to those who have offered support so far and I am sorry I am so bad at accepting help
I can't bear the thought of DS2 returning to school next week (going into year 6).
I haven't posted for a while - I am totally burnt out.
I have already been to Tribunal and it has made fuck all difference. Actually, strike that - the school have become even more aggressive and seem to be acting against DS2's best interests in a perverse manner. I am sick of weekly phone calls to the LA to get them to intervene to force the school to do what it should be doing.
But the final straw is the complete failure of the school to enable/increase engagement. They have refused to actually put in the support/scaffolding necessary to enable engagement but, in order to make it appear that they are doing something, and that progress is being made, actually end up rewarding disengagement. DS2 told me that it was easy to get rewards at school (as opposed to home) because he didn't have to do anything different! So much for behaviour modification
I have only been using our established token reward system for 1:1 working at home. Over the summer I have been using it for staying on task independently and have discovered that the 5 minutes baseline reported by the school is a load of bollocks. It takes about half an hour of 1:1 support and prompting for him to suddenly have sufficient engagement to carry on working for a minute or so if I leave the table (but not the room), building it gradually so that I am further away etc.
The school have been allegedly using the TRS for independent working but have sabotaged it . He is supposed to have 1:1 to enable him to start work and then build up time engaged using the TRS. The school have dispensed with the support to start work and so he does not start work. However, they reward him as if he has and/or they falsify records. So in one lesson, the record states that he received 4 rewards for staying on task for 20 minutes but his workbook is blank (the date and title written by the TA). They have broken the link between action and reward. I can't express how angry this makes me.
Whilst working on continuous writing with him he was outraged that he was expected to write approx 12 short sentences/about 150 words in 25 minutes on 2 subjects he said he found easy (describing his house and how to boil an egg). He said that he never has to write 6 sentences at school and that he couldn't do it I reminded him that he has been able to do this since year 2, that he could do it, I believed in him etc. After some time he sat down and did it, neat legible handwriting with spaces and everything. I still had to use a TRS to motivate him and of course, his interpretation of 'vivid' meant the house was gigantic, the windows were amazing, the doors were brilliant and the carpets and rugs were tremendous and he described how to make fried egg with sausage and toast (which he prefers).
But it means that he can do stuff, with the right support. The school will never give it. The LA are now saying that maybe he has reached his limit at 5 minutes attention span, the Judge at tribunal said 'what do you expect - he is autistic', autism outreach want me to lower expectations to 'struggle to attain average' despite 'very superior' cognitive ability. I've had enough.
I know the LA prefer us to go away and electively HE but I have just, ironically, been approved a Personal Budget (direct payment) for DS1 for home tutoring and counselling. The LA fund SALT and OT at home for him as well. He has been out of school since January 2015 and this is following initiation of JR so not the LA choice (they preferred to do nothing).
Sorry this is so long and I have so many questions. Has anyone had online school named? Is the DC then on the roll of the online school? Will the LA then pay the fees? How can I not send DS2 back to the school from hell whilst the LA decide? If, I have to deregister what will happen to his statement/EHCP? Can I not send him back and call an emergency review?
Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.
SN children
Can I name online school/online tuition on an EHCP?
KOKOagainandagain · 01/09/2016 10:42
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