Ruth kelly send her child to private school because of SN

[PeachyClair]

part story here

Now I haev no problems with private schools as such, just seems this woman is partlyr esponsible for completely effing up the chances of SN kids (such as mine) in mainstream, then she opts out.

Most parentscaring for sn kids don't have £15k a year to make that decision.

Wonder if she realised what she was planning when she was the Minister? Coz that would explain the state of Sn in aminstream schools frankly.

And on the same day I geta letter stating mys ion can't have any occupational therapy because his Teacher ahsn't had the time to fill in the forms by their deadline.

But at the risk of getting lynched SEN covers a huge spectrum of issues. Why would a dyslexic child mean that their parents couldn't work? Perhaps I don't understadn the nature of dyslexia, but in my limmited expereince it hasn't resulted in someone needing full-time care? I can see that it does require differetn strategies in terms of teching etc, but not day to day life surely?

For the year or so when Ruth Kelly was a minister, yes she was making a lot of money. But if she is paying £15k out of her taxed income then their family is still making quite a sacrifice for the sake of one of its members. Or possibly other family members eg grandparents are making the sacrifice. Not sure what the alternative should be - in a capitalist society you can't restrict the private sector offerings .

'But don't we have the freedom to earn salaries to allow us to put our children into a school costing £15k a year? '

No, I don't because I was earning much better then when sam got bad had to leave work as SS banned me from accessing childcare with him

So we don't all ahve that freedom at all

ladymuck dyslexia wouldn't necessarily mean a child couldn't work, same time though a school system that can't cope with dyslexia cerainlyca nnot cope with all the other complex consitions on offer.

Interesting that she turned down the local authority money but I can see that being politically wise to do.

Cameron has a special needs child. He may be better at sorting things out.

Can any parent generate the £10k - £15k they might need for private day school fees in a school that helps their child I think I was being asked...... I suppose it's something our teenagers need to think about.. do they pick jobs or muck up their GCSEs with the results that they end up on £15k a year or do we direct them to careers where they can earn £50k a year telling them if yo uhave a child with XYZ you can do better for it if you pick a more lucrative career. It may be necessary for some people to move where the work and prosperity is to some extent if they need to increase their income which is hard if you need extended family to help with special needs children.

Interesting Xenia because we have moved, so that I can go to Uni to give us an evventual income when the kids are older (works wella round school hours too). And being away fro family is so much ahrder than I ever thought it would be!!!!

Yes, but look at what some people I know have done - been nurses and now own massive nursing agency companies, scrap metal collectors who now make a fortune at it. Many have no qualifications at all. I'm not saying everyone can do that of course. Could anyone on this thread today write an article about special needs and the problems and sent it to one of the newspapers for example? You don't need childcare to do that. You have a computer. Try it as an experiment.

I don't have a child with special needs and I can barely imagine what it must be like of course. I'm just trying to think of positive ways people can generate more income to pay school fees. Anyone with a SN child in Ruth K's authority I hope is on the phone now saying... about that spare £15k a year you have from my council tax my child could...... and if you say no then this will be in tomorrow's papers etc

So what about this minister, here . She removed her son from one of the new city academies and sent him to a comprehensive school. I don't remember her receiving the flailing that RK is receiving for exercising her choice.

''or muck up their GCSEs with the results that they end up on £15k a year''

Is aimed at me Xenia?

Posted this only yesterday, seems very apt given the way the discussion is going.

Guardian article

No it doesn;t really apply to dyslexic children. I would say though that if mainstream schools are unable to meet the needs o dylexic children (which shouldn't be that difficult or that expensiive to do well) then what on earth is happening to children with more complex needs?

Xenia- I do think you live on a different planet sometimes. I went to Oxford, so supposedly have earning potential. Whatever - I still have to be home at 8.40am and 3.30pm to see ds1 onto and off his bus. Me having earning potential doesn''t magic up suitable carers out of thin air. Makes working outside the home very difficult. Being a carer - getting up in the night, needing to provide 100% supervision etc makes working full stop very difficult (something has to give). ON paper I have the qualifications to earn 50k - its never going to happen. Finding other people who can dela with ds1 has proved very difficult. My Mum can but she works full time herself.

