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Karen A

School named on Statement

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Hi We have been thinking about what to do about school after hols.As many of you know Ben was not at school last week.He became so anxious he could not cope.He was being victimised by other children and he was not being supported in line with his Statement.The LEA are keen to encourage us to look at other schools and move Ben ASAP.However we want Ben to stay at his current school-we just want appropriate support/understanding/bullying to stop/The HT to do her job.

Am I right in understanding that if the school is Named on the Statement the LEA and Board of Governors at the school have a duty to enable Ben to stay there-if that is what we want and to take appropriate action to enable that to happen.So could we insist that that is what we want.

I understand that as the school is a church school the Governors are responsible under the Disability Discrimination Act and with regard to the HT not dealing with the bullying-rather than the LEA.Thanks Karen.

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Hi Karen -

 

I'm not 100% sure on this (so hopefully someone with a bit more knowledge will be along in a while), but I don't think it's quite that straightforward...

If the school are actually saying they CAN'T meet his needs, or that doing so is detrimental to the provision they can offer to other children taught along side of him then the LEA have to respond to that. Certainly you'd have every right to ask what measures have been put in place and how they have been implemented so they can meet his needs, and using the provision detailed on his statement argue that there are other measures that can be taken to enable him to attend...

At secondary transfer (and I'm assuming junior now too(?)) the regs have changed so that the local mainstream has to 'justify' NOT taken on a statemented child, even if the parents don't want him/her to attend mainstream, so you can at least rest assured that the school won't be able to debarr him on a whim if they haven't covered all the bases.

One thing I would consider - and I'm sorry if this is a little intrusive (so feel free to ignore!) - is whether the benefits of the school he is in now outweigh the negatives you've mentioned (bullying/victimisation/lack of understanding/lack of support etc) and whether or not there is a realistic chance of addressing those problems in an environment that is only going to respond reluctantly?

I'd be tempted to go and have a look at some of the other options that are being floated, and if in that process you see a classroom/school where you think ben would be more comfortable and that could meet his needs you'll feel a lot more confident about the bits he might have to 'give up' at the current school...

Hope that's helpful

L&P

BD :D

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the problem is for our kids school is such a difficulty we need peole on our side who will help and go the extra nine yards. it really is the odd person who makes the difference.

if school arent listening now and they are taking their lead from an indifferent head will this school ever get it together, regardless of the dda school can really make our lives hell.

 

if you think their are staff who will make a difference ie support staff i wouls say go for it but look at all the options - i wish i had just taken little p out a long tme ago

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hi

all they have to do is show they are taking "reasonable" steps and as bd has already said above state that it is detramental to the other childrens education . it is up to you to provide evidence to the contary and all they will do or should do[not in reality ] is follow the due process . the only thing you can do is to fight for your childs right to an education appropriate to age and ability . do not do anything verbally put it all in writeing and keep very thorough record of everything no matter how small the detail . if you take them on its not going to be easy its a long hard fight you need to prepare . but you can win and most do by applying adequate pressure ? if you want your child educated and treated fairly by the system then you will have to at some point take the bull by the horns as to get what you want costs something lea,s will not do unless they have to and will try every trick in the book to prevent

its not easy with our children and take care i wish there where some posotive answers i could give but as with everthing no quick fix is there although what you want is quite simply what is right i wish you all the luck in the world and you get everthing that you are rightfully entitled to

bye for now

paul

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Hi Thanks to you all.Badad I do not think you are been intrusive at all. :notworthy: It helps so much to have people around who are not so involved and can provide a different perspective.The school are not saying they cannnot meet Ben's needs.In fact Ben does not even need so much-if the school did what the LEA are funding them to do there would not be a problem.The school cannot tell what the problem is.I am not even sure the HT has read the Statement.

However the HT and SENCO may have so little idea that it may well be a good idea to luck at other options.Perhaps the difficulty in giving things up is for me.It is hard to accept that a school you thought was really good-having had one child that fits the system to a T-may not be so good after all.

I am upsett today.We worked so hard to get a Statement and the LEA have been very supportive.However the Statement cannot change how people think of Ben.He is still a bright boy with an attitude problem. :wallbash::wallbash:

Our elder NT son is considered wonderful-he is bright and will do well in SATS.He may be bored but does not show how fed up he is-he does not challenge the system.

Ben on the other hand says what he thinks and it is more obvious when he is cross.That does not go down well. :wallbash::wallbash:

I am just so cross.Sorry to rant.

OH is working his socks off at work over the hols-having taken so much time offin the last few month dealing with school.Ben is in the very unwell mental state he was before we got the Statement.The school are happy to use the funding to support other children.Then I am told Ben needs anger management and will end up in trouble with the law if we do not stand up to him. :wallbash::wallbash::wallbash: Karen.

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Sounds to me like a right mixed triangle you've got there, and it really does sound as though you're maybe on a hiding to nothing with the current placement :(

Sometimes it happens that schools/teachers have very firm ideas about what 'should' work, and when a child doesn't respond to those prescribed solutions they become the focus as the 'problem' - sort of 'well we've done everything we usually do and he hasn't responded so it must be HIM'. the answer to that should be 'well we've done everything we usually do and he hasn't responded so maybe our expectations need to shift or we need to find something new to try'... I'm all for firm and consistent responses (the 'stand up to him' mentioned) but they're part of the package - not the whole solution... what's the point of solid responses if the boundaries are an unknown (for whatever reason) quantity?

