It’s the second year in a row she’s been offered it. DD is 9, about to start Year 5. It’s only offered to Key Stage 2 children.
DD has SN and a medical condition both caused by an unknown genetic issue. This causes speech delays, visual tracking issues, working memory and executive functioning issues. She also has muscle and joint issues and is prone to ear and throat infections due to an issue with her nose. She has an EHCP.
She’s generally a happy kid who’s always smiling.
The club is all for children with SN and/or medical issues, the clubs about prompting independence, time away from family, and having fun within your limits. They do craft, sports, and trips out to the park on a mini bus.
It’s completely free for up to 3 days per week per child (or 6 sessions a week, 2 sessions per day 9am-11.30am or 12.30-3.30pm) or you can pay £5 per session to use more than that. Lunch is included.
It’s all provided by the council.
I’ve asked school multiple times why DD qualifies and I just get “she meets the criteria, take it she’ll love it”. It’s actually really good, DD says she gets a choice of lunch or she can always ask me to provide her with one, she’s made friends who have similar diagnosis’ to her and the staff are amazing and so understanding – there’s no panic when DD disappears under the table at lunch (she’s not the only one) or if DD says she doesn’t want to do anything they just say that’s ok and to tell them if she changes her mind. She then sits quietly watching or doing a quiet activitiy inside. They also have a quiet hour at pick up times (so around12-1pm and then 3-4pm) where they sit and do quiet activities with the radio or cartoons on the TV.
But DD is the only one in her whole year from her school who goes. Last year there was a boy from her school from an older year (and we’ve seen him since he went to Secondary) but no-one else from her school even goes.
I can’t find what the criteria for an invite is as there’s DC in DDs class on EHCPs that don’t get the invite. There’s one child whose mum is insisting her DC has some form of SN telling me its unfair that DD “gets everything for free” and it makes me feel bad that DD gets this every year. I can’t say the girl has SN but the mum seems frustrated that no-ones listening to her and yet here DD is with an EHCP for what the school describe as “mild but complex medical needs” – my own DD doesn’t have 1-1 apart from for changing for PE (she does this in another room) and moving around the building, academically she’s delayed but not massively (working at End of Year 3 level in everything apart from PE where she’s end of Year 1 level).
DD doesn’t use her full 3 days a week, usually she goes on 2 set days a week then I give her a random day or so if I think she’ll like the activities. We also go on holiday for a week so she probably only uses 24-26 of her 36 allocated sessions (and the council don’t force you to use them at all you can just say no thank you). So I feel even worse that DC who might benefit from it don’t get to go.
Talk me down? DD absolutely loves going, her speech improves everytime she goes, she’s gaining confidence being away from me, she gets to try sports or activities she’d never normally get to and I don’t pay a penny for it. Yet here I am feeling DD shouldn’t have it as there’s more deserving DCs. I've been told she'll get the invite for as long as it's running until she turns 12 (so once she's finished Year 7 and done that summer she'll stop getting offered it).
Does anyone know the criteria for these types of things? If I could find it I could work out why DD qualifies and explain that to others. As it stands I just have to say "I don't know why she gets to go".