Teachers do not adhere to Statemented 1 to 1 support, do not believe in sub-levels, make APP assessments up....How much of what parents are told by schools about teaching is a box ticking exercise?

[Regards]

Following on from this thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/primary/1859219-Im-a-teacher-and-happy-to-answer-any-questions

and this:
community.tes.co.uk/tes_primary/f/36/t/381051.aspx?pi2132219857=1

I realised I was incredibly gullible when my DC first started school. What exactly should we believe concerning what the teachers tell us, how much is a PR job to cover up the ugly truth?

Schools (I think all schools, not just academies) are now free to set higher salaries for TAs, where previously the rate was set by the LA, and was in line with a dinner lady's salary.

About time I say. I think this will result in better qualified and higher paid TAs. Schools know how valuable it is to get good staff as opposed to taking on the only person prepared to do the job for such a low wage.

A decent TA can help children progress much more. There may be schools where teachers cream off the money but they would be very unwise and probably very bad schools.

Correction, LSA's are different from TA's. TAs can cover the class but LSA's are for small groups unless that's changed as well.

zzzzz I think some children need 1 to 1, some don't, some start off needing it and this need tails off, some need it later on in their school life. You can't really generalise. What you need is a rigorous system that identifies reports and meets need accurately.

Zzzz, this isn't the case for all children though. I do allow my TA to take a step back sometimes when it's apparent the child is completing a task happily on their own...it's good evidence to bring to a statement review!

OP, I can't help but infer from your posts that you feel most teachers are dishonest and untrustoworthy, deliberately taking support away from children who need it in order to prioritize others in the class. That honestly gets me down, as it will any teacher who spends all bloody day (an often a good portion of the night) thinking of ways to help their pupils be happy and make progress.

Not even going to comment on the TES thread as many of the comments are just terrible and clearly made by people who are in the wrong job.

I agree for the most part, but I would on occasion have the TA and her child working in a group because group work can be really beneficial. Still there to support her child but helping him work as part of a group.

GetStuffezed OP, I can't help but infer from your posts that you feel most teachers are dishonest and untrustoworthy, deliberately taking support away from children who need it in order to prioritize others in the class.

Not so. I think there are a lot of issues at play that have resulted in some teachers being dishonest about the fine detail of support. There are some flaws in the system and some preconceptions which may also distort the nature of what is actually happening and whether this is in an individual child's best interests. For example, sometimes the 'aiming to encourage more independence' is more about resource, sometimes it is genuine. It is hard to judge professionals motivations or ability in making these judgements, as a parent as so much is opaque in education, or can be made to be.

Dd's statement funds 20 hours of her TA but her TA is in school, in her class,(class TA is also FT and another SENTA is FT) for the whole of every day, the rest of the hours are topped up by the school and aren't specifically assigned dd. It is very flexible so some days dd doesn't have four hours of her TA's time at other times she has more than four hours, things like the OT programme is done by another TA, SALT programme when she needed it would be by a different TA and one of her IEP targets is done by the teacher rather than the TA's. I'd imagine the paperwork to cost out what dd's support actually costs would be hugely complex and I'd imagine schools will end up funding accountants at the detriment of actual support for children who need it,

And of course the reporting of what is happening should be completely transparent.

on occasion have the TA and her child working in a group because group work can be really beneficial. Still there to support her child but helping him work as part of a group.

How would you report this for example?

Insanity Did you not say on the other thread your daughter's TA was participating in the Reading Recovery programme in another classroom? How can she be supporting your daughter?

I agree there are many areas of the education system which are perhaps not transparent enough from a parents' POV. But... Having every professional decision you make questioned can be very frustrating. And no I don't think teachers are beyond reproach! The vast, vast majority of teachers want the very best for their pupils and will do everything in their powers to do so.

Having a class that range in ability from P scales up to level six is seriously tricky to manage and requires a lot of time and effort in planning. And can be very frustrating. I have a great girl in my y6 class who has a fixed number of 1:1 hours with a TA and gets them. She can only say a handful of words and her comprehension skills are very very low. Every day I'm acutely aware that she's not getting the best education with me, even though she's happy, because I and the TA can't give her precisely what's needed.

Slight rant there, but if you believe a teacher really isn't acting in the best interest of a child, SEN or not, I wouldn't let it lie. Because if I had that accusation thrown at me I'd have them there for bloody hours showing them all the stuff we are trying to do in difficult circumstances.

And should probably add that dd is one of the most "straightforward" statemented children in her school others have far greater needs and a far larger team of support around them so their costings would be incredibly complex. I wouldn't want schools to have to use account managers first before a child got the support they needed.

I don't need to report this example - why would I when it occurs so infrequently? It is still the TA supporting her charge and ONLY her charge, but allowing him to take part in group work. My planning would indicate this. My provision map says that the TA is 1:1 with X for maths and English and that's what she does.

GetStuffezd As a parent of a child who is Statemented I would say you have to question professional's decisions.

You viewpoint is equally if not more valid than a professional's, as you have to think strategically not tactically. You are responsible for the child for the rest of their life not just a few years in one school or a year in a class. You will not be concerned about a school's funding issues or your success as a class teacher as your individual child will be your priority.

Not all teachers readily include a parent in their decision making or even inform them of what is happening.

GetStuffezed I have no problem if your reports are accurately representative of what happens.

However there comes a time when you have to decide to report even infrequent occurrences, it makes more sense then when these occurrences become more frequent.

You viewpoint is equally if not more valid than a professional's, as you have to think strategically not tactically. You are responsible for the child for the rest of their life not just a few years in one school or a year in a class. You will not be concerned about a school's funding issues or your success as a class teacher as your individual child will be your priority.

Conversely, your approach will be utterly single minded and focused on your child. Goes without saying. However, your child and their provision is just one concern out of 30 for us. The work we put into ensuring your child has the best possible education HAS to be matched x30. Communication is the key and yes, if a school were being shady or evasive I would dig deeper.

Statements of SEN, though, detail individual provision.

However there comes a time when you have to decide to report even infrequent occurrences, it makes more sense then when these occurrences become more frequent.
Yes, at the statement review I would say "x has been working well within a group setting under the support of mrs x. I propose we aim to make this a more regular occurrence." IF I thought that was the right thing to do. Gently encouraging SOME statemented children towards increasing independence is a good thing and I would make no attempt to hide my opinions on this, or demonstrate where this has worked.

Well I'd imagine Regards that either dd would be unsupported at that time or she'd be with the TA who does the OT programme she could be doing IEP work with her teacher she could be supported by the class TA I don't know but I know she is happy and I know that if she wasn't her TA would rearrange when she did reading recovery.
I don't feel dd is short changed with her support so when she went on the residential she was supported round the clock for five days likewise when there are school trips or outside providers in the support doesn't stop when her four hours are up.
As I say dd's school is exceptionally supportive to children with SEN and so I don't quantify dd's support in terms of how long dd's TA sits beside her but more in how happy and confident she is and the progress she has made.
Dd's school is open with me (dd would blow the whistle anyway) and so I don't feel the need to police them. I know if I have ever had concerns then they have been listened to and we have worked out solutions between us I've never felt that they have been dismissed or that the school is hiding things from me as I say I could go into school at anytime in fact HT invited me in to waych her in the playground because he had seen a huge leap in her peer relations.
I think it's a different set up to your experience and one that not all children with SEN are fortunate to have tbh

Yes, I do know that. And it takes a lot of time to timetable that provision. And then there's the rest of the class to provide for!

IF I thought that was the right thing to do

I would have liked your last post better without this statement. How do you decide?