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?

The parents don't want to accept their child has difficulties and have been very reluctant for other professionals to be involved. They continually tell me that SaLT, Paediatrician, OT etc don't know why their child has been referred ...then I get reports from the same professionals showing him on the 0.01 percentile ... I'm afraid the parents will see this as a good thing.

for the child and the school.

Change for the better is what's needed not change for financial reasons or as a cost cutting exercise though.

I think they see it as a personal criticism

Although to be fair, it was the previous legislation that favoured an unaccountable, inefficient, ineffective approach, as in Starlight's case.

It was no more unaccountable than the new system daftdame

The new system isn't fully rolled out yet mrz.

Yes but until we have evidence there is nothing to say the new legislation will be any better after all it's still the same people monitoring and delivering. All we know is that children will be removed, funding will be cut and legal entitlement will be withdrawn. Hardly a recipe for success when you put it like that is it?

It isn't even slightly rolled out, despite the pathfinder authorities having had the money to do so.

Am about to join forces with a group to request under the DPA how many people have actually received direct payments for provision. From a basic strawpoll it appears that ONE person from ONE authority has in TWO years and only because they threatened Judicial Review.

I know daftdame but I've always had to show what the school has done from it's own budget to support the child and provide all provision mapping and assessment levels prior to involvement by outside agencies. The only difference is the new code of practice has cut my delegated budget and will exclude some children due to poor attendance

I agree with Mrz though, that this reform won't make any difference.

I almost don't care WHAT the law is. The crux of it HAS to be that LAs are policed and forced to comply with it. That they weren't and didn't was all that was wrong with the old system. The new rules won't change that.

We need a reform of the regulatory bodies such as SENDIST, LGO and the ICO, because unless they get some teeth the wording of the legislation is quite pointless.

mrz what about once a statement is gained? Still the same provision mapping and assessment? There certainly is a post-code lottery.

The way I see it is that the majority of children were failed under the old system, and we are moving to a new system where the majority of children are failed but for less money.

I suppose that is progress of some kind. Though where the money is going that is 'saved' is anyone's guess. I hope it is going into the adult social care budget or the prison service perhaps, or at the very least mental health hospitals, because that is where these children will end up.

Less than 1% of our pupils receive additional funding from the LEA ... for one the funding meets his needs for the other the funding falls far short of his actual needs and considerably short of the cost to educate him in a special school.

Yes daftdame I have to provide termly updates

mrz Not the same in all schools...

Dd's school is good at what they do and so as a result parents who can express a preference choose to transport their child to that school rather than their local school. As a result 20 plus students have statements in a 300 plus school so quite a high number compared with the schools surrounding it. It's the support they offer that draws parents to them and not the reassurance that the school keeps meticulous records of the cost of the support given. I worry that these records of cost will come at a detriment to the support offered because will the cost of all this accounting of SEN budgets come from the SEN budget itself

mrz If less than 1% of the pupils at your school receive additional funding from the LA, your costs are less than a special school, as you have said in a previous thread you are a single form entry school, why would it cost you £600 000+ to map provision of the initial 6K for those who required top up funding?

insanity Sadly the accounting is needed because some schools and LAs have been misappropriating the funds at worst, scandalously inefficient at best.

But accounting won't make for better provision it's just another hoop to jump and another stick with which to beat the schools.I'd say the only difference it will make will be that the schools that keep the best records regardless of the quality of the support given will secure the most funding and to do this they may choose to hire an accountant at the cost of quality teaching and support staff.

*to and not at

because over 50% of our children have educational needs not covered by a statement daftdame. As I said it is extremely difficult to obtain a statement even for children who have been identified by numerous outside professionals as requiring support.

mrz The majority have additional needs?

Did your school participate in your LAs consultation which determined how to designate which schools would have more delegated funding?

I know our LA was hugely disappointed in the response for the consultation..they had little information with which to decide the best formula.

yes daftdame they did

In September 17/26 of my class required additional support (excluding child with a statement) in June only 2 still require high levels of support (both being assessed by the EP but unlikely to get statements) but 3 new children arrived today who from first impressions may well need support and we have a similar picture in other classes ... Then I have a child who has attended 10 sessions since Easter ...

As a mother of a child with SN, I couldn't give a flying fig about the accounting. I'd be happy if my child had no funding at all if he had a decent evidence-based education.

If that required a TA, I would give a toss if it was someone volunteering from a local childcare course provided they could follow good instructions from the teacher who was themselves trained in good sound evidence-based practice techniques.

I am worried that outcomes for children are getting lost and mixed up with number-crunching.