Children with a statement

When I was talking to our Senco about Amelia, she "knowingly" told me that I would not find any other children with DS, who has 25-30 hours support on a statement. So the next day I presented about 7 emails from different parents over Kent discussing their childs level of suuport.
In Medway, they work differently it semms. The schools are given a set budget regardless of how many children are statemented......this is obviously why the school are not keen to support my request.
How on earth they can say they are meeting her needs when they haven't got a clue about Down Syndrome and don't even sign...well it's just beyond belief...but it suits their budget and their terrible staffing levels.
I don't blame the school, it's just a crap system.

I would heartily agree with all the comments on here particularly with regards to the unfortunate children languishing on School action plus.

This school have previously applied for statements and unsurprisingly all requests for same have been turned down.

I would urge all parents not to get school to apply for such a document (btw school have no right of appeal if refused) but for parents to write themselves instead. It may not be a bad idea as well getting your MP's involvement.

IPSEA are very good and found them to be very helpful.

Upon asking the SENCO how many children are in this school with a statement she readily came out with an answer - one (i.e DS). I am appalled on so many levels; I know for a fact that there are at least 3 or 4 others (that's just in his year) who could really do with the support such a (legally binding) document provides. SA plus is not legally binding and has no real teeth.

Thanks Whizzz, I can't see Sam needing more than support in MS (unless the behaviour seteriorates and passes fully into school, in which case I'm not sure where they'll palce him, although when I was nursing there was a unit there (lived in a Psychiatric Unit campus) that took very violent kids with all sorts of needs). Certainly his educational needs ats they stand COULD be met with a statement in MS, though very possibly not his current SM setting.

I have limited experience of the statementing system but as a TA in a secondary school supporting a yr 7 boy with Aspergers, he is (at the moment) coping really well with high school & his behaviour is much better than it was at Primary school. Although of course we move from room to room & swap teachers - he seems to really like the routine of a structured timetable. I know all cases are different but wanted to add a positive aspect of ASD in secondary school

martianbishop - very interesting what you are saying about the needs of children at SA+
my DS1 has been at SA+ since reception, now in year 4 and his intervention seems to be based on the level of staff that is available each year and nothing to do with his actual needs.
You have very little say when your child is at SA+, at least when you have a statement you can be more demanding and insist that the provision listed on the statement is implemented.
At SA+ you can make very few demands and are made to feel that you should be grateful for any extra help given.

I would be interested to know the difference between the % of kids with a statement in infants/junior/senior ms and infants/junior/senior special/Prus as was get massive intake in the first term of yr 7s (parents realise they can't cope with ms secondary) .We also get a big intake at yr3/4.

I know that one of the boys that gets helped really should have a statement. he barely speaks and im not sure how much english he actually understands as i have only ever heard hsi parents speak their own language (they are asian but i havent a clue as to which language)

He clealry needs his own support. I don't begrudge this child sharing DS's support assistant in general as in many ways it means that he plays with my son quite a lot and therefore helps DS with his social skills. but when something goes wrong it is my son that is punished for what is esentially poor managment and under funding.

DS2 gets help from the private 1 to 1 of a deaf child at the school yet the school wouldn't refer him for speech therapy (doesn't really need it now as glue ear is improving). So not on, really felt for the family but didn't feel I could deny DS2 his need either.

Since joining Mn i have become increasingly gratefull of the help i had in getting Ds's statement.
we first started to apply when he was in a private nursary and he had his statement in place when he turned 4 and went to a state school.

I do wonder whether the fact that his nursary was private and they actually payed for much of his assesments the LEA took the reports more seriously?

My DS is now funded for 24.5 hours of 1:1 LSA support...that doesn't mean he gets it though. i have learned at cost that just having the statement isn't the end of the battle, getting the school to stop rubbing their hands together at the thought of a few extra thousand into the budget is.

I know for a fact that they skim on Ds's support time so that they can give extra help for some of the kids that need the support but have yet to get a statement.
Its a decent cause of course but it doesn't help DS when he has ameltdown and gets excluded for a week when it could have been avoided if he was being properly supervised.

Ah secondary- whole new panic- apparently an As kid at the local one tried to kill himself after the treatment he got. Now, this was second hand when I heard it, but my CM likes to have a long swear at the treatment her AS son recieves all the time.

Sam goes to Juniors in September, like to think will be better as new Head (couldn't get worse... could it?) however its still amnaged by the same Church committee.

Now, if your child is NT the local school is worth fighting tooth and nail for- people often move to be in catchment. Everyone who isn't top 10% of the population (and the catchment is only the expensive part of this place, we are here by accident) seems to cease to exist tho.

our parent partnership is or was(when i had dealings with them) based in the same office as the Lea Educational welfare office!!!!
but sounds like yours may be a little better PeachyClair...
at the end of the day the answer is money wherever we are and the lack of it to support the most vulnerable children and i do agree that those who shout loudest- if you can't beat them then join them....

TeeCee,
that was what happened with a friend of ours too

the other thing bugging me is the fact that we will be expected to name our secondary school chioce for dd in year 5 (everyone else will do it in year 6).we have two choices and i am so worried that i will choose one and then all her friends will choose the other one [aaagghh] and i will be removing dd from all her friends..bless and next year she will only be a year 3 but we will have to think about looking around so that next year we can go again but have a list of any questions...

