Calling all Secondary School Teachers - AIBU to feel something should have been done?

[Aggrieved]

So say you had a child come into your school in Yr 7 with levels of 2s/3s in their Yr 6 SATS who was shortly afterwards diagnosed with a borderline learning disability equating to them having the mental age of a 6 year old at almost 12, and behavioural issues to match that, what would you expect from them and what would be put in place at your school?

If they didn't have an EHCP, work wasn't differentiated (as if they did that for them, everyone would want it), they got several detentions every week (screamed at by form tutor for getting the highest in the class), suffered constant name calling and mocking from classmates as they were obviously 'different', and the only support was basically a 'worry box' in the SENCO's office, what would you expect the outcome to be by the end of Yr10? Bearing in mind that their levels at the end of Yr10 were the same as their SATS levels at Yr 6?

What could have been put in place at a mainstream academy and AIBU to feel my child was massively failed?

College locally only has provision for mild to moderate learning difficulties not severe like DS Olympic. Have looked into a supported apprenticeship or internship. They can't take him. He needs to be in education or training for another 2 and a half years.

Since he isn’t now in school, are you planning that he’ll take GCSEs? I think I’d be looking at online courses as a short term measure and look to see what post 16 education is available to him, taking his interests into account.

An IQ of 70 will make things difficult, but I’m sure you’ll want to find him some future opportunities. Clearly things went wrong at his school and whoever is at fault, surely the consideration now should be to prepare him for either getting some qualifications, at a level he can access and ultimately, employment.

I couldn't see any evidence they'd carried anything out on it either

This doesn't suprise me - I would say if your child is entitled to any support there should be evidence of this support in school.

And sanctions should be positive and obtainable .....

What did they try? Anger management? Social skills? Reading catch ups? Help inclass?

Anyway - from your further descriptions have they screened him for Dyslexia?

Kukumber - I was surprised, too, by pps saying that a IQ 70 is regarded so lightly. When I first started teaching the cut-off for mainstream was 80. I routinely taught English to the bottom group - never more than 12 - in an inner-city comprehensive. A pupil with an IQ of 70 was rare. I could certainly tell the difference between them and the rest of the low-ability group. They had 1-1 in most subjects, but not in my lessons as I had a TA for the whole group. Yes, they were 'teachable' and fortunately had no behaviour issues. But I regarded a G as a success.

However, this was 15 years ago, before the new GCSE syllabus. I should imagine that they would struggle even more now.

the problem is that support doesn't always equal or mean 1-2-1.

I think I would have tried either the PRU or the SEMH if it were up to me.

On what basis Faire? Are you a teacher? When a PRU was suggested in Y8 there was no basis for that. DS had 100% attendance, no exclusions or isolations. No EHCP either. He had a 'positive behavior plan' where he had to get a certain amount of points each week (with no support) or be threatened with permanent exclusion which I was in weekly phone calls until I took advice and the school lied about threatening it even though I had an email confirming it.

CAHMS advised that the SEMN school was not the place for DS.

SEMH school

CAMHS off to bed now!

PRUs and other school types are often suggested as it is another way of accessing help for the child.

And I've just double checked as I couldn't believe it at first when I looked last week, the P7 for reading at the end of Yr10 is a Foundation stage level so below Yr 1 level. So DS did go backwards at mainstream considering he left primary at 3b! I make him read at home though and he can read words like 'inappropriate' and 'obnoxious'. He left primary with 2a in maths and left mainstream secondary at 1a. They are the same levels as his SATs not the GCSE levels, as they dont use them, as that's what his SS use and those were his levels when he started there.

I didn't know this as all his mainstream progress reports were predicted/working at grades for GCSEs which were all U.

SATS results are notoriously poor indicators of ability.

In which case, scrap what I said on the first page then.

I thought you were taking GCSE grades as quite a few parents have been confused about them being old levels as the changeover has happened.

