All these schools not implementing statements........

[StarlightMcKenzie]

It CAN'T be that they are knowingly breaking the law surely.#

It MUST be that as statements have become more and more wooly schools have got used to the idea that they can make it up, and interpret '25 hours exclusively for x' as 'when class teacher or school feel it is necessary'.

The must, in their heads, add to the 'exclusively for x' another line 'if we think x needs it'.

This HAS to be what is going on!!!!

[inappropriatelyemployed]

I think you are probably right. I also think that, if a child has a statement for a while, schools forget to even look at it.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

or pehaps they just think 'well that statement is just stupid, the LA can't expect us to implement that'.

I KNOW that many think 'this kid isn't as bad as that kid over there and HE doesn't have a statement because he doesn't have pushy parents like this one'.

[babiki]

yes it's rather off putting the whole bloody thing..mind you I have talked to some parents in RL and theyv have no idea about quantifiyng etc..they are 'happy in their ignorance' (don't mean this badly)..so that's why also Lea can get away with lots...parents need to be empowered somehow :)
If it wasn't for mumsnet I would feel like a crazy person, no-one I met in RL has got much knowledge of the system :( they all trust proffesionals and are thanksful the kids are 'included' in MS..

[inappropriatelyemployed]

I think your last statement is absolutely true. I also think how many schools define 'as bad as' is limited to literacy and numeracy and the overlook the whole child. So it doesn't matter if a child doesn't speak to anyone as long as he does well in his SATs. That was certainly the case with DS's 'outstanding' school.

I also think the comparative approach is their way of justifying their failure in their own minds. And that goes for health service professionals too. Much better to comfort themselves with the belief that the child isn't really that bad.

[bochead]

After seeing so many threads on this topic recently I'm fast coming to the conclusion that a simple parental survey monkey survey should be sent out annually to ALL schools asking a few simple questions -

1. Is the provision set out in his/her statement being provided? (No= -20)
   

1. Has there been more than a 4 week delay in the implementation of ANY aspect of your child's statement? (No=-10)
   

1. Does your school provide less support than is written in the statement? (Yes=-15)
   

1. Does your child provide MORE support than is written in the statement? (yes =+5)
   

1. Do all statements specify and quantify provision? (No= -30)
   

The SEN depts of any schools with negative scores should automatically be inspected. Any school scoring minus 10 or less for one student should automatically be listed on the council website as being a cause for concern. (The inspection is to check the facts) Any school scoring minus 10 or less for more than one student should automatically have to publish an improvement plan on it's website with 10 working days that is signed off by an independent expert, oh & it should fail it's OFSTEAD and be subjected to 6 monthly inspections with all the risks that carries.

[inappropriatelyemployed]

But they would all just lie!

[StarlightMcKenzie]

we could do a national parent questionnaire?

flag up schools and the LAs they fall in?

[StarlightMcKenzie]

The questionnaire can be educational too, like?

is the 1:1 time specified and quantified?

(example: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx)

[moosemama]

Ds's teacher actually told me "his statement is just ridiculous" and "we can't be expected to do all that" - that was just before the Head grabbed her and physically dragged her into the building citing 'an urgent phonecall'. This was two minutes after the SENCO, who had been eavesdropping circling literally ran into the building looking panicked.

I have also been told that there are children in his year with much lower achievement and they aren't getting anywhere near the support we want for ds.

[inappropriatelyemployed]

I HATE that argument - it is like trying to justify slapping a child because someone down the road hits their child with a stick.

Do they think we should respond by saying: aah, I see, well if you're failing that child, please do let me step aside and watch you fail mine too.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Grrrrr. I hate that too. Wtf has someone elses child got to do with mine?

[alison222]

I was told today - " We don't have the resources to do that" - That being ensuring DS has correctly recorded his homework in each lesson. It is one of many things specified in the statement.

The meeting I was in today the Assistant Senco seemed to be surprised to be told by the OT that provision in part 3 of the statement was over and above normal NHS stuff and the school was responsible for commissioning it and making sure it happened line by line. He was most emphatic. I think school were shocked. I hope they take notice.
I got the distinct impression that most statements are so woolley that they can do what they like in school with the funding

[alison222]

We have all heard the comment about another child being worse.
I'm sure by now the SENCOs are all used to the stock answer that " This is my child we are talking about, It is the provision he needs , and the needs of other children are not my concern. I will continue to fight for the correct provision for my child. Budgets are not my concern either" or similar.

[Veritate]

I heard recently about a secondary mainstream school which twice went to tribunal on behalf of the LA to give evidence that it could certainly meet the needs of two autistic children and it could easily provide all the support that the tribunal might order, including the provision of specialist teachers. The parents duly lost their appeals and both children went to that school. Over the course of two terms, the school never put in place the therapy provision, it did idiotic things like assigning 6 inexperienced TAs to each child for support, and eventually admitted that it had no specialist teachers and wasn't planning to recruit any. Inevitably, both children deteriorated - one became a school refuser, the other became increasingly disruptive and was threatened with permanent exclusion. Finally, the school admitted that it couldn't meet their needs.

Frankly, I think that is actually wicked. You have to wonder whether it ever crossed their minds that they have wilfully ruined the lives of two children, and you really want to get hold of them and demand to know why.

[inappropriatelyemployed]

It's disgraceful veritate isn't it? At a lower level, but on the same theme, look at all the schools that lie about provision and grades during Tribunal.

Since moving schools, it is quite clear that DS' grades at the old school were massively inflated for the sole purpose of defeating claims for support. Lying about a 7 year olds grades! Let alone the lies about the success of the provision that was not even in place!

