School not providing what is on IEP.

[FatherSpodoKomodo]

DS1 is year 1 and nearly 6. I was shown his IEP in October and was told he would be doing Narrative therapy (continued from Reception) and would also be doing a Motor Skills programme. I didn't see his IEP at the March parents evening.

I found out last week that he has only done one session of the Motor Skills programme.

What happens when a school doesn't give the child what they said they would on an IEP? What is my next step?

[daftdame]

mrz A history of retrospective accurate provision mapping would give a good idea. The provision received used to predict future provision, this is true evidence based practice.

[mrz]

I have a child in my class who needs 1-1 support but he doesn't need his TA attached when I do carpet time because he sits on my knee. Now one day my carpet time might be 18 mins for one lesson 23 mins for another , only 12 mins for another and perhaps a full 30 mins for story or songs. He also doesn't need his TA when we do maths jingles because he likes to dance so that might be another 10 mins I also feel that he deserves some of my teacher input so I work 1-1 with him while his TA works with another child but if he didn't have a TA he wouldn't be able to attend a mainstream school.
So are you really suggesting that someone should record how many minutes a day he spends with his TA, how many minutes he spends working with me, how many minutes he spends with his LSA (he has additional support at lunchtimes) how many minutes with other staff ...if so we better employ extra staff just for the paperwork ...

[insanityscratching]

But who decides whether a statement is needed or not? It shouldn't be some faceless bureaucrat it should be the people at the coal face who work with and live with that child every day.
When ds was being assessed for specialist provision the LA made arrangements to observe ds in his primary school. As is the case as it always was during numeracy the one lesson that ds behaved reasonably well in or was at least well managed and distracted from disrupting in. Ds's teacher was also the SENCo who had a very good grasp of ds's needs and he could at times be a pussycat for her particularly in numeracy. The SENCO transposed the day sending in the PPA to teach history (ds would normally be withdrawn to work with the TA as he hated the PPA teacher and history). Ds excelled himself he showed exactly why he needed specialist provision as he displayed every challenging and disruptive behaviour he knew to get out of the class. The LA were almost commiserating with ds's SENCo by the end of the observation and so ds got specialist provision but he wouldn't have if the LA had seen a snapshot of him in numeracy.

[daftdame]

Maybe more roughly than minute by minute. However people do do time sheets in other forms of employment. They do not have to be that cumbersome.

[daftdame]

People at the coal face so to speak also have a conflict of interest. When they are fighting for all forms of funding any opportunity for that funding can be grabbed with both hands, whether appropriate or not. Added to this the extra resource can mask poor quality provision, managing a child's needs instead of overcoming them.

[insanityscratching]

If all the support has to be documented mrz would the person doing the supporting have to document too as dd's TA would need an extra 30 minutes a day to do that. I wonder if the LA's will like parents pushing for extra time so that support can be documented?

[insanityscratching]

Conflict of interest or real knowledge and experience I'd say. Our LA is fighting to save money to conserve the Local Government Employees pensions I know because ds (another one) is a Local Government employee. Do I feel bad about dd's support possibly depriving one of ds's colleagues of an extra fiver a week on their pension? Nah

[daftdame]

People do not spend 30 mins on time sheets. Time, member of staff, group. This with wages bill, teacher's plans and assessment data would be all that is needed.

[mrz]

That's exactly what I'm wondering insanity ...I'm the SENCO so responsible for all children in the school so I guess I'm not going to be doing much actual teaching for doing time sheets.

[daftdame]

People do not spend 30 mins on time sheets. Time, member of staff, group. This with wages bill, teacher's plans and assessment data would be all that is needed.

[insanityscratching]

But it would depend what record keeping they wanted wouldn't it? Dd's TA doesn't sit next to her the support she gives is flexible and differs day to day minute to minute I'm pretty sure myself and school could prove that thirty minutes was needed if push comes to shove

[mrz]

daftdame in a previous life when I first left school I spent 40 hours a week doing time sheets

Schools don't calculate wage bills that is done by the LEA ... and I'm not sure how teacher's plans and assessment data will give an accurate picture, planning change in response to the classes needs and assessment data could be recorded termly

[daftdame]

I'm think retrospective support received, quite easy to report on a log. Lying on this would be considered fraud, if that is why you winked.

