To just not get sencos

[Shaddawadsa]

I'm training as a mh professional and part of my job is to go into schools to talk about how to meet additonal needs, specifically behavior/ emotional development. I have meetings with sencos who are also head teachers, deputy heads, class teachers, most of whom don't seem to have senco training and aren't given the time needed to do the job. Could someone explain what is going on? I just don't get how it is an effective way of supporting the children with real needs. Aibu?

shadda I think it's fucking criminal. Unfortunately the usual description is 'we tried our best' and 'behavioral issues'.

My ds was told age 6 that if he didn't behave he would go to a school that he couldn't go home from. I thought he had made it up, but no, his class teacher smilingly confirmed it as if she thought it normal. The HT scoffed at any suggestion, both professional and amateur, that ds had ASD. Roll on 9 years, ds has recovered from the experience but at his great cost, which I'm ready to reposition again; the HT no longer teaches but works for Ofsted and the young gal that was his teacher/Senco when ds was 6 years old gave up teaching too and working in general.

Despite 4 years of non-education/exclusion/other schools/PRUs/ASD dx/recommendations from foxy type Sencos - ds's Statement avers that he was "home educated" during this period and the only Educational Advice comes from when he was 6 years old. He's 14 in a couple of weeks! Been in a strict BESD school (day) for 4 years now, great for the first 2 years, alarmingly crap for the last 2 and I'm forming our Exit Policy.

At least things are changing now - and I'm inclined to actually say bugger it, I'm gonna Home-Ed coz u ain't good enough.

So sorry to hear that float

Thanks Shad any flowers I normally get are ones I grow.

The 2 great Camhs workers -Philippa and Lee - said at the time that they had a lot to say about what was happening to ds (and me) but couldn't because of their role within the local educational system. I understood that then as much as I do now. Many years later and hundreds of miles away I will always remember their support.

If you can walk that same fine line for just one child Shad you are doing fine.

Thanks float. I promise I will try my absolute best.

I just want to point out that EHCPs or Statements don't bring any funding to the school or college, despite what several previous poster seem to think. They put legal obligations on the school/college to provide extra support without any extra funding.

Statements dont come with funding in our area but the ehc plan does.

You can apply for funding to match the statement suggested funding however and you generally get it.

You have to find the first 10 hours out of school budget though.

I feel extremely fortunate now as I have my son in a specialist independent school. We had to fight tooth and nail to get him in there hiring a Barrister and team of solicitors and had to spend thousands on private reports. We saved every penny we had but we were absolutely determined to keep him out of mainstream.

May sound dramatic but for us it was a life and death situation. We could see our son falling apart at the seams in Year 6 of Primary and his Psychiatrist told us if we did not get him out of mainstream he would have to go on medication for anxiety. He had been diagnosed with an anxiety and depressive disorder at 11 years old.

All the talk of self harm, grabbing kitchen knives out of drawers or threatening to jump out of the window have now completely stopped.

Why should we have to fight so hard when it is starkly obvious that our child cannot cope in mainstream. County took us right up to the wire obviously hoping we wouldn't be able to take the stress psychologically or financially but they caved in at the last minute realising we were not going to give in. Also we had that much evidence they would have looked very silly if they would have took us to Tribunal.

What makes me very sad are those parents who are unable for one reason or another to do what we did. What happens to their children.

I know for a fact funding has been provided for children who have attended schools who view that personal funding as general school funds. Not to mention children with milder needs who's pp would easily cover any extra costs whose parents have been told the school hasn't got the money.

Tbh if it means everyone else having to juggle computer time or using ancient furniture to provide a few hours of one to one a week, or a lunch club then I think the fundamental right to an education trumps a bit of scrimping elsewhere. And I say that as the parent of a high achieving nt child. Bit of corner cutting on extras is less important than her friends right to be included in the education system. And the schools who are worst at dealing with Sen are also worst for any outliers imo.

The good schools seem to find a way of footing the first part of the cost. Dds primary had higher than average Sen ( certainly not made up from high achievers with low level needs) and managed it whilst still meeting her needs so it can be done. Assuming senco and school leadership a) have the wit to try and b) actually give a shit and want to try.

There was 3 senco teachers when Dd was in primary 2 were amazing 1 not so much but i found out her funding had been cut so the additional classes and different bits and pieces they ran before vanished so this 1 teacher was responsible for however many children with additional needs and they had no support i felt really guilty for slagging her off. I think they have a difficult job yabu to think these teachers are pointless some might be better than others.