Home tuition review

[Flora]

Bill's been having home tuition since April. 5 hours a week.

 

It's been a bit sketchy at times for lots of reasons; ie we've had to cancel or reschedule some lessons because Bill had appointments, or was ill, or the tutor was doing supply teaching at another school, etc etc.

 

Just before half term the tutor told me she wasn't coming back after the half term holiday because she wanted to do more supply teaching and she thought it would be better if Bill had a tutor who was able to offer more flexibility. Fair enough. However, the very next day we had an unfortunate incident where I was on the phone in the office and didn't hear the door bell, of course Bill should have answered the door but it hadn't registered until it was too late. He came in to tell me there had been somebody at the door and I realised it was the tutor come to do his last lesson. I ran down the street trying to find her but she'd gone, so I rang her to apologise. She was really rude, and I expect she was miffed that she'd had a wasted journey. She only lives 5 minutes walk away so I was hoping she'd come back but she didn't. We haven't seen her since because that was supposed to be her last day.

 

Anyway, I've been waiting for a new tutor to be found and was going to give it a week or so before I chased it up. Last Friday I got a call from the Learning support manager at Bill's old school (he's still on the register) to ask me to come to a home tuition review meeting which was scheduled for today.

 

so off I goes to a meeting, there was me, the learning support manager, the SENCO and someone from the LA who organises the home tuition. The meeting was opened with the line 'As there has been a break down in Bill's home tuition'.. I said 'Yes, the tutor left and we are waiting for a new one'... Then I got 'She left because she was finding you weren't cooperative in giving her access to Bill on a regular basis'.... Well That was it, I was off, I wasn't having ANY of it. How dare that woman (the tutor) come into my home, into my private family life then turn on me like that??? I was absolutely livid. They wanted me to sign a home tuition contract saying that I would always have Bill ready and waiting for the tutor!!!

 

I said no way was I signing any contract. Bill was always ready for his tuition; we had recently gone through alot of assessment appointments which interfered with some of his tuition; he's also been very poorly with IBS; the tutor herself cancelled or rescheduled alot of lessons to fit in with her supply teaching. In short, we had a dual flexibility. I told them all of this, and said I thought she was out of her depth in trying to teach him, and that they were penalising me for having a son with complex needs. I also told them that I believed it was part of their tacticts to discredit me and I wasn't allowing it to happen, that I didn't trust a single person in the LA, including the ones who pretend they want to help us.

 

Nobody else could get a word in edge ways! I felt like they were trying to set the ball rolling for bringing in SS and I was determined to nip it in the bud.

 

In the end she said she could see that I wasn't one of 'those type of parents' (????) and that she could see there were extenuating circumstances. She then asked me what I wanted from the next tutor!!! I told them someone who is willing to learn as they go along, meaning someone who will take on baord that all instructions need to be given in visual as well as verbal form, etc etc etc... which was something this last tutor wasn't willing or able to take on board.

 

Sorry this is so long and ranting, but I'm still furious. They are all so sly and conniving and I don't think I'll ever trust another teacher or LEA official ever again.

 

Flora

[Karen A]

So sorry Flora.You must feel like you have to battle on all fronts at once.Karen.

[annie]

<'> Flozza <'>

 

What a blooming cheek .

 

It sounds like the previous tutor wasn't completely honest . Good for you for putting them straight.

 

Annie

xx

[Flora]

Thanks Karen and annie,

 

the more I think about the more angry I am. They invited me to a meeting under false pretenses. The only consolation I have is that in the end the LA home tuition woman saw it from my point of view, and from something she hinted at the tutor in question had been brought to her attention before. However, the meeting was called because they obviously thought they were dealing with someone who couldn't give a stuff about her child being educacted and that I needed to be forced into it by making me sign a contract. It's this that makes me so mad. As I pointed out to them all of this will be down on record so I want my side of it reflected in the minutes of the meeting and I want to be copied on those minutes. I have two other children who rarely miss a day of school, why would I want to deprive my other child of an education?... I've spent the past 8 months doing very little other than set the foundations for fighting for him to access an education, that should be proof in itself.

 

The tutor was way out of order, she obviously knew she was letting him down, so tried to make it look like my fault and of course in their delightful style the LEA have latched onto this... anything to discredit the parents. It sounds like a paranoid Heather Mills type rant and I don't want to overdo but it's so unjust the whole set up. Why can't they just do what they are supposed to do without all the underhand back stabbing?

 

I was thinking of doing a letter/minutes and sending it to all the people who were at the meeting, or is that going overboard? I'm just so outraged.

 

 

flora

Edited November 9, 2007 by Flora

[baddad]

<'>

 

L&P

 

BD (laryngitis! )

[Flora]

I feel better. Got up this morning and wrote an account of the whole meeting, complete with a history of events leading up to the meeting. I have copied it to all those present at the meeting; I've stuck to the facts and in it's purest form it exposes the fact that if it wasn't a 'set up', at the very least it was an attempt by the tutor to cover up her own inadequacies... of which there are many!

 

flora

[BusyLizzie100]

I feel better. Got up this morning and wrote an account of the whole meeting, complete with a history of events leading up to the meeting. I have copied it to all those present at the meeting; I've stuck to the facts and in it's purest form it exposes the fact that if it wasn't a 'set up', at the very least it was an attempt by the tutor to cover up her own inadequacies... of which there are many!

 

flora

 

Flora I think this sounds like a great idea. And, I have to say, with the tribunal coming up you really do need to make sure there's absolutely nothing that they could possibly turn against you - even if it does make you feel slightly paranoid...

 

Well done you for keeping on top of things

 

Lizzie x <'>

[Kathryn]

I think putting everything in writing was a good idea. Schools are supposed to make reasonable adjustments for children with disabilities - many home tuition services don't seem to have taken this principle on board yet.

 

Well done for standing your ground.

 

K x

[soraya]

My son has just started an on line home tuition funded by the LEA it is fantastic and Nick really loves it. If you google Accipio learning you will find it. It is a good stop gap whilst school issues are being sorted.