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Sally44

Tribunal Decision

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The Decision arrived in the morning post.

 

It took me over an hour to pluck up the courage to open it.

 

The Panel decided that my son needed the level of SALT provision as detailed by our independent SALT and that it should be delivered by a SALT and not a TA as requested by the LA.

 

He will also get a Social Communication Group that is delivered by a SALT.

 

The Panel also found that his anxiety was mainly due to sensory issues and therefore they agreed with our independent OT on the Sensory Integration Programme, sensory diet and sensory modulation programme, as well as a programme for dyspraxia. Therefore he will receive all the provision she detailed in her report.

 

In addition we will also have a specialist dyslexia teacher [qualified to level 7 to teach and assess], who will go into his school to deliver a literacy and numeracy programme three times a week.

 

The Panel found that his current placement could not meet his needs, and that the evidence so far was that he would not return to this school of his own choice.

 

Therefore costs did not even come into it.

 

The Panel said that he is one of the minority of children with severe and complex needs who require a specialist placement in teaching groups of less than 8 children.

 

So we won on the placement too.

 

:ninja::bat::dance::ninja::bat::dance::ninja::bat::dance::ninja::bat:

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Words seem inadequate so..

 

:groupwave: :groupwave:

 

:band:

 

:cheers:

 

:dance::thumbs:

 

So delighted for you and your son after everything you've been through. It shouldn't have been necessary but :notworthy: to you for not giving up.

 

Now have a good long rest. You deserve it!

 

>:D<<'>

 

K x

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Thank you.

 

We've been waiting for this for years. It's just so sad that we had to get to the low point we did to acheive it.

 

I can't wait to get him into that school. And they're closed for half term now! How frustrating is that.

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That's amazing Sally - fantastic news! Well done to you for seeing it through and winning - it's been worth it!

 

Lynne x

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Fab, fab news!!! Very well done!! You got everything and worked so hard to get it - justice is well and truly served!

 

Hope you, your son and your family have the most amazing celebration! :dance::thumbs::cheers::clap::partytime:

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As it happens, i'm off to the theatre tonight.

 

And tomorrow is a bonfire party.

 

So a party every night this weekend!!

 

Thanks everyone on this forum too, because many of you gave me help and advice on the kind of evidence I needed to prepare. :notworthy::notworthy::notworthy:

 

I can imagine the LA this morning, in their offices :ph34r::ph34r: reading the Decision. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall.

 

Lets see how long it takes them to send me a copy of the finalised Statement???

Edited by Sally44

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Well Done! :thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

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Well done Sally :notworthy:>:D<<'> :thumbs: After all the hard work you have put in, I am sure you will start to feel so much happier in a years time when your son starts to flourish as a result of getting all his needs met >:D<<'>

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It is a sad state of affairs that you had to put yourself and your family through this to get what the panel have rightly agreed is what your son is entitled to. I am however completely over the moon for you that you have succeeded and hope the new placement and provision allow your son to enjoy his years in education and achieve his true potential.

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Thanks everyone.

 

Suffering from a hangover this morning. :sick:

 

And partying tonight at a bonfire party in a shed! - obviously the bonfire is outside the shed. We won't have any fireworks, but because we are on the top of a hill we can see everyone elses. ;)

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Sally, I have been looking out for your news! Congratulations and well done to you! You must be very proud of yourself. Your son is so lucky to have you as his Mum, to be his advocate and ensure that he gets the education that he needs, not the education that the LA want to grudgingly give him.

 

My DD has blossomed in mainstream, with the support and therapies that we won for her at Tribunal. I am sure that your son will blossom too in his new placement.

 

Sorry about the hangover, but I hope that you enjoyed the celebration.

 

As to the finalised Statement, if your LA are anything like mine they will wait till the last possible moment until sending it to you!

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Just wanted to say well done for your perseverence :clap::thumbs::notworthy: I hope that your son appreciates your efforts one day - if not now! :clap: :clap: I hope things go well for you both :party:

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I've got a meeting at the new school on Monday morning for us to discuss how they will introduce him to school again.

 

I haven't heard anything from the LA yet. It is like we've fallen off the radar. The school said they would contact the LA to find out when they expected my son to start school and to arrange the taxi.

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Hi Sally , i've not been on here for ages , just thought i would see how things were going, such good news, i am really happy for you, your son will dos so well wiht the right help, our la took a week short of half term to sort my sons place at his new school last year. but it was so worth the fight and the wait, he settled in straight away and is doing really well, he is such a different child now , he is 16 now and even joined in his own birthday party instead of spending the time in his room like he used to , he has made friends and is happy to og to school, last week he was "headmnaster for a day" voted in after a panel interviewed him !! His classes are usually 6 or less and he really is thriving. He even ran his own annual review i was so prous, and the lea have agreed without any fighting that he stays on for 6th form with his statement still in place. I really hope your son settles in well and is soon as happy as mine is, it will change your life, it has ours good luck xx

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Thanks everyone for your congratulations.

