Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
Sally44

Should we change schools

Recommended Posts

I am really unimpressed with how my son's school have handled the Annual Review and also his diagnosis of OCD.

 

No recommendations were made at the AR, eventhough he has not made any academic progress last year and has fallen further behind and deteriorated in some subjects.

 

Attendance is around 60% at the moment.

 

The Head has written saying that they provide more support for my son than the Statement details.

 

No Decision Letter from the LA yet.

 

My son is really struggling with OCD at times, and the school do not seem to recognise it for what it is.

Had an incident last week where a member of staff told my son that "if you refuse to attend lessons, you and your family will get into trouble."

 

This was because they were having an 'art lesson' in a field, and my son has contamination OCD and refused to go onto the grass.

 

Medical advice to school is not to pressure him to do things he cannot do due to OCD.

 

So, due to fear of getting himself and his family into trouble, he did go onto the grass. But he refused school the next day. So I asked school if they felt their approach had been worth it.

 

There is another school closer to home that we are going to go and have a look around.

 

I just don't really want to move my son again. It takes him years to settle in. But I am sick to the back teeth of how the school are responding.

 

They've also said that from now on they want a sick note for each day he does not attend school. Even Childrens Services have said that that is unworkable. School have a diagnosis of OCD from CAHMS and a letter from the Paediatrician stating that his bowel problems are due to anxiety. What more do they want?

 

I really expected much better from a specialist independent ASD specific school.

 

I don't know whether to take it higher and lodge a formal complaint.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

oh sally I don't know what to say! you are right and a specialist independent school should be so much better but sometimes they aren't and the placements can break down as they would in a mainstream school. I think looking at the other school would be a good idea just so you know what else is out there and if it can meet your sons needs

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Sally.

 

I have found that all schools will tell you about how they can support your child but reality is different. I have had a similar experience in that the school said it had a clinical psychologist but they are on leave and have not been replaced. So this provision just does not happen.

 

When I said at the interim review the school were not meeting my sons needs they agreed and told me to look at other schools to see what is about. I did that and actually there is not a suitable school to meet all his needs within travelling distance.

 

What I would advise is to look at other schools to see what is out there. You know what your son needs. It maybe that you then can go back to his present school and say this are his needs and he needs xyz on top of present provision or they need to make appropriate reasonable adjustments. Your son has to want to go to that school. I was reading on the autism education trust website that inclusion is the same for mainstream or special school. Some do and some don't.

 

I think your son is still quite young? In which case if you think another school would be able to meet his needs then a transition plan can be put in place.

 

I cannot comprehend why the school did not 'listen' to your son. I hope you are able to sort this out for him.

 

Does it make you wonder why LA's don't actually have schools which meet our children's needs? Could it be because they are complex and they would have to make the provision but by passing the buck to an independent school they are not responsible.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If at all avoidable I don't want to move my son again. He has been to mainstream primary, enhanced resource primary and now his current placement.

 

The individual staff and therapy team are great. BUT no-one seems to communicate with eachother. So you agree with one staff member to proceed in a certain way, but no-one else seems to know or do it.

 

The Deputy Head, SENCO and Head definitely don't like the fact that I have complained about how they handled the AR. And that I have written to the LA stating that my son has not made any progress this year.

 

Last week is when a member of staff told my son he and his family could get into trouble if he did not attend lessons. In that instance they were asking him to do something that is one of his OCD obsessions. There is no way he would comply. But in general he always does what he is told because he likes to follow the rules and he does not like to get into trouble.

 

By school saying what they did to my son that caused him to lie down and refuse to move. And although school say he had a good day apart from that - which I don't dispute - the fact is that my son refused school the next day because he believes he will be forced to do things his OCD say will contaminate him. So I asked school if they thought how their member of staff had handled the situation had had a positive outcome when it caused him to show negative behaviour and refuse school. School replied by saying that they want a GP's note for every day he refuses school. I don't think the GP will even do that. And I don't think the school can insist on that. The SW has said it is not workable.

 

Things have deteriorated to such an extent that I am now using a dictaphone to record every single telephone conversation I have.

 

I've told school that THEY are causing alot of his school refusal. School seem to be accusing me of not trying to get him into school! I'm not sure what the implied benefit is to me to have him at home all day out of school.

 

I seem to have the Social Worker on my side with this - that is amazing in itself. But school don't like it. I will be glad when this year is over. I hope he has a different teacher next year.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...