To think that if DD's IEP

[CardyMow]

States that due to her Auditory Processing disorder, the teachers need to write her homework down in her homework diary for her so that I can help her to complete it, and it has been handed to every single one of her teachers - that the teachers should damn well WRITE the homework in her diary for her, and NOT give her detentions for not understanding the homework (thus being unable to complete it) when they haven't written it down to enable her to understand it??

Yanbu

YANBU, and it's clear the teachers concerned are ignoring the IEP. I'd be asking the senco in writing why she/he is allowing this to happen.

Is she at secondary? I'd be assuming that teachers didn't know her IEP target and I'd be asking how SENCO could make sure that teachers know and remember it. (When I used to teacher history a million years ago, I would teach about 300 kids in one week, often for only 2 lessons. Not being super-human, I found it impossible to remember everyone's IEP target of the top of my head.) I would also be asking your dd to hand her homework diary into the teacher at the start of the lesson, not the end, so they know they have to do it before your dd leaves. If she gives it to them just as the next class is coming in, it will be more difficult for them to write in homework and so it will be less likely to happen.

Neolara I have sympathy for teachers over remembering targets, but this is a requirement, not a target, so no excuse for them not to know or remember, and tbh I would have thought every teacher will have had a heart sinking moment when told that this was now a requirement of this child's IEP.

In my experience many argue against it as not having time, which I can understand, which creates a situation where the senco has to find another way of making homework accessible to the student not involving the teacher, because the child?s being punished. A cumbersome mechanism for deciding who will be responsible for making inclusion possible.

But the point is, that my DD doesn't GET homework in every lesson, and when I DID get her to hand it in at the start of the lesson - she often didn't get it handed back to her. And the damn homework diaries cost £5 to replace. And she forgets to pick it up, too, if there is no homework set, so that really doesn't work. . Yes, she is at Secondary, yes in Mainstream (she shouldn't be, but that is another thread entirely...).

SenCo has been refusing to return my calls for over 4 weeks now. I have just been sent her new IEP, along with a letter that is telling me that the school is no longer going to produce 3 IEP's a year, only 2, one in Feb and one in June - not one in September any more.

I assume I will HAVE to resort to writing to the SenCo, PITA though that is (why can't she just return my bloody calls??!!).

It even states ON the IEP that it has been given to all her teachers. Then again, I suppose that after last half term's debacle, I should just be pleased that she has teachers again.

On a practical note, how do you suggest a teacher remembers 300 pupils' requirements? Genuine question - not having a go! I suspect most teachers would be more than happy to oblige, but something is stopping it happening. It might be worth trying to find out what this thing is (not remembering, not having time, having to write in homework for 5 other children in the class etc) and then seeing what could be done to help.

Why is it such a BAD THING that this is a part of my DD's IEP? It is the ONLY way she can get the Homework in her book - by Y9, the teachers allow approximately 30 seconds for the dc to write the Homework down at the end of the lesson, DD a) Cannot read that quickly, b) Cannot write that quickly c) May not UNDERSTAND the words the teacher has written on the board and d) May not be able to effectively communicate to me what she was working on in class, much less what the homework was.

How am I meant to know what topic on the school's VLE for, say, History, DD is meant to be working on if there is nothing in her planner? If it is in there, I can help her to do the work to the best of her ability. But I do not have a crystal ball to know if she has homework that day from that subject, what topic of the 10 per subject that are posted online, there are no dates online of what h/wk is due when, so that is a non-starter too.

Erm, keep a small note in the register for that class? Say, a red dot by the names of the pupils who need homework writing down for them (can't be that many).

And it's not fair that DD is getting detentions for non-completion of work that she has forgotten about (due to her memory problems - another of her SN, caused by mild epilepsy), that I have no idea has been given out because there is nothing in her planner.

Doesn't help that there is no longer a 'floating' LSA in her bottom set classes either - there was for Y7 and Y8, but since the start of Y9, the 'floating' LSA's have disappeared. At about much the same time as the school has decided to become an Academy. But again, that is another thread...

See, the 'floating' LSA's used to write the Homework in her planner ofr her - but with no LSA's in the classroom, it then becomes the teacher's responsibility IMO.

At my DS's school they have started putting the homework on Twitter. Good call, I think.

