Reasonable Communication with School

[mummytippy]

Over the course of the last academic year I have been communicating with my DS's school via email mainly and have attended a handful of meetings (requested by myself). This is because my ex partner was awarded residency of my DS and he lives a considerable distance away - so therefore the school is also a considerable distance away.

Initially the Head replied and seemed relatively efficient but things seems to have changed.

Before my DS started this school he was in my care and had previously attended a prep school where he had had an IEP in place. I would work on this at home with him as additional support at least 3 times per week. When residency changed I passed all the info I had to the new school to ease my DS's transition and so they could see his work historically as he was 'new' to them.

Results from the Dyslexia Institute were also passed over by me too as my DS has been assessed by them twice since Nov 2013.

Not long after starting at the school his class teacher informed me my DS would still have a SEN and I signed to accept this.


Over the course of the year I have had asked various questions relating to his work and progress which have remained unanswered. Some of these questions had been asked at meetings and I've followed up with a polite email. It also took two months to meet the school's SENCo who subsequently left at Christmas and then I didn't get to meet her replacement until just before the Feb half term despite asking at the beginning of January.

After my meeting with the new SENCo I had a number of questions which the SENCo said she would have to ask my DS's class teacher before confirming, this was something I thought she may have done before the meeting. A further meeting was held in mid March with my ex partner present too but a writing assessment my DS had just done and I'd asked about at the Feb HT meeting was not discussed. At this point I still did not know what extra support had been provided for my DS or what assessments have been done with him at the school. I still do not. Feeling extremely frustrated I asked in an email in March and am still waiting.

Other questions I have asked have varied from still wanting the results on a writing assessment to wanting a copy of a letter sent out to parents relating to a 'strange person' loitering outside the school which I did not receive. I had also asked to have my son's reading level confirmed but have not been advised of this either.

As time has gone on I have begun to feel like I am nothing but an inconvenience to the Head and the school as my ex partner has basically criticised all of the assessments I had paid for privately (Dyslexia Institute and a meeting with a Bilateral Integration specialist) provided to the school at the start of the school year as said. In addition to this my ex partner has actively obstructed further external tests (if outside my contact time).
I am merely wanting to make sure my son is on target like any caring parent. The Dyslexia Institute wanted to hold a meeting with the SENCo last year and despite me making the school aware of this it never happened, partly I think due to my ex's attitude towards the Dyslexia Institute etc. I have found this doubly frustrating as my ex partner was not interested in my DS when he was in my care and I don't understand what his problem is with regards to extra support externally. All he has said from my DS starting at this school is the school has everything in hand and he has every faith in them. I on the other hand disagree - especially in view of the writing assessment result.

My DS completed the national framework strategies for literacy and mathematics in February and as a Year 4 pupil he scored a secure 2 / High 2. Despite asking twice for the result (once at a meeting and again in an email) I only learned of his result after finding the assessment sheet stuck in his literacy book.

Further to this my son's maths teacher when I met her on 13.04 expressed her concern on how little he was progressing and I emailed the Head to inform her.

Cafcass are involved this time and the school have told them my DS is on level with his peers and I do not agree.

In addition to this there were things she told me she would do she has not and I feel now she's simply pacified me.

The question I'm asking is where to go from here?

My ex partner and myself are due to go back to Court soon and as I have such concerns now over the support my son has /has not received I would like advice on how to tackle the lack of communication from the school. I want to make the Judge aware of my genuine concerns as surely I should not have to keep pestering the Head for answers or feel like I am. At the same time I don't want the Judge to think I haven't tried to do my best in communicating and find out the answers. Part of my case is my concern with the school's provision of support for my DS.

A friend suggested my solicitor writing to confirm my concerns and request the answers to my questions saying this will also distance me?

Can anyone please advise on what to do in tackling the unanswered questions and voicing my concerns to the Head. As much as I'm unhappy and don't want to complain I feel I must. I feel between a rock and a hard place and there's only just over two weeks of the school year left and not long to go to Court.

Thank you in advance.