To think this SEN plan is a joke ?

[lostconfidenceinthesystem]

My dd began secondary school last September and was on an sen plan at primary.

She got lost immediately in secondary and there seemed to be no planning for the transition.

She was recently diagnosed by an nhs child psychiatrist with ADHD and PDA .

Following several calls from school raising "concerns " I asked to meet the SENCO. He is temporary and looks about 25.

I asked for an ehcp assessment and was told they need more evidence. I took a friend who is more confident than me and we had gone through the sen code of practice.

Today I was sent the sen plan . Throughout they refer to my dd as "he" so it is obviously copied and pasted . The grammar is appalling.

They talk of objectives which appear to need a magic wand and there is no explanation as to how they think they'll get her to those targets .

They described her as being "nasty and rude" to her peers .

I don't know what to do next . I'm so tired . Her behaviour is quiet at school and withdrawn but at home she's violent , explosive, she has picked up scissors and knives and has started refusing to go to school . I have holes in my walls . She never sleeps . She's hyperactive. She's anxious and has panic attacks.

She's waiting to see a specialist in ADHD as the psychiatrist said he couldn't prescribe and she's on the pathway to see a specialist but I waited 3.5 years to see this psychiatrist!

Aibu to email the school and call them out on the obviously copied and pasted sen plan and point out that she is female and ask why they refer to her as "he" throughout!

Any advice welcome as I'm at my wits end .

@lostconfidenceinthesystem you could use IPSEA's model letter to request an EHC Needs Assessment.

Alternatively, your LA might have a portal which you can use to make the request.

Don't wait for the school to act. Get on with it. The whole process is 20 weeks if it all goes smoothly, so if you apply now she could have an EHCP by the end of June, which would set her up for the next academic year.

So giving you an ABC:

A
Collect together your paperwork. You should have a letter giving her diagnosis. Take a photo of it. You should have school reports and Sen plans from primary. Take photos of them and or save the documents on your laptop.

B
Write an email to the school. Say that she is diagnosed with adhd and pda, and that she has significant support in primary. Attach the photos and the documents that you have. Ask for her to drop a language to do extra English and maths if this is possible. Ask if the school has a nurture group. Ask for extra support for her.

C apply for an EHCP assessment yourself. If you go to the not fine in school Facebook group there are people that will help you through the process

Thank you

Budgets and politics. DS2 has a recent diagnosis of Tourette's co-morbid with the ASD he was diagnosed with, aged 2. CAMHS tried an anxiolytic with very limited results but wouldn't prescribe risperidone without Neurology input. As soon as Neurology took him on and prescribed, CAMHS dropped him. There is the complication of the restrictions on drugs for paediatric use and the fact that so many "head" drugs are prescribed off label so only certain specialisms have the ability to do that off label prescribing.

Local Authorities are overwhelmed by appeals from parents and have been for at least 3 years. The vast majority of appeals go in favour of the parents so it is definitely worth going to appeal.

I felt initially there was enough evidence to go straight to ehcp but the SENCO did try and talk me out of it. And yet at the end of the meeting he said he could t grasp why primary hadn't done it already. To me that means the evidence was already there .

No child should be described as "nasty" in an official document

Check out the PDA society and brace yourself. According to statistics, 70% of PDA children aren’t in school because there are so few schools that can meet their needs or they simply can’t cope with the system and the lack of autonomy. My son has is AuDHD with a PDA profile. It’s a struggle.

Nasty and rude ! I thought that . I mean don't get wrong she is - but I understand that she is impulsive and just can't regulate her emotions or what comes out of her mouth .

To read it was a blow I'll be honest. And then to see her referred to as "he/him" throughout the rest of the document was a bit galling. She's female and identifies as female . She's actually very girly - loves make up and skincare and hair . I just thought it was so lazy and so obvious that it's copied and pasted it's an insult .

Usually you need to show 2 cycles of ADPR, assess, plan, do, review. In most schools a cycle is a term. School have to show what they have tried and why it does not work to be able to prove the child needs more help.

Wrong. This is an unlawful requirement, but a common myth (and common expectation, sadly!)

Bloody hell I've missed some scrubbing out her name I've reported my own post .

I don't think we are identifiable but I've reported- just wanted to show the lack of awareness in how they speak of her

You can contact the local authority SEN team yourself and request an assessment - it will be considered, they will contact the school for advice and also Educational Psychology, child health, Social Care (if involved) and any other professionals who are involved (SALT, OT etc.). They have to confirm within 6 weeks whether they will start an assessment - if it is no, you have options to appeal, you can take it to tribunal, there's an option for mediation before it gets to that stage. SENDIAS offer independent support - the local authority should be able to provide you contact details for them. So even if the school are a load of chocolate teapots, and I can guarantee the local authority will have heard that before, there are still things you can do.

You'll get a draft EHCP first and have 15 days to respond and confirm whether you're happy with it or want to request any amendments before a final one is issued, you should have the option to discuss it with your caseworker.

Brace yourself also. Your request could be refused and you would need to appeal. Sendias, sossen and ipsea can help. And you must appeal.

but this takes time. You need help tomorrow. The plan with ‘nasty and rude’ should have something like. Struggles with playground conversation. May say comments impulsively that are misinterpreted. Struggles with social chit chat and to and fro conversation.

it shows an utter lack of understanding of SEN to say she is nasty and rude. As an immediate plan til they get support in or basically shift their views. She if you can get her to attend the classes she likes only. If she is at home, ask for work. What you don’t want is pressure from attendance teams. Have a look at your borough’s name and EBSA. What services do they offer? They are probably shite, but it’s good to clue yourself up as it will still be a couple of months before you hear about the decision to your request (say two weeks to write it and six weeks once you submit it.

Speak to sendias
Complain to head (in writing)
Initiate a ehcp application (sendias and ipsea website can help)
Request Ed psych evaluation in school

Would a reduced time table help?

Thanks all . Working on applying for ehcp without the schools evidence. I feel the evidence is there from primary so no need to wait .

Not challenging the schools description of her as will use it as evidence they have zero understanding of her sen .

Where do you live? Our la finalised new plans in the legal 20 weeks in 0% of cases in 2023. You experience is not typical of most la’s

Ask for this to be moved to the SN section for better advice. Attack it from all fronts. Apply for the ehcp yourself. See gp and ask for referral to adhd consultant to be chased. See that consultant privately if you can and ask for the nhs appointment to be expedited.

Complain to Senco, HoY and Head. Ask for an emergency appointment with Senco asap and take your friend with you again. They always hate it when there's a witness! they don't even need a diagnosis or an echp to put in place most of the basic support structures that she needs. You are being failed here massively, well dd is, so start fighting! Polite, but firm.

Put your hard hat on, and learn to fight, calmly and politely. Follow every appointment up with an email so that there is a paper trail. Be firmer. When Senco said primary didn't do it, why on earth didn't you say, well then do you herby agree to do it immediately, as they failed in their duty of care before. You are going to have to toughen up, quickly, and be more demanding. Or else you'll be fobbed off forever.

Decide what simple things you want in the meantime, say she only attends certain lessons, had a card that she can use to leave a lesson, starting to document so she'll get extra time in exams, support to make friends etc etc, list 10 things. Put them in the email to Senco and ask that these are actioned immediately.