School refusing to give copies of SALT and OT reports

[KOKOagainandagain]

DS2 has SALT and OT written into his statement. Previously local NHS discharge policy meant he had no support. The LA had to be threatened with JR but have now commissioned therapists. They were not appointed in time to inform short term target setting.

DS2 had an IEP review this week. The advice of SALT and OT had not been incorporated into the targets. I assumed the school had not yet received written targets. Turns out the school has had written copies of reports and specific targets for months.

I found this out by accident when the OT visited DS2, on the day before the review was due and after we had received a copy of the proposed new IEP, to see how he had got on - only to be told by the TA that the school had only delivered half the provision on parental advise . The OT told me she had given the school and the LA a copy of the report/targets on her initial visit. She had advised the school to stop the 45 mins per week touch typing, which was the only provision, and replaced it with 3 new targets.

OT then phoned LA and LA then phoned the school. A new IEP was written and a single paper copy of the new IEP was brought to the review and read out by the teacher. The review was strictly limited to 30 mins and the new targets were at the very end and so were rushed through. OT targets had been added but not SALT. The CT said that she does not have to put the targets in the IEP as they are in the SALT report - the one we are not allowed to see. It appears that the school is deliberately with-holding these reports so that we do not notice that SALT and OT targets are not being incorporated into IEP - we call it that but it is really short term targets relating to long term objectives in his statement.

We have asked school for copies of the reports and they have replied that "as the [SALT and OT] are external to the school and county have provided their services, I'm afraid you will need to contact the LA".

I know that the school has been provided with copies but have not shared them with parents. The new OT targets have presumably been cut and pasted from the OT report ffs.

I am so stressed I am either going to have a stroke or go 'postal' [black humour]. WWYD? (I am almost ready to call an emergency review and go back to tribunal for indi placement (he has an offer) before the nightmare of year 6).

[Laura223939]

Can you phone the OT and SALT departments and ask them for copies?

Other than that, go postal. Call a TAC meeting, get everyone you can to attend from the LA, everyone involved with his case too. Get yourself an advocate. Get the school on the back foot and be a total nuisance until you get what you want. I had a very similar experience with DS1's school and I find conflict extremely tough, but it's the only way to take control. Phone/email every day!

Can you tell it's made me into a bitter, stressed harridan?

[youarenotkiddingme]

Yep madness. Just more of it in your case.

Can you do a SAR to get the file including the reports?

Another way I've found in in this situation is to find out who is the PA to salt, OT etc. Email them and ask if a electronic copy of report could be provided to you. They are usually unaware of the shit going on and so will just do it under the rules of being allowed access to reports.

[KOKOagainandagain]

'going postal' colloquially refers to disgruntled former employees of the Postal Service in the USA seeking revenge in a rather direct fashion involving a Kalashnikov - are you sure you recommend this course of action

I am already a PITA and have copied in the LA to all shenanigans for months now. I have also met with and had numerous telephone discussions with the LA about non-delivery of provision.

I have phoned the DS2's SNO (I have her direct line so she can't pretend not to be there). The LA are going to send me copies of the reports. Tried to fob me off that this meant that all was now OK. My having received copies from elsewhere does not alter the fact that the school did not even tell me about the existence of the reports, never mind share the information with me when they received it. When I accidentally found out about the existence of one report from the OT herself, and directly requested a copy, the school refused. They are refusing to share the information they hold on my son! I agree that this is madness. The SNO tried to say that the school would not have any more reports than the LA but this is not the point.

She then agreed to phone the school and remind them of their responsibility to share information with parents as a matter of course and of their absolute obligation to share information when directly requested to do so. I think I will email and confirm this.

It is clear that the reports and targets were deliberately withheld because the targets were not incorporated into the latest IEP provided 2 days before the review meeting - before the OT phoned me. The OT targets were then incorporated at the last minute (because I found out that they existed) but I still have not been told what the SALT targets are. Hence, SALT targets are the holding targets the school wrote before the SALT was appointed and not those contained in the SALT report.

I think there is a concerted effort atm to force us out. I wonder if this has anything to do with his likelihood of meeting expectations in SATs next year?

If I was going to leave (I don't know if I can stand another year of deliberately provocative action/inaction) or that DS2 can have his needs met in m/s. What would be the advantages of paying privately for DS2 to start at indi ss in September, pending tribunal, as opposed to him staying where he was pending tribunal? I already intend to call an emergency review due to 6 months worth of evidence to show that dedicated support has not enabled any greater progress than access to the class TA in the mornings only. The LA are siding with the school and agree that provision is being delivered (they are going to put this in writing but not for two weeks because they are waiting for the end of term they are too busy), so that means that existing provision is not enough. Still baseline of 5 mins focus on a good day - a good day being when DS2 is self-motivated. Documented evidence that this has been the case since at least year 2 - this is the point where his previous school quantified a target of 15 minutes focus and reviewed progress. He has not met the target set in year 2 despite increasing support to do so.

I was putting up with this crap because I wanted to see if DS2 could make sufficient progress to cope in m/s but now I have enough evidence to suggest that this is not going to happen. His problems with staying on task means that he is happy to leave 75% of maths questions unanswered in an hour long assessment . Other DC are in tears in they miss a few questions but it is all water of a duck's back to DS2.

[KOKOagainandagain]

'off' not 'of'