But the impotency and complicity of oversight bodies enables this LA crapness. Why bother implementing a statement when most parents don't know about judicial review and those that go to the LGO get short shrift? Accountability is key.

[bjkmummy]

I have used judicial review in the past and it id work. With my younger son we are heading to tribunal- school have actually being fab and are screaming they cannot meet his needs. Lea forced to admit they will need to find another school but then done nothing and dirty tricks started like sending in outreach to deliberately say he is fine - however we can prove she has lied and the head teacher has emailed head of sen and highlighted the blatant lies. Lea now trying to make his current school fit him but they can't so I am lucky I have a supportive school

[mycarscallednev]

......... so, picking up from my thread on Tribunals and how many get the right provision without having to go that far [very few it seems] - we could go all the way through Tribunal, be refused, and get a place in a school which is crap, and then have to go through it all again?
How many times until these bloody people realise we aren't asking for the world just the right education and holistic care for our children?
Surely the definition [to the government at least] of an independant person is one who pays tax and therefore works, if they keep consistently failing our children its others who will paying their taxes on their behalf, through no fault of anyones other than the system.
Then, of course it'll be 'lets blame the parents'.....
On the subject of polls and surveys I'd like to see one on the best LA's and to shame the worst.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

bjk, it sounds like your JR worked because you had at least 'some' professionals on your side.

It doesn't appear to work when it is parents against them all.

[moosemama]

I think that's it Veritate, the insidious changes to our education and health system resulting in them becoming businesses, rather than places of care and support is at the root of it I'm sure.

Everyone has their eye on the bottom line, rather than the needs of individuals and somewhere in the middle people are no longer people, little children and no longer little children with their whole life ahead of them, they are numbers on a spreadsheet to be juggled with to ensure they cost the least amount possible. No-one considers the long-term life destroying consequences of their actions, how can they when their charges have been dehumanised and they themselves have been desensitised.

It's not the fault of individual teachers/doctors etc (well with a few notable exceptions) it's down to them being so squeezed and controlled, forced to cover their and the school's backsides, just in case of criticism or complaint, that they have no time or energy left for the sort of compassion and understanding that should be requisite for these jobs.

There are some exceptions, some bright stars who seem to be able to retain their own humanity and compassion. The teachers ds had last year were shining examples, but how long before they are so pushed that they simply can't keep it up - or like one of them found at the end of the year - the edict comes from above to block their attempts at putting the child first, rendering them powerless.

The pervading 'no win no fee' culture hasn't helped either, as if you do complain and/or make legal recourse, you are seen as on-the-make, wanting something for nothing or trying to get an unfair advantage, rather than just wanting things done the way the should have been done in the first place.

Honestly it makes me despair. It sometimes feels like all roads are blocked and there's no way back from the horrible mess our society has got itself into.

[moosemama]

Alison, we were told exactly the same thing about recording homework when it's given out in class - 'impossible to resource'.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Excellent post Moose. Now if you could just come up with the answers........

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Can they send you an email about the homework? Or each teacher send an email to the office and the office can sort for each child and send it out to the parents?

[moosemama]

Sorry Star, all out of answers. Full up of despair and hopelessness this morning.

The only thing I can think of is REVOLUTION! - but I am in no fit state to start it - anyone else up for the challenge?

Been watching some interviews recently with some more radical people from my youthful 'alternative' days and realising how badly dh and I have taken our eyes off the ball and how it's come back to bite us on the backside. I pushed dh to calm down, settle down and start a family and in doing so we lost sight of what was really going on all around us. The irony being that we are now one of the very families all this crap impacts the most.

I think we need to seriously think about waking ourselves up politically, but at a bit of a loss to know where to start at the moment.

I definitely feel something stirring, just hope it doesn't run out of steam before it reaches the surface - the old cogs in my brain don't turn as well as they used to and some are completely missing.

[inappropriatelyemployed]

I hear you comrade, I hear you!

[moosemama]

Our school don't 'do' emails.

They have a list of assignments in no particular order and have to do one a week. We have just managed to get his teacher to help him circle the one he's doing this week, but there's no parameters, guidelines or advice and nothing to inform me of what he should be doing so I can help him. It's the age old thing where they tell a child with autism to 'write about x' but he has no clue what that means in terms of what he's supposed to be putting on the page.

I sent a letter a fortnight ago explaining how hard he is finding it, as the work is a small project a week, but it's taking him 3-4 hours each time (supposed to be 1 hour) and causing a lot of distress. He just can't get his ideas down on paper. He's been ok with a couple of fact sheets he's had to do, but things like 'write a newspaper report about an earthquake, real or imaginary' completely floor him. This is an ongoing issue from last year. Last year's teacher agreed he could interpret and present the projects however he wants/needs, so we did audio voice over to slides and powerpoint presentations etc. This year's teacher hasn't even bothered to acknowledge the letter.

Maths homework just gets shoved in the book on a sheet, but we can muddle through with that, as it's usually fairly self-explanatory.

They assume he knows when it should be brought in and sent home because it's standard days, so don't make him write it in his diary. (In fact there is nothing at all written in his diary so far this half term.) He hasn't a clue, as he hasn't accepted and adapted to this year's schedule yet. It also gets complicated if they give it out a day late or he has been off sick and he gets himself in a state about what's required when. If I didn't put it in his folder with him and then write a note to his morning TA to tell him it's there he wouldn't hand it in and if I don't tell him it's homework night, he won't even think of it on his own - so it's not him that's coping and being organised - its me!

As dh said there are too many individual things wrong, that add up to a bigger picture of a systemic lack of understanding and support - for which there is no excuse, as they have 'the manual' on ds's needs and what support he should be getting in the shape of his blooming statement.