Sounds to me that at the moment your son is being 'blamed for' rather than 'educated about' his behaviours - and that has to be a negative.

Hope if you go looking you find something that will enhance and build on self esteem rather than undermining it, and that if you decide to stay put the school can shift their perspectives accordingly...

 

L&P

BD :D

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>:D<<'>

Sending you a hug. I really feel for you, its hard to do the right thing.

I just wonder why the lea are trying to support you in looking at other schools, do you think they have been through this before with this school and know something you dont?

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>:D<<'>

Sending you a hug. I really feel for you, its hard to do the right thing.

I just wonder why the lea are trying to support you in looking at other schools, do you think they have been through this before with this school and know something you dont?

 

 

That is quite probable.The other answer is that it would be easy for the LEA to change the school on the Statement -a two minute job.Supporting us to push the school to get things right is a much longer option.

If we decided that Ben needed private provision [as in a now well known case in our area] and were working to access support via a stsatenent [as it has been shown should have happened in the earlier case] or if we we seaking to obtain a place within state specialist provision I am sure the LEA would not be so helpful.Karen.

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Hi Karen,

 

I think BD is spot on.

 

Sadly, some schools/teachers believe that they have more understanding than they actually do. When the child doesn't 'fit' into their idea of AS/ASD (we had the same problem :( ), rather than be flexible, they dig their heels in and insist the child conforms :angry: .

 

I wasted so much time trying to get my son's old school to carry out everything that was written in his statement, which they weren't willing to do because my son wouldn't 'conform'. In the end, for my son's sake I took him out of the school. To be honest, if I had to go through the same thing again, I would have taken him out earlier.

 

Annie xx

>:D<<'>

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If we decided that Ben needed private provision [as in a now well known case in our area] and were working to access support via a stsatenent [as it has been shown should have happened in the earlier case] or if we we seaking to obtain a place within state specialist provision I am sure the LEA would not be so helpful.Karen.

 

Hi karen -

Sorry, I didn't pick up on this, but from the above it looks like your talking about a transfer from mainstream to mainstream?? That doesn't make much sense unless the second mainstream has a better track record on integration or some sort of specialist skills (teacher training? outreach service input? S&LT provision on site?) available to make the process more likely to succeed.

If you have a statement, and you've tried mainstream in the environment you considered the 'most likely to succeed' (based on your own observations and your experiences with your other child), maybe it already is time to be applying pressure for a placement in specialist provision?

If you're already in the position where he is out of school because he can't cope, and where his mental health has regressed to pre-statement levels it doesn't sound as though the current mainstream placement - or any other working to a similar 'model' - is the right environment to address his needs.

 

Awful situation - I hope you can find some answers soon

 

L&P

BD >:D<<'>

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Hi Thanks for all of your posts-you are such a great bunch.It is so frustrating-good statement,great support from ASD outreach but still only 8 months after the original statement we are in a worse situation. :wallbash::wallbash:

I have been to the Town Hall today to deliver complaint to Head of education/Senior EWO/EWO/Senior SEN Officer-the complaint is more to do with the way the school has supported Ben as a pupil-rather than SEN as such.-a lot of the things that have happened are issues even without SEN as a factor.The fact that Ben has Statement just makes the case stronger.I think HT may get a few calls on return from hols.

Oh and I had not realised that the Bishop is responsible for C of E schools in his area. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

We may well have to look at other options for schools.I spoke to ACE last week -the adviser says we may well have a case for going to SENDIST RE Disability Discrimination.

However even if we look at other schools as well-I am not going without making it known how HT has handled both Ben and ourselves.Thanks again Karen.

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Karen,

 

We had a very similiar problem to yours. After all you have been throught sometimes you think you have not got the energy to look at other schools than go through the process of transfering schools.

 

Go and see what is on offer and explain your concerns. A school who are willing to offer support and take a child on with problems, means your have a school who you can communicate with and address any issues for the benefit of the child. Communication is the key to our children being happy, supported and succesful.

 

The main questions you need to ask is:

Is you child happy at the school?

Are the school willing to work with you to help address any problems?

 

This should give you the answers you are looking for.

 

Keep strong, stay positive there are good schools out there for our children.

 

Jen

 

Jen

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Hi Karen

As you know from my other thread we are in a very similar situation at the moment with a totally unsupportive head stomping about as well.

 

The way that we are dealing with it at the moment is to "appear" that we are open to all of their sugestions even if some of these have been ruled out. Even if we have reservations about Ms present placement we are asking that the LEA show us how any alternative provision would meet her needs better as it is important that you don't end up in a worse situation. So we are going to make an appearance at the PRU - even though what we have found out about it so far does not make it clear that it would be suitable for an AS girl.

 

A lot depends on the attitude of the school - do you think that they simply don't understand the problem? Or do they not WANT to understand the problem? The latter will be much harder to crack.

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