School Admission/EWO

[sawjd]

Hello Everyone,

 

Tribunal papers have been sent within deadline. K refusing school and new school (independent) has assessed him and said they can take him. They agree that his anxieties and his bowel problems can be treated and met by them. They have a toileting program that k can use as mainstream school don't implement what little they do have.

 

In the meantime what do we do. It will take time for the tribunal to meet. K is refusing because of his bowel problems. I looked at the website regarding health and safety and what he suffers from should come under long term illness but i think it applies to children who are severe and suffering from cancer.

 

I want work that i can do in the day with him. I can do the work with him during the day not in the evening which is why i had problems in working with him with regards to homework. My partner needs my attention and my son normally works in the evenings but this is changing and is variable. So i have to be adaptable.

 

K started behaving badly (would not eat his breakfast) and soon as i said about taking him back to school, i have never seen a boy move so quick to eat. He has so much fear and its a shame. The school know of his anxieties and did nothing to alievate them in order to prepare him for coming back.

 

We now have a meeting with ks mainstream school and i believe they are fishing to see what we will say at the tribunal.

 

I went to see the EWO and instead i spoke to the advisory officer (k was there) and she was trying to get k to speak and all he said was he is going to the special school, when the officer asked him why was he not going all k could say was my bum is bad and then he carried on playing game. They told him he is too good for the special school and the advisory officer for autism told k ' you will get your mum and dad into trouble if you do not go back'. I cannot believe she said that to him.

 

Can i ask for them to give me work for him. It will be just me and him so there is a good chance i can get on with it without any interuptions. Has anyone been in this situation where you are waiting for things to be decided but your child is at home and how did your LEA deal with it.

 

Many thanks

 

sarni

[Sally44]

My son was out of school for a year. The LA arranged for a special school teacher to collect him and take him to another school [because he would not go into his old school]. And he was with her in a separate room and they did very little education. This was supposed to be for 2 sessions a week, each lasting 1.5 hours. He often refused to go, and when he did go he was often back home within the hour. That was all he got.

 

You have to think long term. I had to step back and let my son lose skills and fall further behind educationally to win the placement he needed.

 

If you are going for an independent school you have to sit back and let the LA do what they are going to do or provide.

 

If you successfully teach him at home and he is assessed as having made progress you are going to make it very hard on yourself, because at the tribunal you are arguing saying that mainstream is not working, he has not made progress, he has fallen further behind etc. You don't want him to make progress now. You are not going to home teach are you? So don't do anything. If his anxiety is so high he probably needs a rest from it all. And I do not think it is a good idea to threaten him with school if he does not do what you ask. That is playing into his fears.

 

I did try to do a few pieces of work with my son, but he refused, got very upset, hit me, hurt himself, etc. I just filmed it and submitted it as evidence.

 

Also why are you seeing the EWO? You should not be seeing him. You should get a letter from a consultant saying your son is off school due to anxiety. Then send it to the EWO and tell them to contact the consultant if they have further questions. The EWO is not professionally trained regarding autism.

Edited September 22, 2012 by Sally44