[daftdame]

mrz there must be day t,o day observations in order to inform teaching.

[insanityscratching]

Dd's would look like this 8.50 3 minutes meet and greet 8.55 10 minutes physical literacy 9.05 3 minutes preparing dd for vicar in assembly 9.10 3 minutes reassuring dd because said vicar is not the same vicar as last time and even though his voice is loud he isn't shouting at her.
By the time we'd done I'd say her support is easily justified.

[daftdame]

Schools must submit info to L A so they can calculate wage bills.

[daftdame]

"FWIW I 'm not bothered at present that dd's TA supports other children in her class because dd doesn't in fact need the support her statement gives."

Your post insanity suggests she doesn't need her support. Which is it? If your school can easily demonstrate support, why worry?

[insanityscratching]

Not lying just saying that if you have a child whose needs and support aren't uniform then retrospective filling of timesheets wouldn't be necessarily truthful or accurate and so fraudulent by your interpretation. For dd's TA to make them truthful and accurate they would need to be filled in as the support happened which I'd say would easily tag 30 minutes onto her TA's day.

[insanityscratching]

I'm not worried at all the LA will get the documentation they require and dd will keep her support. If others benefit because her TA is able to support others whilst dd is working independently then it's a good situation all round.

[daftdame]

A child could be cheated out of more than 30 mins of support under the old legislation. 2 TA's taking class instead of Teacher and 2 TA's because teacher is absent = hours of missed support opportunities. Parent helper looks after statemented child on trip, ditto.

[insanityscratching]

I don't understand why it's such a big deal that dd's support supports other children as well. I know it happens and dd isn't suffering because of it so as far as I can see no one is being negatively affected by it. It happens all the time in lots of schools not least because statements are wishy washy and so the schools aren't doing anything wrong.
The difference is that dd's school doesn't hide that it happens, dd's needs are being met regardless and I don't want dd to be dependent on a TA by her side for the majority of every day and so support the school in what they do.
Some parents want different they fight for the statement and want every minute used with a TA attached to the child's side it's then when school's are forced to be evasive IME.

[insanityscratching]

But it doesn't happen in dd's school on trips dd's TA supports her because out of school her needs are greater. In her class there is a FT class TA and another SEN TA as well as other TA's who work part time on specific programmes with individual and groups of children. There is lots of support so probably the reason I'm not possessive of dd's.

[daftdame]

What I think should be present is equality. How much does a teacher/TA spend supporting individual children normally? This is needed as a base level. Why with a statemented child should a normal level of individual support be seen as extra, over and above what a school should have to provide? I think the new reform could encourage schools to reconsider what they can provide at a base level. The entry level for statements is not consistent between LAs.

The chatting about the vicar could be equated with telling a NT child to stop talking or talking to another NT mother about reading books.Why does a child need a statement if their provision is different but equal in terms of resource? Should you get a statement for having inquisitive parents who just take up the teacher's time?

Some parents may suspect their child is not getting their support and coping. The statement should reflect their progress, it generally should be celebrated, not hidden in order to cling onto resource. Schools may seek to cling on to funds and in turn distort the child's needs.

[insanityscratching]

But all things aren't equal are they if they were no children would need a statement. I'd be happy to give up dd's statement to anyone who was resentful that she got extra provision so long as they were prepared to take on the autism besides.
I have three older children besides the two with autism, they were all high achievers in school and needed no support or individual input. I was never resentful of the poor child who had a TA because of their needs just grateful that mine didn't. I don't really get all this it's not fair stuff tbh My thoughts would be get a grip or do something about it if you believe that your child has needs that aren't being met,

[daftdame]

I am not resentful. I think it is great that your dd is thriving at her school.

I just believe in honesty. A statement should accurately reflect needs. Playing the system is wrong, it perpetuates inequality between those who can afford the legal clout and those who can't, those who know how their child should be educated and those who can only listen to 'experts'.