`"Could anyone on this thread today write an article about special needs and the problems and sent it to one of the newspapers for example? You don't need childcare to do that. You have a computer. Try it as an experiment. "

Xenia- no you don't need childcare but you need TIME. Curerently I'm surviving on 2 hours sleep a night. That has been going on since before xmas (goes in phases). IN between I have other children to look after, special dietary stuf to make, and a course that I'm taking (to keep mind going really). Throw in DLA forms, meetings, provision to fight for and writing articles comes someway down the list after survival.

I notice that RK's statement very carefully doesn't say that the LEA offered to fund the school. She says that the LEA are happy with the decision and that she will not be seeking funding from the LEA, which I cynically suspect is designed to give the impression that the LEA offered to fund the place without actually saying that.

I do know two families who have got LEA funding for independent SN boarding school places for their disabled children. In both cases the child's level of needs are very very high, and both families had to fight for years for the LEA to accept the recommendation, upto and including taking the LEA to court.

I'd like to believe that the LEA would fund her child's place and that of any other child in her constituency with similar needs, but I somehow doubt it.

My 'local' independent school offering day boarding would cost me £12k. I have 2 school aged children....despite 20 O levels, 7 A levels, a degree and 2 professional qualifications between us, my husband and I do not earn enough to make this possible.
It's nobody's FAULT that we don't have this choice.
But local state education SHOULD be able to cater for a child with mild to moderate learning difficulties. Instead of which, I am told by the school they can't help as ''we have 30 other kids to deal with...we haven't got time to repeat everything for your son or write things down just for him''.
As others have said, god help those with more severe problems.

Relevant bit from that Guardian article by the way (to this discussion)

"Disabled children cost three times as much as other children to bring up. Yet their mothers are seven times less likely than other mothers to be in work, mainly because of a lack of childcare and early education provision. Small wonder that 55% of disabled children's families live in poverty and fall into credit card debt for food, heating and housing."

If you read the article you'll find out why the mothers are too busy to be writing articles for newspapers. Anyway there's loads out there. The majority of people don't care. It's never going to be a vote winner.

speedymama - maybe she didnt get the flak RK is getting because it was a state to state change not state to private change in child's education but..more interestingly what does it say about these academies?
nice slap in the face for tony's and cronies pet project!!

I wonder what people's attitudes would be if someone said: "Okay, UK working population, we're going to take a bit more off you all in income tax, so that we can provide decent state schools for all children with special needs."? Would all of those who are currently howling hypocrite at Ruth Kelly be happy to stump up?

Absolutely!

ROFL @ dinosaurs suggestion.

Just wish the hypocrisy would stop.
Either RK has complete confidence in the education system as she kept saying when in post and uses it for her children regardless of need OR she recognises that a one-size doesn't fit all system is needed to cater for as wide a variety of needs and she makes it happen. It's lovely for her that she can afford to mix-and-match schooling for her requirements but not all can or should have to. Don't have an issue with private versus state - it is a free country - but we would all like the opportunity to choose

Special needs & NT schools as well. Yes I would.

I have never had to think about schooling before but I said to my DH yesterday:- 'I really really wish we had the money to send xxx to a private school with only a few to a class and lots of opportunities for different sports/activities' and where children get a chance to enjoy learning rather than be taught the current curriculum by rote until someone deigns it unsuitable and thinks up another 'trendy' method of teaching nothing.

Dinosaur - if I thought that they had a robust workable policy, then it would get my vote. But so far they have already increased the education budget enormously and tbh I can't see anything close to the sort of improvement needed for many children not just SN ones. Have they even got a policy of SN within mainstream schools that most people/parents/experts agree with yet? It is not just a mtter of money, it is a matter of policy.

But back to RK - she has the money and she ahas the choice. What should she have done? Kept him at a state school and spent the money on private tutors? (a la Blair).

Dinosaur, the LibDems tried this for education in general but there were very few takers. Most people who bother to vote tend to vote for what is in their best interest rather than the country as a whole.

Speedy, that is sooo true. I wouldn't have voted on an eduction issue before children

education even.