Mumsnet Talk

Hi

I was wondering if anyone could advise me. My child just joined reception and is probably the youngest in her class.

What does one do when (absolutely objectively and unemotionally) you think the teacher might be under pressure to get your child classifed as special needs in order to maintain class performance averages?

The teacher keeps coming up with really silly comments regarding my child's performance in PE activities and has said she is thinking of getting the senco to write to my child's gp if things do not 'improve' soon.

My child is physically fine. Academically she is a quick learner and is doing ok considering her age relative to the rest of the class.

Thanks

In other words, can they insist on classifying the child as special needs, even if the GP says everything is fine??

If your child is physically fit, what exactly is she worried about?
Is she a very experienced teacher? Have you had a meeting with the SENCO to discuss what their concerns are?
If there is a concern, why are you confident that they are wrong?
If your child was given specific support, would you object?

'getting the senco to write to my child's gp if things do not 'improve' soon.'
Do schools even do this? Don't they refer through the school nurse - which would not be the decision of the class teacher anyway. How strange.
What are her concerns?

SEN (Special Educational Needs) is not the same thing as Sn (Special Needs).

It means what it says on the tin. That there is some aspect of school she needs extra help with.

It could be her fine or gross motor skills, or socialising, or behaving, or academic, or staying on task.

Having a child on the SEN register does not help the teacher in terms of 'maintaining class averages'. Children on the SEN register are expected to make the same progress as every other child.

The most likely scenario is that she genuinely thinks your child needs extra help.

In fact a child on the SEN register puts more pressure on teachers to get them achieving. If a child doesn't make progress it's 1 in 30. If an SEN child doesn't it's 1 in 2 or 3 so ratios for ofsted are higher

hanka - about a third of the class will be on the SEN register, so it'll be 1 in 9 or 10.........

Depends on the school.in my class there was 3. In DSs class just him. In my second class there was 2.