Teachers, pls, quick question - what type of assessment is this?

[Vallhala]

I'm compiling a 'report' on my DD in advance of a meeting with the HT and Chair of Governors on Monday. I'm going to refer to an assessment which DD had and which was carried out by SENCO but I have no idea what the assessment is known as in Teacher-speak. :)

Can anyone advise on what this is called please?

It details DDs chronological age, scores on Salford sentence and Schonell spelling tests, on reading comprehension, non verbal ability ("underlying ability") and timed writing skills.

There's a short summary/conclusions, additional observation on personality and the assessment ends with four strategies. The document is large type on a single A4 sheet.

Also. would you consider this type of assessment to be suitable and/or adequate when the parent and Year Head have raised and discussed the possibility of SN (possible AS) and the child is both being bullied and displaying challenging behaviour as a result?

Thank you very much in advance.

I don't know whether it has a formal name, but referring to it as the report/ assessment by the SENCO dated xxx should be sufficient.

And no, I would not consider that adequate since it does not cover any behavioural or developmental issues.

I think you need an Ed Psych report.

Thank you Jaybird. Don't get me started... this is a report carried out by DD's FORMER school, who offered an Ed Psych assessment and then renaged on that offer 9 months later.

She's since moved to another school and is now about to be excluded for challenging behaviour... the very type that should have been addressed in the previous school and which has been equally ignored in this school. Hence the meeting, which is a Governors' Disciplinary one. AFAIAC I don't want DD back in the damn place tbh but I'm attending in order to spell out to the LA officer who will be there what needs to be done when DD eventually is offered another school and what hasn't been done so far.

Thanks again! :)

Damn! I meant reneged!

can you get the head on side? If neither of you want your dd there then you have a vested interest in getting the LA officer to provide the correct provision!

It sounds like it could be her (poor) IEP- was she on School Action or School Action Plus and does it say so anywhere on the sheet?

Otherwise do as Jaybird suggests and label it as a SENCO's report.

It sounds as if the assessment process will have to start from scratch as no referral has been made to EP. Have you tried to get her assessed for AS through the GP?

BTW, how long is the exclusion for? Is it fixed term or permanent? If permanent, then the school has to follow certain rigourous procedures.

No IEP in place at all.

I agree that the assessment process will have to start from scratch.

The GP is currently aware and will be raising my concerns at his next monthly neeting with Ed Psych and the (soon to be former) school nurse. This is a new GP, we moved here only a few months ago.

DD did see CAHMS for a short while when she was 10 (is now 13), found the psych patronising and of no help and so refused to go after a while. Can't say I blame her, visits were incredibly short after a 1 hour bus ride there in winter and feedback non-existant!

The exclusion is to be permanent and the school have and are (on THIS occasion!) doing it by the book.

There's still the odd little devious twist to their behaviour - eg telling me that I "should" send them in advance a copy of any report I intend to hand them/read out at the meeting, (yeah, like hell I will if I don't have to... and the regs state that I don't have to, there's no "should" about it!), but niggles like that aside they are abiding by the law. They tried not to once before and I hauled them over the coals for it so I don't think they'll try it again!

It would provide adequate information for the meeting depending on the difficulties
As to the EP I had arranged for our EP to assess a child at the end of term (long standing appointment ) and cut in funding meant cut in EP time so no assessment not the schools fault

In a strange sort of way, a permanent exclusion may turn out to be a very positive thing for your DD. The LEA are now duty bound to find a school place for her, and it adds weight to any argument you have for her to be assessed for AS.

Is this her old school which are excluding her or her new school? Sorry if I've got that confused, I thought she was starting a new school this term...

Thanks mrz.

Tethers, agreed that it is probably a blessing in disguise.

The school which is holding a meeting wrt the head's recommendation for permanent exclusion is the school which DD started only in Easter.

In a nutshell, my warnings that she was challenging if she felt under threat (having been bullied horribly in her previous school), and my pleas that the new school read her previous school record were totally ignored and no support put in place. DD displayed the very behaviour I'd warned them of as a result, hence the recommendation to expel permanently was made at the end of last term.

I'm fully expecting the Govs to rubber stamp the HT's recommendation for expulsion on Monday when we meet and then, with luck, DD will be offered a school under the In Year Fair Access Protocol.

My aim is to ensure that the report I make for the meeting actually SINKS IN with the LAs Inclusion manager, who will also be in attendance, and with the staff at the school she will attend next in order that I can at last secure the support she needs.

(And the way I feel atm , I think I have more chance of winning the ruddy lottery!).

Valhalla, have you tried contacting ACE-ED? You sound pretty well versed in what you are doing, but they may be a useful source of advice and support.

Link here

If the LA refuse to get her properly assessed I can recommend Ally Miller at Leigh Day & Co if you want to judicially review them

Link here

You can see independent reviews of them in Chambers or Legal 500 on the web.

Thanks Jaybird, yes I have been in touch with ACE. which is where I discovered that an earlier demand that I didn't send DD into school until I'd met with the HT (following her reacting in a verbally offensive way to a boy's verbal abuse) was illegal.

As I said, I'm certainly not contesting this permanent exclusion!

I appreciate the link for Ally Miller, much obliged. :)