 

We've had some more good news. The Independent School have been in contact with the LA, and the LA have said they will be happy for him to stay with them until age 19. So they are not going to contest secondary. :thumbs:

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Sounds good. Let's hope they keep to their word.

 

K x

 

That is exactly what I am thinking. But they have said that to the independent school SENCO .... would they dare back down???

 

The LA have asked the school to carry out an interim review in December so that I can name the secondary school. I hope there is nothing about that that would mean they could amend again????

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Thanks everyone for your congratulations.

 

We've had some more good news. The Independent School have been in contact with the LA, and the LA have said they will be happy for him to stay with them until age 19. So they are not going to contest secondary. :thumbs:

 

It's the thought of going through 3000 more pages of paperwork!!! LOL

 

mousy

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It's the thought of going through 3000 more pages of paperwork!!! LOL

 

mousy

 

Exactly.

 

And for the Tribunal, it was not just that we had over 3000 pages, but that we had had a Telephone Case Management meeting of the parties and the Sendist Judge had asked me to explain why I was submitted so much old evidence, [evidence that the LA had asked Sendist to exclude].

 

I explained why it was relevent and the Judge found in my favour. However she asked ME to organise the Bundle into a Core and Supplementary Bundle [taking out any duplications and removing anything we now thought was irrelevent], and we had to copy that to all the parties ie. 4 copies to Sendist, one to the LA, a copy to my 4 witnesses and advocate - and we had to re-paginate the whole bundle, and produce a contents list for both the core and supplementary bundle and annotate the lot.

 

I travelled down to see my advocate with all the paperwork. And three of us working around the clock non-stop for over 24 hours just to sort out the paperwork into the relevent bundles and copy them.

 

The contents pages and annotating took even longer.

 

So no, I do not want to have to do that again, ever. :ph34r:

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hi, i dont get on the pc much but when i read this i just had to say congratulations a hell of a fight but it all turned out well in the end. I also have been to tribunal for 3 of my children and won but it really takes everything out of you as a parent. Its a disgrace that parents have to go through all this just to give there child an education. I wished so much that things were different but they are the way they are. But stories like this inspired me to fight and gave me the courage to see it through. Best of luck to your family now with this fresh new start.

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hi, i dont get on the pc much but when i read this i just had to say congratulations a hell of a fight but it all turned out well in the end. I also have been to tribunal for 3 of my children and won but it really takes everything out of you as a parent. Its a disgrace that parents have to go through all this just to give there child an education. I wished so much that things were different but they are the way they are. But stories like this inspired me to fight and gave me the courage to see it through. Best of luck to your family now with this fresh new start.

 

What is so annoying and frustrating, is that the longer you are in the system the more you see that the whole process is like a choreographed dance involing local authorities, schools, professionals, Tribunals. And everyone involved, LA/schools/NHS/Independent professionals etc know the dance and parents just have to learn it and perform the dance and their part in the dance at the Tribunal.

 

It takes some time to discover and grasp that everyone does know and understand what you are on about, but that you are just in the process of a game where everyone denies everything for as long as they possibly can to avoid having to spend money. Many parents think the LA/school do not understand and IF they could just explain their child better etc. But they do know. You can tell by the way they use certain learnt strategies at tribunals that they are past masters at going through these things.

 

I think the biggest weakness of tribunals is that they cannot fine LA's for deliberately frustrating the Statementing process, or not complying with Statements. Until that happens there is no incentive for LAs to follow the law. They can make up their own criterias and parents think that they can do nothing when the LA refuses, or says they can't do it, or don't have the facilities, money or the professionals available. Parents believe that.

 

But SEN LAW trumps LA/school/NHS criteria. The LAW always takes precedent and always wins. But no-one tells the parents what the educational law says or where to find out about it. You might as well talk about pots of gold at the end of the rainbow.

 

If LAs were fined for acting illegally that would get rid of the majority of Tribunal cases.

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Well said Sally! :clap: I am so hoping that the final SEN reforms take this on board, but my LA, which is notorious for dragging parents through the Tribunal system, has just been made a Pathfinder for the proposals in the SEN Green Paper, which does not bode well.............

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Well said Sally! :clap: I am so hoping that the final SEN reforms take this on board, but my LA, which is notorious for dragging parents through the Tribunal system, has just been made a Pathfinder for the proposals in the SEN Green Paper, which does not bode well.............

 

:ph34r:

How did they get chosen??

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