To just let you know (re, SEN funding)

[theqentity]

That TA in the class that does 1-1 with the child that had additional needs is not funded by the school, but the LA, and a parent had to probably go to tribunal in order to get that level of support for their child.

What they are NOT doing is taking away from the school funding and the education of others. They are not there to support other children, although many do despite it not being in their job description.

Sorry, just the pass gag What's App group has really depressed me today.

I'd like to be surprised.

Well today's meeting went well.
~Tutor group is hopefully going to be changed (I pointed out that I asked 2 years ago and was told no, but the teacher said 'I can do what I like and it's an easy fix').
~2 cards, one for physical welfare, one for mental welfare, with statements on them that DD2 can point to and teachers have to act on.
~SEN profile to be made pupil specific
~Access to R&R room as needed, or school dog, or 10 minutes out of class, or access to DHOY, etc., as needed.

Lots of other stuff to come and further meetings.

I think I may have ruffled feathers when I produced my SAR form, with 2 forms of ID and DD2's consent signature, at reception this morning.

EHCP application to be made. I said that I'd reached the end of my line and if the SENCO wasn't willing to support an application, I'd just send off a letter myself.

A good result, as long as everything is followed through. The teacher was really good and, crucially, her position is such that she has enough clout to get things in place as she sees fit.

At the end, she tried to encourage DD2 to spend the rest of the day in R&R. I asked DD2 if there was anything about the meeting she wasn't happy about. She said "Well, honestly, I'm not too keen to stay at school today." The teacher said 'is R&R not a good compromise?' and DD2 said "Well it's a good compromise if I really have to stay, but to be honest, this meeting has been really stressful and I'd much rather go home with my Mum.' So she's come home and they've agreed she will go in to R&R tomorrow.

I said that I'd reached the end of my line and if the SENCO wasn't willing to support an application, I'd just send off a letter myself

Good on you! I did DS application myself. IPSEA had some good templates which I used for the open and close of the Needs Assessment request then in the main body of the letter I wrote what issues we were having with school/accessing education, what support he was getting (very little), and what the outcome of the lack of support was (basically a list of safeguarding incidents), concluded by saying that I believed he needed an EHCP in order to accurately determine his needs so that everyone involved was singing from the same hymn sheet.

Yes, I did DD1's statement application myself 12½ years ago, but I want to give the school a chance to do the right thing.

I tried that with DS school and they decided not to do the application because he was good at French Apparently being good at French was proof that he didn't need support in school and when he had his assessment done it turned out he wasn't even good at French, he was just copying the phrases he heard and repeating them because sometimes echolilia can work to your advantage.

@Hospedia thats really shocking. Apparently my DD had nothing wrong with her and she didn't speak because she came from a bilingual household... She was born here and didn't speak either language. Surely by 10 years of age it should be evident that there's a problem.

Unless you have walked a mile in the shoes of a parent trying to navigate the SEN system whilst trying to parent a child with additional needs which require you to navigate it you have NO IDEA how soul destroying the system is.

The entire system is set up to deny the child the right to a fair education. People are paid to deny your child what they are entitled to legally. Lawyers are paid to defend the indefensible in SEN tribunals in the vain hope that a certain percentage of parents won't have the strength to go through it, and many don't.

Once you get the elixir of the EHCP, that is not the happy ending as at each annual review they try to chip away at provision. I've had to take the LA to the LGSO twice and have been compensated and apologised to TWICE for the failure of the LA to provide a suitable education to my autistic daughter. I have to pay for EP report currently at personal expense because even though my daughter has a diagnosis of profound dyslexia which I had to pay for 3 years ago because my LA 'doesn't do' dyslexia, their updated report still won't name it and when inevitably I have to go to tribunal again to get provision my original , at my expense, report will be out of date and won't be able to be relied on. Matters not that you can't grow out of dyslexia.

I'm sick of the system.

People upthread have mentioned PTSD. It's not an exaggeration, parents are gaslighted, belittled and put to financial and emotional hardship JUST to get what children are legally entitled to.

It's a disgrace.

life the system is awful and has nearly broken us. And Ds is still at home with no placement. Now he's so unwell, I don't think he could even attend our parental preference at the moment.

Ds's old Senco told us he couldn't be autistic as his grades were okay. She also made us pay for some support as she said there was no money. They refused to communicate properly until we paid up (this was a state school).

A few weeks ago a lady from our adult social care preparation for adulthood team told me that Ds's difficulties were due to our parenting and not giving him enough opportunities. Said we needed to make him homeless if we wanted any support from them and then closed the case.

I've knocked on so many doors over the years that. I always expect to be told no and have to prepare to fight.

I'm still waiting for a reply to a complaint submitted to the LA at the start of November.... they should have replied within 20 days.

Punx that's dreadful.

Neither of my autistic children have had a school place for the last 4 years. They are now on EOTAS arrangements. They fall in the grey area between mainstream and sen provision. No school can meet need.

If your child has no placement for more than 15 days (doesn't have to be consecutive they MUST put in alternative provision. If they don't take them to the LGSO after the complaints process is complete, your child will be compensated. Although of course this is not really adequate for lost education particularly when the child is older.

lifeturnsonadime unfortunately, the statutory duty under s.19 the Education Act 1996 only applies to CSA pupils, and Punx’s DS is older. Although if there was a test case I think it may change given the raising of the participation age, as I think it’s a matter of one area not catching up with another.

@Imitatingdory

lifeturnsonadime unfortunately, the statutory duty under s.19 the Education Act 1996 only applies to CSA pupils, and Punx’s DS is older. Although if there was a test case I think it may change given the raising of the participation age, as I think it’s a matter of one area not catching up with another.

I hadn't realised that. Apologies for my error. It should be raised to 18 surely?

