Should friends DD be assessed and how to go about this?

[hellsbells99]

Hello all. Asking for some advice on behalf of a friend. She has a DD aged 10. DD is a lovely girl but DD has shown problems at school for several years. Mum has repeatedly said to school that she thinks there is a problem. School have fobbed her off for the last 3 years. DD particularly struggles with maths but also with writing. I don't have the full details so I am afraid I am a bit sketchy here. School have suddenly acknowledged that perhaps there is a problem but said there is no point in having a formal assessment done as they get no extra funding to help her. Is this correct? Should she be assessed anyway so they can find out what the problem is? DD is now being taken out of the classroom a bit for some one to one. Please could anyone give any practical advice on what to do? Thanks

[prissyenglisharriviste]

She could pay for a private Ed psych assessment.

She could also call the school and make an appointment to discuss with the senco. Or call the lea and discuss what the school have said regarding assessment with the area inco.

To be frank though, she will need to have documented this through time, and be able to prove that the school has been providing support which is inadequate.

Se needs to know if the dd has been on the 'school action' list. If so, how long for.

She needs to know if IEPs have been in place for the child (she should have an entire folder of copies of them if this has been ongoing for years - they should be updated six monthly once out of yr r, and parents should be signing).

In any case, I would be booking an appointment with the senco to discuss transition to secondary.

It's hard when kids are borderline though. The truth is, there is very little support for kids who are slower to pick up concepts (we aren't all going to be Einstein) but not academically behind enough to be assessed for any learning disabilities.

At 10, they probably see no point in starting the assessment wheel turning - she will be in a different school by the time/ if ever she reaches the top of the waiting list.

Can they afford a private Ed psych assessment?

[prissyenglisharriviste]

(The fact that she is receiving 1-1 support is great btw. It means she is on their SA list. Your friend just needs to get all this documented now. She should transition on SA, but tbh, there isn't much support in secondary - the kids usually just end up in a lower stream and get the dregs of the statemented pupils LSA time)

[hellsbells99]

To be honest I don't think they can afford to have a private assessment done. There is no IEP in place. School have always said there is not a problem. DD is now very behind and just doesn't 'get' numbers. If you asked her to add 11 + 1, then she would try counting up to 11 on her fingers first before trying to add on 1.
I did advise friend to ask to see the senco but she wasn't aware the school had one - I told her all schools have one.

[hellsbells99]

Thanks for replies. What is an 'SA list'?

[creamteas]

SA= School Action.

There are three levels of Special Educational Needs (SEN) currently

School Action - the school is doing additional things
School Action plus (SA+) - outside assistance is also involved
A Statement of Special Education Needs.

Tell your friend to have a read of the <a class="break-all" href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DfES%200581%20200MIG2228.pdf" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">Code of Practice . Then go to see the SENCO and push for assessment.

[prissyenglisharriviste]

If she's 10 and struggling with 'adding on 1', then I don't think there's any doubt that she needs additional support. How on earth has she got through times tables and the maths curriculum to date?

They need to talk to senco pronto and demand some rigorous testing to find out exactly what she knows, and how far behind she is. I would suggest they request an urgent Ed psych referral (they will be available through school but there is often a long waiting list), and I suggest they start asking questions about transition to secondary, and start this discussion with the secondary as well. The primary are quite likely to just try and fob them off at this point. She needs not to let them.