Can I ask for a teacher to be changed for another in a child protection meeting

[Stressdmomma]

Hi all my children were placed on a child in need plan recently due to concerns with school due to undiagnosed neurodivergancy issues. The SENCO who was at the first meeting has since breeched GDPR by discussing my children with another parent. I have proof of this in the social workers assessment. My question is as we now have no trust in her and I will be persuing an investigation with the schools DPO can I request that she no longer be allowed to partake in the meetings. I do not mind another teacher being present just not the one that has caused this mistrust.

The parent claims the senco approached her via phone call to discuss it with her. The discussion was then mentioned in the SW report as the senco had then discussed it with her (which I don't mind the discussion with the SW as she needs all information to help my children the best way possible and I expected Frank discussion with her).

Why would she do that? Why would a teacher call a parent to discuss a different child?

Also why would she then discuss the conversation with the SW?

Has this other parent got professional involvement somewhere?

Very odd behaviour.

Well if its in the report, I'd certainly put a complaint in.

I would also speak to the head, have them look at the report and say that due to the contents of the report, you don't think the Senco should be at future meetings.

They probably don't have to agree to the change but it's reasonable for you to make the request.

I think its very easy for this situation to be taken out of context .

No one can really give an opinion becuse your chiildren are under social care and CIN.

clearly there are assessments and fact finding taking place for reasons we sre not privvy to.

Well we are privy to them because OP has already explained.

Who is the designated safeguard lead at the school?

If the parent talked AT the school about your child and the school listened then that’s not a gdpr breech. That’s how parents are able raise concerns, including safeguarding concerns.

OP said the other parent had no way of knowing about this specific issue and said that the SENCO had told her. Even if she was discussing another issue with the school, there was no reason for her to have been told anything else.

But that doesn’t seem to be what happened.

other parent apparently had information they would have only had from the SENCO

Child in need is voluntary and was put in place to help my children get the help that I have been struggling to get on my own as any agencies I approached were not listening.

The designated safeguard lead job has been split between 2 different teachers. The one I know of left before Easter so I need to find out when I chat to the head teacher at the start of term.

You can definitely ask, and follow up with a complaint after Easter.

Now that the trust is broken , it's inevitable that it will affect the meetings and possibly the outcome in some ways. You have enough on your plate without having to worry what else is being shared and with whom.

Are you sure the parent didn’t raise the issue with the school first in person and the SENCO followed it up with a phone call to clarify the details? Have you got time stamp/call log proof the call took place, other than someone’s word? And did the issue affect the other parent’s DC - was the behaviour aimed at them or were they affected by it? Schools are so hot on data protection and safeguarding that I would be amazed if the teacher deliberately flouted the rules.

Op, why would the teacher call another parent to discuss you?

You say this other parent is toxic, but used to be a friend? I think it’s far more likely they approached to the school and raised something but is saying they were called so they don’t look like a busy body.

The other parent could have found out because one of your children told one of theirs.

You are very unclear. Parents sometimes tell school details about their child's friends. Sometimes if there are friendship issues teachers end up having conversations with parents which involve other kids. It is not possible to solve problems without doing so. Parents often will say that other kids have problems or whatever. It sounds like you are taking the other parents version of the conversation as the truth. It may not be the case. You say yourself that you have fallen out with the other parent.

The parent claims the senco approached her via phone call to discuss it with her
This doesn't sound logical. The parent has surely approached the school with their concerns in the first instance. Maybe the phone call was the Senco simply returning the parents initial call?

Why do you assume your child's negative behaviour hasn't impacted any other children at school? It's possible she had issues that involved interactions between her own child and yours.

If you have concerns that a breach has happened and your concerns are not considered properly by the school, I would contact the Information Commissioner's Office as they will give advice and potentially instruct the school how to best approach the matter. I wouldn't even wait for the school's DPO to respond I would seek advice from the ICO in the first instance.

In relation to that particular teacher representing the school at meetings I would contact your local authority. If your child has SEN, and potentially an EHCP, it maybe worth raising your concerns to them as break down in relationship with the teacher maybe something they can mediate on / consider in annual review.

The thing is , it's irrelevant who approached who . Specific information about OP's DD issues should never have been shared with another parent, especially if they are only displayed at home and the only reason the SENCO knew is due to her job and OP asking for help/support.

Even when someone is reporting a concern or a friendship issue, the correct answer is "Thank you for that, I’ll look into it/investigate/pass it on." Or "Thank you , we are aware and dealing with it / this is what we have put in place to help/safeguard your child."

Not disclosing additional information that the other parent doesn't know and doesn't have the right to know.

Of course it’s relevant.

If one is lying about how it came about, then it follows they could be lying about what’s been said.

If the other parent approached a teacher and spoke to them and the teacher didn’t disclose anything back then the teachers has done nothing wrong.

Given their children know eachother, it’s not unrealistic to think Ops child has told hers And she approached the school.

Whats more realistic? A trained SENCO called another parents and told confidential information for no reason or the parent, who Ops describes as toxic, approached and spoke at the teacher about something their child told them now trying to pretend they didn’t.

If the teacher did, infact, call another parent they need more than just taking out of this meeting.

This is why the Op needs to understand the situation. Not assume the toxic ex friend is telling the truth.

@Tomkirkman except OP gos this info from the SS report , not from the friend. The report mentions the conversation and that it took place. I assume that once she read the report and saw the friend /discussion with the friend being mentioned, that's when she started asking questions and got the conflicting information.

That's why how it's come about is irrelevant. Now a parent that has nothing to do with this, either got information or confirmation about an issue that OP's child has. Something that should be confidential.

Yes the report states the parent spoke to the school.

the report states that the other parent spoke to the school about an issue we had at home (one of my children's sensory seeking behaviours that we are struggling to direct positively instead of his current negative display).

But Op hasn’t said exactly what the teacher said in the report. It’s very unlikely the teacher went to the SW and said ‘so I told the other parent about xyz’ and yet no one has picked up on the fact this happened and shouldn’t have done. The teacher could have simply said ‘yes ok, thank you for letting me know’ and that’s been taken as her conforming something.

and if they did, there’s more to be done than just missing a meeting.

Given the other parent, is toxic and it’s unlikely that a teacher phoned them for no reason, I would guess their account isn’t true. Or potentially not true.

🙄
Just focus on what matter most - the immediate needs of your kids.

Firstly, make a written complaint in writing. Allow the head time to deal with this. Then site your lack of trust in this professional and ask for someone else. I know our school would accommodate this if it meant a family were getting the help they need.

You can ask. My head would find a way to accommodate this as much for the sake of the SENCO as for you

I would ask the social worker if they would deal with it tbh.

Update! After speaking to the school and the head teacher investigating we now have proof that the toxic parent was lying. The teacher in question has never approached toxic parent and neither have any other teachers. Me and the teacher have discussed things and I have explained why I asked for the investigation and she has been wonderfully understanding. She has been working to get my child the help he needs and will continue to do so. The school can not gibe me the toxic parents name but as she is the only parent I talk to at the school it doesn't take Sherlock to work out that's it's her. School have said if 'the parent in question' approaches them again they will continue to log it as per their regulations but I will be informed what was said and when (but not who). If this parent keeps this behaviour up I will be persuing harassment charges with the school providing the name to the police if they feel the need to request it. Thank you all for your advice it is very much appreciated x