Good evening
I do hope I am posting in the right place. I am hoping that one of you lovely lot out there could advise.
I will be returning to the UK with two children in the Summer, aged 6 and 8. They are due to go into years 1 and year 4 based on age.
The oldest is bilingual but will not need an in-class translator although she will be one year behind, has not yet done multiplication or division, has learnt a different style of cursive writing and will have a language deficit with regard to written English (oral/aural is fine but as English is not phonetic and they have spent the last two years in a German school there will be spelling issues). She can read but I do not know what her reading age is.
Questions: Will the school do bombardment-type testing (I think it used to be CAT testing? to see where she's at or would I need to request it? If the LEA would have provided language support had she only spoken German, would they still be prepared to offer such a person for literacy support or will the Senco arrange that? Will she be forced to unlearn European cursive writing and have to learn British cursive? Finally, will they be able to test her current reading age for me?
My youngest would have been starting German school this September. He will be a year behind, only speaks English, is verbal but lags behind in other areas - in particular, his ability to hold a pen and write (he knows his letters but cannot write them at all well, never writes in lower case and only writes his name in capitals with various sizing. No emergent writing. Can sometimes tell you cvc words but not yet reading).
He also has massive sensory issues and anxiety issues which meant that after 18 months in Kindergarten he started refusing to go/had issues there including picking up the language. Several red flags for ASD with a PDA profile but no diagnosis yet.
Questions: Is there any way that I can appeal to the LEA or School directly for him to start Reception as opposed to year 1? He will be 6 this June. Will the school allow a part-time timetable at first given his anxieties? (Would your school do this/how would it be organised?)
Do parents have the right to request an ILP/IEP assessment from the off or can this referral only come via the class teacher to the Senco?
Will there be access to an Ed Psych? If anxiety is going to cause issues with attendance and punctuality, can a home-school liaison/ewo support me or should I go directly to social services?
Sorry for all the questions. I have been out of the loop for 12 years and basically need a how-to guide for accessing support for my kids. I cannot at the moment afford private diagnoses or therapies.
I could off-roll and home school but this would be my very last solution as I am secondary-trained not primary.
So...if you were the Senco or Class teacher what would you be able to do for me in September and would you be prepared to meet a new parent pre term starting/quick meeting on the inset day or would that be totally out the question? Should I contact the school directly to set up such a meeting or will I be automatically labelled as 'that parent'?
School admission/transfer cannot be done until mid-June for a September start and we will not be in the UK until mid August.
Term starts 3rd September.
What would your advice be with regard to communicating any/all of the above and first steps to getting a diagnosis for the youngest?
Or do I just let the Senco/teacher lead and assume they will pick up on issues from the first day?
Many thanks in advance 
