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AIBU to complain to make a complaint?

29 replies

Jupiter2Mars · 02/11/2016 08:53

DC is in year 10 and has a SEN. The school have recognised the SEN from the first day of year 7, and have put in place reasonable adjustments for classwork and exams (extra time and typing).
All should be fine, but every year, several teachers forget (usually when setting exams), get reminded, forget again, get reminded and forget again.
Now it is the start of GCSEs and it has happened again with another teacher.
DC does not want to draw attention to the SEN in front of the other teenagers, so will not call the teacher over to speak about it at they start of the test.

Afterwards, every time it happens , I email the teacher concerned and try to tactfully point out that they didn't do what they were supposed to so could they do it next time. They always say ok, then about half of them don't.

DC also writes to each new teacher at the start of each year telling them about the SEN and the adjustments asking for their agreement.

A couple of years ago, I tried asking the learning support dept for help in ensuring the adjustments happen but it made no difference.

I am getting a bit fed up with it. I don't think any teacher does it on purpose, just that they can't be bothered remembering. In the past, some have told me that they got the list from learning support but didn't look at it.

Should I complain to the school that there is a systematic failure here and that the Disability Discrimination Act applies?

OP posts:
Bluntness100 · 02/11/2016 12:04

No it's not unreasonable of your son, kids seldom like to single themselves out as different. I would not complain as such, but I would book an appt with the head and just discuss how to make this easier and right in future.

Jupiter2Mars · 02/11/2016 12:00

It isn't the SEN that stops DS pointing it out, just a prolonged attempt to never let anyone find out about it. He thinks its his business and the rest of the class don't need to know. He'll speak to a teacher about it, but not with another 30 teenagers all able to listen in. Is that unreasonable of him?

Extra time on class tests has been pre-agreed with the school (led by the learning support recommendations). Typically, when there is not time for DS to finish a test in class time, he comes back at break or lunch and does it then. 25% sounds like a lot but its only 7 minutes on a 30 minute test, so usually there is time in class when the teacher is collecting up the papers etc.

OP posts:
TeenAndTween · 02/11/2016 10:05

Is it part of the SEN that makes your DC unwilling to talk with the teachers, or just teenage reluctance of being different?

If the latter then I do think DC should step up and mention it.

Extra time isn't always feasible in class tests so maybe DC could be marked on 80% of the paper?

tiggytape · 02/11/2016 09:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.