Can you stick a quick note on the front of her homework diary explaining she needs any HW written down and a reminder to take her book back, with a thanks at the end.
I have a dyslexic DD and she does manage to scribble something in her diary, but it can be somewhat vague. It realy would help if teachers simply wrote HW clearly on the board rather than a ten second gamble.

Gabble sorry

Can you access Twitter from a computer? Because we only have very basic, non-internet mobiles. You can call on them, and send a text on them, but that is all. And sometimes, if I can't afford the dongle bill, we don't even get internet either. Had 6 days last week where we didn't have internet - DD got 3 detentions for that as her homework is ALL online, and there were no school computers free before the homework was due in.

What is wrong with the teachers writing it in her book for her? It just means the teacher being slightly more organised rather than just saying "Do excercise Blah blah on the VLE". Often they don't write it on the board, even, as startail says.

I would hope that the teacher would have notes written in their register stating which child has an IEP (the IEP itself can be put somewhere else, but the note in the register would be enough to remind the teacher to check the IEP)

I know that' unlikely to happen in real life, but surely that's the best plan?

YANBU huntycat - i would be furious in your position, especially as the Senco is effectively ignoring you - It's bad that your DD is put in the position of having to remember to hand the diary in, and collect it back again at the end of the class, when it's obvious that her SENs mean that she can't do that. for you.

YANBU - It's not ideal, but is there any way the teachers/the office could text her homework to you?

You can access twitter from a computer or a mobile. If you're on the internet it would probably be easier for them to email the homework though, because it could be more detailed?

Hunty, I think that you should go in and see the head. Just call tell him/her that you want to see him today and explian why and say that you want the senco in as well. Tell him/her about the lack of internet acess at home and that becouse you could not afford the cost of the dongle your dd got a detention, wich is discrimination and what he/she is going to do to rectify the homework on line policy.

I know its hard but don't go in all guns blazing you will not get any thing done that way, do the broken record and say I understand but what are you going to do about it. That should put the onus back on them.

Bad spelling sorry, brain was one step ahead of my fingers.

Net connection is not always guaranteed - if I do not have the money to pay the bill, the net is off until I can pay the bill, as happened last week, as I needed the money more to buy DS2 shoes as he had grown out of his school shoes, so I couldn't pay my bill on time, and was cut off from Wednesday until Tuesday. I am out of work, on benefits (Lone parent, 4 dc, two with Sn, another is a 9mo baby).

They refuse to email the homework. .

And even when DD did try to remember to hand it in at the start of the lessons - often the teachers refused to take it then, and told her to sit down and they'd deal with it at the end of class. Or tell her to come back at lunchtime to get it written down. Which she then proceeds to forget to do.

NessaRose - the homework policy is NOT going to be rectified - they expect every pupil to have internet access as it is part of the Home-school agreement. It is a school with a very low percentage of pupils on FSM's - only 3% in a school with nearly 2000 pupils.

Hunty you do need to go and the the head. They will be able to sort something out for you. If they refuse you need to contact the governers and cc in the LEA.

yanbu
I sympathise with the remembering 300 pupils thing, but don't be giving her detentions!
It's clear you're being as supportive of her education as you can be and at least you are a parent they can work with on these things.

Neolara I think that?s the problem with inclusion, some schools are genuinely inclusive and create systems to support the needs of SEN children and their teachers, LSA?s etc .

Other schools claim to be inclusive because they have sen children, senco?s etc, but have no system to join them up and manage all concerned?s needs, and a battle over who's responsible gets fought between different departments and blame gets flung around while the child falls down the gap.

Hunty my statemented son has APD amongst a number of difficulties. Your problem's a battle I fought mainly unsuccessfully for years. Their eventual solution was to say issues around homework caused him stress, therefore he should no longer have homework, and he didn't need to keep up.

It is ?such a bad thing? because it means the child needs a level of diferention that many teachers may not be able to organise, and yes their class list should alert them to any child with an above average learning need. Clearly this used to be the floating LSA's problem and now it's no ones, therefore it's become your child's.

It may be worth talking to the schools SEN governer about joined up strategies and communication.

It is hard going and Neolara is right that it?s often the parent that needs to do the legwork and find the solution rather than expecting the school to.

(BTW we are now home educating and it?s been the best thing we could possibly have done.)