Parent refusing to have their child assessed

[StrongCoffeeAvalanche]

Hi, I don't want to give too many details for obvious reasons.

I am a teacher. A student I teach has many signs of SEN. We realistically cannot cater for their needs as things are. We need to put extra support in place. However due to their strong beliefs the parent is refusing to allow any assessments or help to be offered. They say their child is lazy and just isn't working hard enough. The parent does no believe in neurological differences.

I have spoken to SENCO. For reasons I cannot disclose I also want to look into this myself.

Is this parent breaking any policies? I am wondering if it falls under being a form of child neglect? Is there anything we can do or does parent opinion mean we can't do anything?

The child is desperate for assessment. It is crushing them and their mental health.

Thanks.

I may well be wrong but I was of the impression that a school can, via the LEA , go through a sort of 'Educational Neglect' route.

She’s got possibly 4 more terms at school. No diagnosis is likely to happen in that time frame and the last term will be exams.

At my daughters school at the end of year 12 they gave some of them their marching orders you either start year 12 again, do another course or leave. Maybe the A levels is to challenging for the child and you’re stuck in pre GCSE mode. Not everyone is cut out for studying.

Wouldn’t be worth the bother. ….
The kid will be done with school before an initial assessment appointment even came up….

You are right - it shouldn’t be.
but funding is so tight, SEN departments have to justify every penny and unfortunately the students with a diagnosis will get priority as it is easier to prove the need for help. Budgets are tight, departments are short staffed, it shouldn’t be the way but it just is right now

@Itisbetter I am well aware of what the SEN Code of Practice, and the law says; but as @DuchessOfDisco said above, in reality children with a diagnosis will get priority.

In my experience it’s the student who is most disruptive who gets priority but there you go.

My experience as q parent of a disruptive child is being pressured to remove from the school by the school and LA insisting that school can meet needs.
I was subjected to really awful and unprofessional behaviour from headteacher, teachers and TAs. I also have 2 quiet DC with SEN, and whilst I experienced the usual gaslighting of them being "fine", it was nothing compared to what I experienced with my disruptive child.