Yep MB, so much 'lip service' paid to inclusion. I think that's been realised, and I think ultimately parents do have the power, they want their speical schools and MP's are realising that...slowly.
Move to inclusion was needed, many parents wanted it and should have that right, but it became a mantra that was followed regardless of whether it worked or not.

With reagrd to statementing, I still don't what the answer is.
That's why I'm not in charge.

Our parent partnership is completely indeprendent Chatee, the chap we have as our contact fought them himself for his ASd son adn is quite happy to phone them and swear at them- in 5 mnutes he established for us:

a) that the Head was useless;
b) that when the school applied for a statement and was refused, it was 100% lie
c) that DS wan't even on the SN register, three montsh after assessment, a year into being on SA.

maybe it varies?

DS3 is now entering the system. he does talk a little mnow, but none of it is much use (imagine an 18 month old- din dins, juice, my ow etc). SALT assessment si required, Sam waited years because they only assessed pre-school kidsw at that point (he was 5 when we moved here). Now they've changed, school kids only- smacks of desperate arse chasing to me. And its 8 months wait (7 to go...) for the Paed assessment. Extra support has bizarrely materialised at Nursery but won't folow him up, we've deliberately placed him in afternoon NNursery (its attached to the school) as in the morning class they're expected to attend daily assembly and worship, which would be a larf- DS3 can understand as much as he says, about two words max in every sentence. The staff at nursery pin him between their knees when he does have to attend assemblies (I have total faith in the nursery staff btw, they're Angels). At reception level here (DS3 will be 4 and 5 weeks) they're expected to sit, pray 5 times a day, attend Church regularly and cope, and they start reading / writing day 1. ha bloody ha . He doesn't even know reed yet, or how to manage more than a scribble. Or not wet himself.

Oh but they DID teach him to hold his hands in prayer

Yes that does seem to be the norm MB. I did work in one LEA, where they had a very low statementing rate and allocated resources yearly through a local board of teachers EP's Heads etc.
had it's own problems of course that system. The LEA also had a very low number in special schools. I think the tide is turning against inclusion though.

Bottom line is whatever way you do it there is not enough to meet demand from schools and parents.So unfortunately who shouts loudest wins. That's what we're doibg here though. i just gave someone advive to apply directly, parents who that do that get the statements, uneducatde, young, (non MNetting)parents get pushed down the list by parents who directly apply. We may think and presume Megalegs has a good case but many parents who use these tactics don't. Whole system gets logged and resources not allocated fairly.

Children like my DD won't easily pass exams, therefore private schools don't really want children with SN's. The schools miss out but at least their ofsted reports look good aye!

We were basically told thanks but no thanks when we were testing the educational waters and enquired at a private school locally. Fuck 'em!

normally the CDC (child development centre??) is staffed by people who are interested or specialised in working with children with s/n and would be used to helping parents fill in the forms,
personally i would reccomend the charity route/cerebra website and mumsnet advice too.
the wording on these forms is so important.

my dd has cerebral palsy so we went to a local charity that specially helps people with cp.

I was told an employee at the CDC would be able to help us with filling out forms etc.. Would that be the parent partnership chatee?

also beware of the parent partnership(i think that's what it is called)that the lea will give you a leaflet about and say to contact them for independent/impartial advice.........do not trust them one bit....they work hand in hand with the lea(or did up here!!!!!)

try contacting a locally based charity(if there is one)for support-best decision i ever made was taking one of their representatives in to dd's annual review last year
the lea representative nearly fell off her chair when she saw who had walked in with us

It has to be hard because the demand for extra resources for SEN far outstrips what LEA's have to spend on it.

Statementing is the most unpleasant, offputting, frustrating, mind boggling complicated system. It reduces demand.

Just had a quick look at the IPSEA website - looks very useful - thanks JJ.
We are hoping that DS4 will attend the local pre school in the village where our other 3 went/are but this is looking more unlikely, due to his mobility issues (although saying that he started crawling yesterday HOORAY and he said Mama (blub)) They have had a little girl with LD who I believe was statemented, there with my ds2 but she has move d on to a special school, sadly mum has bad PND and is seldom around to talk to.
It all seems such a long way off but I know I need to start educating myself to help ds4.

It does vary so much from LEa to LEA. In some you don't get any additional support unless you have a statement, in others they have their own systems for alloctaing extra resources, in an attempt to reduce the statementing rate.
(which in itself is hugely expensive, overly complicated and basiclly pretty ineffective)
Some systems work better than others, get in touch with parents in your area. IPSEA are really good.
If you want to request a stautory assessment yourself phone up nearest education offices ask for the address ofthe statementing officer and (or equivalent) just write a letter 'I request a statutoory assessment for .....because, etc.' You can only request an assessment not a statement. They have to reply to you within 6 weeks. They can refuse but have to have a very good reason and you can appeal against the decision. They have to tell you how to do that. Get support though, from parents who've been threough it and know the system, it's complcated beyond belief.

Thanks for the info about statementing. It sounds weird but I'm almost hoping that ds1 needs a statement while he's at primary school. It's good to know that that there's theoretically a way of getting one before he starts at secondary school.

It makes my blood boil when I hear stories like Dingle's and Peachy's. Why does it have to be so bloody hard?