Applied for Stat Assessment

[thebuzzer]

Evening all

 

I have posted a while ago, some of you may remember me!

 

Things have gone really pear shaped with DS. He was fixed term excluded 3 times in a week back in May and since half term has only been doing 1 hour a day. This was at the suggestion of the inclusion team as they felt he was really finding school a negative experience - I shall say! But, the school have not got anymore support available for him until Sept so we have not been able to build up his hours anymore, which I had hoped. He needs constant one to one as he can go into 'meltdown' if he doesn't understand something and needs someone to be with him out of the class.

 

Anyway, we have had the Ed Psych in twice and the school have just applied for Statutory Assessment. The Ed Pysch agreed with the Asp dx (I thought from his 'chat' with me he was going to dispute it!) and made suggestions to help DS - not many - but said nothing of backing us in our application for Stat Assessment. I don't know if he has to?

 

The thing is when DS goes back he will be in Year 2, and will do up until 1pm as will have one to one TA support for those hours. The teacher he is having full time then is his current job share teacher. She started at the begining of this year and I had my reservations as did many other parents. DS hates her. I don't like using that word but that is how he is about her. Some of the other children are upset at having her too. she reminds me of some of my teachers in the 70's. She has gone on de-escalating training run by the LA as has the Head, so that they know how to safely hold DS.

 

I don't want to be negative, but I really have concerns about this being the right placement for DS, but can I move DS next term if I need to during the Stat Assessment (that's if we get one of course!). I am thinking of just sticking it out while they assess him. The school have submitted loads of evidence of what has happened since he has been in reception and I know I am lucky speaking to other AS parents that it is the school applying and not us.

 

Any advice or views?

[Kathryn]

I think as the school is cooperating with the Stat Ass, It may be simpler and more beneficial to your case to leave your son where he is for the time being, if you and he can cope with the school and teacher.

 

K x

[Flora]

Hi,

 

If they agree to assess I think it would be better to keep your son in the school he's at now. If they do an assessment and the results of that suggest a change of placement (ie, a special school, or mainstream with unit for instance) then it would mean your child had been disrupted twice in a fairly short space of time.

 

Also, changing schools during an assessment could lay it open for the LEA/EP etc to blame his difficulties on the disruption IYKWIM.

 

If he is finding school intolerable because it's the wrong environment then with a statement (providing they agree to assess etc) you will (theoretically) have more choice of where he goes next.

 

Flora

[jlp]

We had a similar experience when my ds was in year 1 - frequently sent home and an exclusion. The school started to apply for a statement and in that time we were advised to move schools as the first one wasn't very supportive (punishing / sending home rather than trying to help him).

 

We took this advice and did move him but this resulted in the statement being stopped to see how he managed in his new school. The new school were supportive and have tried but he still failed to cope and we did get a statement for the beginning of Y3. However even with full time 1-2-1 support he has struggled and he will be starting Y4 in September in an ASD unit.

 

So really if we had kept him in the unhelpful school I imagine he would have had a statement and possibly a unit place a few years earlier and to an extent I do regret moving him.

 

However it's a tough call because at the back of your mind you hope that a new and supportive school will mean your child copes better and may not even need a statement and that may be true for some children.

 

If your ds is unable to attend school and not accessing his full curriculum due to the lack of a support worker I'd think you have a good case for a statement.