That's what I thought dory. Although we have now been asked if Ds needs anything whilst he waits for a placement. I've not suggested anything at the moment, as he still quite unwell and we have the consultation with the specialist college rumbling on in the background.

Ds is emotionally so much younger than his peers. But much of the NHS etc, treat then as adults at 16 and those that will see until 18, won't see them past that age.
Adult services ( if you can access them) are a bit daunting.

I think it probably should life.

lifeturnsonadime I think so to. If someone were to challenge it I think it would change. Currently the only way to ensure provision post 16 is via an EHCP, as LAs are not obliged to provide alternative provision it is rare for them to do so. If section F was specified and quantified the LA would still be responsible for ensuring any provision in there was delivered.

Punx I would ask for something, partly so the LA realise they can’t just leave you with nothing while you are appealing. Not necessarily tuition if you don’t think DS will cope with that, but what about therapies, a mentor/PA, subscription to something, sensory equipment etc.

That's true dory. I wasn't sure what, apart from tution, they would be willing to provide. He has no input at all currently, apart from the recent eating disorder stuff. So he doesn't really see anybody at all. I think energy wise, he would struggle with anything outside of the house. But you are right about trying to get something for him, as we have no idea how long this situation could continue like this.

Punx you don’t ask, you don’t get. Forget about what you think the LA will or won’t provide, ask for what you think DS needs and what would help him eventually transition to the specialist college. What are DS’s interests? What A levels was DS doing? OT, SALT, MH therapies?

Lots of DS1’s provision takes place at home, so that doesn’t necessarily need to be a barrier.

I toom our LA to tribunal though the made up provision was enough according to the judge. Its a battle you can't win. The Laws to support Kids with disabilities are a crock of shite no one really cares.

I had mild success when I told DD1's school that I could not and would not sign the legal document that was her annual review while it contained fiction. That I would not sign a document that claimed that she was a happy girl who always had a friend in the playground, when she had been recently been admitted to hospital with an eating disorder sparked in no small way by her feelings of being bullied at school. Fortunately, the psychiatrist also wrote a report for the subsequent meeting to 'plan a way forward' which asserted that DD1 had consistently brought up her dislike of the school and the fact that she felt bullied at each and every appointment held so far.

DD1 has now had a new Ed Psych assessment, which I was told was impossible because she already had an EHCP so they don't do them. I just said 'oh dear, what will we do about that then, because she needs one....' The LA then agreed to assess. Then, when the wholly inadequate assessment report came, I complained direct to the SEN department, then the psychology department. I ended up with an apology and a commitment to reassess with involvement from parents and school staff, which is what should have been done anyway.

@theqentity

That TA in the class that does 1-1 with the child that had additional needs is not funded by the school, but the LA, and a parent had to probably go to tribunal in order to get that level of support for their child.

What they are NOT doing is taking away from the school funding and the education of others. They are not there to support other children, although many do despite it not being in their job description.

Sorry, just the pass gag What's App group has really depressed me today.

Why can't your child's 1:1 TA help other children in your child's class?

Your child might not need the TA to be sat next to him/her monitoring and assisting every syllable/digit/interaction. If the TA leaves his/her side for a few minutes at a time and assists other pupils, I am sure your child will be fine and it's a step towards independence.

Thanks for the ideas dory. Currently he's really only on his computer. He's lost interest in everything else. He can't concentrate enough to read or do any kind of academic work. He says he doesn't want to ever do exams.
He's not waking most days until lunchtime and then is still tired for the rest of the day.
But some contact with the outside world, even at home, would be good.

Ds is very resistant and also anxious about support but I do think the getting the right professionals involved, could make a difference.

lougle Ds is supposedly on the LA list for another EP assessment. As his first one was so woolly and non specific. I've been told though, that the ones that are waiting to be done for needs assessments are the priority and there aren't any private ones that they could commission to do the work at the moment.

Ds TA is employed to help him for 25 hours lesson time per week. (Someone else is employed for dinner time and breaks). This is written into his ehcp which is a legally binding document so yes her job is to be with him the whole time supporting him.

Now of course if Ds is settled and the child on the next table needs some quick help she will but her role isn’t to help others in the class it’s to support him

CinnamonJellyBeans If a child’s EHCP specifies and quantifies 1:1, 1:1 must be provided. It is unlawful if it is not.

A good 1:1 can promote independence while still adhering to the EHCP. How on earth do you know the pupil does not need 1:1 full time? Do you know how difficult it is to get it specified and quantified? A child who is ‘fine’ with a TA who doesnt provide full time 1:1 will not have full time 1:1 in their EHCP.

Punx what about a magazine subscription or subscription box? Have you heard of mindjam? They have a waiting list at the moment, but lots of teens who struggle to engage with other provision do engage with that. I’m not surprised DS is exhausted with his eating.

It's a mixture of both.

When I took la to tribunal for my sons EHCP o was able to argue they couldn't provide what he needed from support usually available so showing what the nominal send budget was, how many pupils were on the send register and how many had echps.

So I could prove that the funds weren't available to meet what he needed as he needed more than that budget provided. That included some 1:1 interventions etc.

@Punxsutawney
I too have made an official complaint to my LA....in June 2021!
Every month they write to me saying sorry we need 21 more days, you should hear from us next month 🤦🏽‍♀️. I despair, I really really do!

@CinnamonJellyBeans

My child does need the 1:1 sat with them every single moment of the day. Of course other parents have no idea of that as it's nobody else's business why the 1:1 is there....but no my child might not 'be fine' if they are left - and if they have a medical emergency in that moment, then they would have to justify why they were across the classroom with another child, while my child they are paid to care for was left 😬.

So you see....it's never simple.