I think DDs school want her out

I agree with you Starlight, it's compete bollocks. After a fuck up with my sons transport I rang the council and said "I want to speak to someone about obtaining a personal budget for my sons transport", I spoke to FIVE different people who didn't know what the fuck I was talking about, and ended up being transferred to child protection before I gave up! I posted somewhere else about them offering me 20p a mile petrol expenses but that's a different thread.

Individual budgets are a PR myth. They don't 'actually' exist for anything they didn't before I.e transport and social care.

I challenge you to find a single family in the country who is getting individual budgets for anything else that didn't get it without a Judicial Review. Councils can and do refuse requests with no reason, because they are allowed to.

The schools set themselves up in an 'advisory capacity' with one breath and then with the next, complain about inadequate training in SEN.

And I agree with being shown to do all the right things. It does makes me laugh when there are things on IEPs which are for the parent to do at home. How does this detail the provision a school are making, in order to legally comply with a Statement?

No worries Dayshift.

Hmm, I wonder why there has not been more publicity...especially over aspects like individual budgets and the need for proper Provision Mapping within schools.

Sorry I got embroiled in child stuff yesterday

Capsium - yes I did mean individual access - I possibly didn't make myself clear.

I don't dispute that OP needs to take advice but unless you, as a parent, are doing what you can then it is very easy for professionals to shift the blame on to you. Realising that and realising that battling stuff I couldn't change (like the fact that the teacher is young / inexperienced) was a waste of energy changed things for me. I do and have challenged plenty of things I don't agree with and IPSEA and local parent partnership are brilliant but I absolutely choose my battles and no matter how wrong the other party is my attitude and approach is the thing I can really change.

And I really like the new code though I think the period of transition will be interesting. Totally agree with your comments. I probably came across negative as it's frustrating that there has been more publicity about this and it leaves parents on the back foot.

OP have a look at your council's website, they should have a "local offer" detailing the support available and the updated SEN policies in light of recent changes. It might be of help to you and perhaps point you towards someone who can assist you.

Dayshift oh on re-reading I see there can be a problem with parents accessing provision maps, if they are not individual. I was assuming individual provision mapping, as individual top up funds are applied for, but perhaps they can be censored, so that they only show the information relating to one child?

I do think it is a good thing that schools will be help more accountable, to the LA, at the very least (because they do not receive top up if they cannot demonstrate a spend) in terms of how they are spending SEN funds. Previously a school received individual funds from Statements and could spend them on what they wanted, in theory, as long as no one complained the Statement was not been upheld (difficult to prove if you are not there round the clock).

Op my heart goes out to you

So many people on here have framed the problem in really insightful ways - and I hope it gives you support though practically, it's clear you have your work cut out for you.

Dayshift as per usual there must be difference between LA to LA. Our's has specifically stated there needs to be a move to 'joint' decision making with parents rather than 'consultation' with parents. Although it is unclear, as yet, as to what this will mean in actuality...

As I have stated earlier, I actually prefer provision mapping to IEPs. Done well, I think they are more informative. Examples available on the web are available, which can help a parent understand the quality of what is being provided.

I agree though, you do have to pick your battles, I do the same. However I think the OP is absolutely right to seek advice and challenge the school (IPSEA can advise as to what her DD's should rightfully receiving in terms of her SEN) in this matter.

It is just outside of London

I think a lot of emphasis is put on OFSTED reports and which is the better school and not on which school is better for ds or dd.

Ds goes to a school we actively chose for him. It is 14 miles away.
The looks range from horror to pity when I tell friends where he goes to school. It is quickly replaced by talk of him being on a waiting list for a "better" school near by. When I explain that he is not on any waiting and we all love the school I just get a look of confusion come over their faces.

He and I looked at every school within a 20 mile radius when choosing his secondary school. Every school apart from the one he now attends. We believed the newspaper reports. We went to every open evening of every school within that radius.

The first school we picked, an OFSTED rated Good school, had him in detention 2 or 3 times per week, I was being phoned up re his "bad" behaviour almost daily and according to his teachers he was a horror to teach. I know ds can be a handful at home but in school he was always as good as gold. I removed him after 6 weeks and put him in his current
school.

It was an horrendous comprehensive 2 years ago. From all newspaper accounts the staff were demoralised and the pupils out of control.
In steps a new HT with a huge budget to fix up the school, expel anyone who was a bad influence and shake up the teaching staff ( I think he said 80%of teachers had been replaced in the last 2 years).
What is left is a secondary school of 400 pupils (it can take in excess of 1800) that means there is only 12 pupils in ds's classes. Everyone has a brand new IMac computer in the computer room. The teaching staff are new and energised and ds gets the 1 to 1 he needs because of his dyslexia.

Ds has never been given a detention in his current school in fact he is praised by all the teachers for the effort he puts into his work, His politeness to teachers and pupils have not gone unnoticed and he amasses merits by the bucket load. He himself has not changed however how teachers respond to him has.

I too have to move schools because of serious issues but to be honest the same issues would have re-occurred if I hadn't changed my attitude too.

Partly because my son was used to being bullied and intimidated by his teachers and other pupils.

He needed me to change as well as the school.

Good luck OP

Ds has never been given a detention in his current school in fact he is praised by all the teachers for the effort he puts into his work and his politeness. However his previous school which he attended for a short while before I pulled him out of it was very much like the op's. He was constantly in detention and I was called virtually everyday about some misdemeanour.