If he is that low and has been for years then i'm surprised he was in mainstream at all. I mean, i can differentiate our curriculum down but not that much (The pupils we had working at old level 3 in y9 are the ones who are getting GCSE 2/3 in Y11. They simply can't access some of the texts for the course. They are being taught in smaller groups and being given intervention but the reality is they would be better doing level 1/2 functional skills).
It would be bordering on impossible teaching a child that low if they're in a normal class od 28-30. It would be expecting a teacher ti essentially teach a 2nd curriculum to one child and give 1-1 whilst largely ignoring the rest of the class. I say that teaching a lot of children witj SEND and teaching smaller SEND groups regularly.

No answers really. Based your updates it sounds something has gone wrong jn terms of support but I'm not sure where you go from here other than specialist provision.

Yes, he has been systemically failed by the education system.

If you have the energy then we have had some progress by making an official complaint to the director of children's services at our local authority asking why multiple schools under their authority have failed to put in adequate support for your child. We also copied into our M.P. who chased up the complaint for us.

We were told the other day not to say we were electively home educating as this removes any onus on the local authority to provide support. I would also not dismiss any EBD school without looking at the provision and environment they offer. Our local one is regarded highly by parents (despite looking like a prison which turned me right off it) and the high staff ratio mean behaviour may not be as bad as you might think & they concentrate more on life skills rather than academic. Another alternative might be a further education college where he could possible learn practical skills. Apparently our local one will take children from fourteen in certain circumstances.

You can't state it's against policy of the EHCP - a legal document - states 22.5 hours 1:1. That's what they get funded to provide

I'm surprised he didn't get an EHCP until year 10 but I do know that they can take a long time. How does it help you if you are now home educating? Is there anything like ASDAN in your area that might be suitable for him?

That was particularly galling you are not kidding as they had spent years complaining that he wouldn't do any work unless he had the class TA next to him which took the resource away from other DC.

The only reason he didn't get an EHCP until Yr10 Faire was because the school blocked it IMO by not showing what support he was getting. I can see why now. They would gave had to explain why his levels went down. He could have had one in Y7 as his Paed recommended and I could have moved him to a SS then at an age that he would have settled in better. I am not home educating him. I am not qualified to teach a child with learning difficulties. We are awaiting an assessment from an alternative education provider with a view to getting a home tutor. This should have been done in early January. I also have appointments to visit independent residential schools for LD's's up to age 21/25 but I will have a big fight to get the funding for that and I doubt he will get into one before September. I am totally pissed off it has come to this.

I don't have any advice to add, I just wanted to send my best wishes to you and your DS.
I can't imagine how upsetting & exhausting this must be.
Good luck ❤

MsAwesomeDragon, your school sounds like exactly the kind of secondary school I'm trying to find for my DD.

Lea needs to provide education for.children missing school
It does sound like failings but Try to focus on where to go now and build a case for funding
Don't discount any options but as is nearly post 16 it s a different scenario. Speak.to.advice lines like Contact and IPSEA and local parent partnership.

It doesn't sound good but hindsight is a wonderful thing - at age 11 his attainment whilst low was within normal range, my dd got 3's in her sats plus a 2 in English in year 6 at did fine at GCSEs so that in its self isn't a reason for sen diagnosis. It seems that it was during secondary that the problems occurred - was your dc not engaging with work? My dc's school had options at 14 with work placement and alternatives to GCSEs for those not capable of achieving even low grades - I thought all did. They entitled to education but the council doesn't have to place in a special school if they can cope in mainstream with adaptations.

My elder dd was offered a pru placement because she couldn't cope in a mainstream class but I refused as they had no history of sitting GCSEs (she had never been excluded, no behaviour issues just crippling anxiety) instead she got her own office at school and worked independently - she's autistic btw. Been through the tribunals etc - I've learned that you need to work out reasonable adaptations rather than demanding really expensive placements, they just refuse for so long it's too late