the letter which was what we were called in for and kept saying we feel (the school) doesnt need to have a multi -professional meeting or the ot can arrange one knowing that health professionals dont usually arrange meetings and kept repeating i want a multi-professional meeting and she agreed to have one when she recieves a report from the pead. Still wouldnt answer our question about ED PSY and kept saying i will talk to her and see if she thinks your dd needs to see her but i have already spoken to her and she not concerned, told her thats not good enough we want her assessed.

The SENCO kept throwing back in our face that the SALT discharged her, and said well you had a multi-professional meeting last yr and what happened there!

The pead and SALT discharged her i know that but told SENCO its because they listen to you and then i said well the ot report backs up the 1st pead assessment now.

ANd they even admitted that dd didnt really reach one of her targets but they quickly changed the subject and said your dd will not be having an IEP no matter how much i state the code of pratice they will not listen.

 

They know that my dd may have ASD and learning diffculties but dont like the fact they didnt identifly her needs and im figthing my dd case to get her proper support the meeting ended with SENCO saying she is going to contact all the professionals and talk to them, yea just like they did with the last pead and SALT

 

Make me so angry how they try and put all the blame on us where these professionals want to help support dd same as us.

Edited February 8, 2007 by hedders

[pumpkinpie]

Time to write to the governors me thinks

 

ie

To the chair of governors

Dear Sir

I am writing to you as the parent ofxxxxxxx who is in year x. I believe x has special educational needs and that he should be recieving support/xxxx I have discussed this matter with x class teacher the Head teacher and Senco without satisfaction.

I understand that the Governors have a duty in law to " use their best endeavors" to see that children with specila educational needs have their needs met. My reasons for believing that x has sen arexxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

Set out your reasons and include copies of any report s on x will back you up.

You could add that

under the Disability Discrimination act 2005 from Dec 07 all primary schools will be under a statutory duty to publish and act upon a disability equality plan which sets out how the schools supports chidlren with sen and ensures that are treated equally as their peers.It must set out how the schools has worked with and liased with parents and carers in assessing its performance and plan to improve provsions for their needs. As it stands I feel the Governors and Staff of this school face challenges in changing entrenched attitudes and poor practice in identifying, assessing and monitoring ieps and sen provison.

Yours Faithfully

xxxxxx

[BusyLizzie100]

OO, I might use that letter myself! Thanks, Pumpkinpie!

 

Sorry to hear you're having a bad time, Hedders. We had the boys' school consultations this week, DS1's was a complete whitewash. The teacher just refuses to acknowledge that he has SEN. He's doing absolutely fine, apparently, despite having to see a psychologist every week because of his stress and anxiety.

 

Lizzie

[jinny]

I'm in a similar situation as Hedder - only difference being SENCO have done a very basic IEP.

I was waiting for the Boards Educ Psychologist to do an assessment. However rec'd t/c from them telling me school have advised them my child is not showing as concerns & coping with work. I'm so angry as Board have told me the only way they will assess him is if the school asks them too. Even though my paediatrician referred my son with ASD to them for an assessment.

Can they do this?

Have I no right of appeal?

I live in N.Ireland.

Edited February 8, 2007 by jinny

[annie]

Hi Jinny,

 

I don't know if you are aware of them, but IPSEA can give you free advice/support. I'm not sure if the SEN system is the same as in England but IPSEA have a helpline number specifically for Northern Ireland, so it may be worth asking them for some definate answers.

 

Annie

xx

[hedders]

hi i doubt we will have to go down complaints proceedure thanks for letter it will come in use.

Class teacher had the minutes from the meeting today which the head has done the one who causes all the friction anyway she insisted that i read and sign it to agree which i declined saying hubby wants to see it first could i take it home or a copy and she replied oh i dont know i will have to check , the head wanted you to sign it ill speak to you after school (great)!!!

Is this normal proceedure im sure in the minutes will be for us to agree that dd will not have an iep there bound to be a catch anyway spoke to hubby he said just tell them im dealing with it and there have to go through me.

Getting really stressed about it all

Phone ipsea and supportive parents soon

[pumpkinpie]

Hi I never just sign anything there and then and always take it home to check at my convienience.

The letter was a rehash of the one from the ipsea handbook taking action.

[Pippin]

My son was referred by the HV as he was pre-school, but when I wanted my daughter assessed and the school refused I went through my GP and he sorted it. I dont know if this is feasable in any of your areas

[pumpkinpie]

I ve just revd confirmation of a course I am booked in on as a school governor. Its called the common assessment framework and Governors will have a key role in helping their schools to embed the CAF in practice by the government deadline of March 08.

"The CAF is the process for carrying out a shared and holistic assessment of the needs of chidlren and their families. All practitioners working with chidlren will need to be familiar with CAF and their will be a particular implication for Teachers and others working in schools".

Only mentioning this because it seems to tie in with your difficulties and legitimising your approaching the governors to express your concerns.

[hedders]

spoke to supportive parents who have been advising us for the past yr and said that even if i write to the governers i still might not benefit from it and that i have done all that i can. They said that she is recieving additional support from the school and that it was strange there not saying why or identifing her needs but if you feel that she is not progressing with there statagies and they wont change them the only option left is to look for another school but be very discret about it as headteachers have close relationships with one another and to take ot report and visit the sencos and see how they respond to the ot report.

Im worried that it they start to cause friction with the new pead it might affect my concerns with younger dd who is also under her, they seem to have very good powers convincing professionals that my dd has no diffculties in school and they are giving her adequate provision in school