An example of one problem that led to several detentions was that during the It lesson. The IT room was set up so that all the computers faced the front of the class but for some unknown reason the back row of computers faced the back wall. Ds and the row at the back were working away with headphones on not realising that the lesson was stopping and they needed to take their head phones off. Instead of asking someone to tell them the lesson had ended. The teacher went up to them and gave them a detention for not stopping when she had asked them to. This happened to the same 5 boys and girls each week as they were not allowed to swap places. Then if you got more than 3 detentions in 1 term then you got another detention just for the hell of it. Ds was completely stressed out.

I think op that a new school is the only way forward however I would be suing their pants off before I went especially if you can prove that others have done stuff far worse and nothing gets done about it.

Op in dds school chewing gum is an on the spot suspendable offence.

Absolutely right there does need to be provision mapping but one question that was left unanswered was how the individual parent accesses this, especially as it will contain information regarding other children

Plus there is NO set way for schools to provision map - they are free to choose how they do this and as such unless you are familiar with provision mapping, educational outcomes, etc then you would find it difficult to ascertain if the provision mapping is of a decent quality and if your child's needs have been mapped / assessed correctly.

High needs funding is reliant on evidenced provision and is usually done via application to the LA - parents are not involved in that process and the big concern can be getting a school to recognise that there is a need in the first place.

Of course parents can change things but I invest my energies in what I can influence (usually my son's support at home and expectations) and deal with what I need to deal with that impacts upon that separately (parent forums, formal complaints, consultations), etc

^that should be IPSEA. Typo.

Regardless of IEPs, School Action and School Action plus, schools still have to have differentiated SEN provision though.

They cannot apply for extra top up funding if they cannot demonstrate an initial individual spend of 6k meeting child's additional needs. So this would suggest there has to be some kind provision mapping in place within school.

Individual LAs can give more details, of the roll out of new legislation, if you read their public meeting minutes published on their website (democracy section). LAs also have to publish a 'Local Offer' re. SEN provision.

I actually think attitudes can be changed. Not directly maybe, but there are plenty of means in terms of getting your voice into the 'ether'.

ISEA ( web link given earlier) can advise as well re. what the school should be providing.

Ok

As I am sure you all know, because it was so well advertised and the media really took it on the law changed on the 1st of September regarding SEND in schools. It's the biggest change to SEN law in 10yrs and the changes have actually been happening gradually.

As things stand the new code of practice is now law

www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25

There is now NO sChool Action, School Action Plus OR IEPs for anyone who does not have a statement of EHC plan

Some schools are continuing to use all the above but that is their CHOICE it is not law...

OP I get it - really I do but you may well need to change your stance to the school... Regardless of THEIR behaviour towards you and your DD YOU need to be whiter than white in terms of your attitude towards your DD's behaviour...

My son has ASD and challenging behaviour, he's statemented... Last term he witnessed a member of staff saying he had a bad attitude and he was also sanctioned for reacting to a member of staff communicating poorly with him.

I supported those sanctions and my son was told 'I am not interested in anyone else's behaviour or actions, only yours and I expect.........'

Now the incidents that happened were damn out of order - I was disgusted with the school - I wrote to head and asked that she dealt with it but at the same time I made it explicitly clear that I had dealt with my sons reaction to the situation
I made sure my son was not aware of my complaint and I made sure school were aware that he did not know. The members of staff were spoken to regarding their part in the incident - they have to work with my son and have to discipline him still so it was imperative that the relationship was not undermined by my opinion of those staff. There has been no repeats of the incidents.

He has been accused of things that were not him many, many, many times but he can never answer Yes when I have asked 'Were YOU sitting quietly, listening, doing your work?'
As I have said to him - like it or not he is more likely to be noticed than the next person so make sure 'YOUR behaviour is at the level that is expected at all times'

Now my son is not actually capable of maintaining himself but it's not an excuse. If I excuse it then that behaviour works for him.... I do lots of other things to raise his self-esteem, self confidence and we put in supports to help him manage: social stories, routine, visual timetables... It's not enough so he has recently been medicated, by CAMHS for anxiety - that also took a formal complaint.

You need to compartmentalise every element - you can support / impact / change some things but not others. The teachers age, attitude, approach is out of your control and so are the other children so concentrate your DD - pursue CAMHS, put some things in place at home and set her some expectations....

I have been doing this for years - it's a way of life and not a quick fix. It infuriates me the approach to him at times but I am now in a position where my son respects me and my son's school respect me enough to call me and tell me about one of the above incidents before my son did. It's not perfect but I don't waste my energy pursuing issues that I can change anymore either.

It's heart breaking stuff OP

I agree you daughter's happiness and confidence is your first priority, Lucy.

lucy I suspected attainment was being managed somewhat, down rather than up, though, to retain funding, although this could have been partially subconscious on the teacher's part...they did not get involved with engaging with my DC very much day to day and left a lot of work to TAs. I did a lot of work at home to bridge the gap.

^sorry last post was to mamalino.

malimo you have no arguments from me regarding your daughter having a designated 1 to 1, which is used as such, as per her Statement.

I do have a problem with 1 to 1s retained by schools but used as general TAs. If this works for the Statemented child the Statement should be changed to reflect the change in need. Anything less, is not acknowledging that child's progress. If this (reduced support) does not work, the impact can be devastating.