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Primary education

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Original poster

saw the ed psch about DS today

32 replies

stillenacht · 27/04/2009 20:37

he is in year 5 and struggling - so went to see the ed psych (privately - phew what a scorcher in terms of cost!). She says he has problems with his expressive speech and specific learning difficulties (have another DS who is 4 years younger with low functioning autism) relating to phonics and basic stuff not acquird when he was in reception and year 1.

Feel very very pissed off about whole situation as feel that education system let him and us down. We are teachers (me and DH) at GS and feel as if he has been left to get on with it - reception teacher went on mat leave, countless supply (grrrrr) and year 1 teacher job share with deputy head (who has other things to deal with)Has had boys in his class with behavioural problems which have not really been dealt with adequately and on top of this during all that time in his fomative education i was dealing with DS2 having epileptic fits and not developing mentally ..although we really really tried Biff and sodding Chip was hardly at the top of our priority list.

Just need to vent grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

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Original poster
stillenacht · 27/04/2009 20:40

obviously meant ed pysch in thread title - spelling gone to pot

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StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 27/04/2009 20:42

I sympathise, sounds very much like my DD. Afraid to say even after DD was diagnosed at dyslexic by Ed Psych the school have done nothing to help her. She's sinking and there doesn't seem to be anything I can do - she had her diagnosis 2 years ago now!

I hope you get more help for your DS now.

cornsilk · 27/04/2009 20:44

That sounds so frustrating.

Original poster
stillenacht · 27/04/2009 20:49

thanks stripey

Altho i have a son with severe learning disabilities and i guess i am (in some ways)more tolerant of behaviour problems i still feel like going up to the mum of the boy who has made my sons education by and large a nightmare (he by the way is g and t because to calm him down he gets to read all day long aand is highly able/top sets - they set them at DS's primary etc etc) at the end of year 6 and saying all this to her - and she has had the bloody cheek to compare her son with my DS2 who is at special school wearing nappies and me cleaning his arse everyday and still feeding him age 5 and half with her g and T son because he has special needs also...sorry if this doesn't look very tolerant but right now she can shove it. I have NO sympathy for her or her son - he has contributed to my only son who is in mainstream having such a bad time of it. His appalling behaviour has taken so much of the teachers and schools time....grrrrrr

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Original poster
stillenacht · 27/04/2009 20:50

phew...and breathe...sorry just getting all pissed off again

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StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 27/04/2009 20:56

In my DD's year there are 3 boys who have ADHD type behavioural problems. One of them is so bad he has his own personal TA, the other 2 get a lot of one on one extra help. Yet my DD who is perfectly well behaved but a year behind gets no help as there's no funding left. I know its not the fault of the other children but it seems so unfair for my DD. Especially when these boys are distracting her even more by running amok round the classroom and the teacher can't control it. That was last year though, I made sure for last year she was with a stricter teacher and thankfully these boys are in a different class this year. I worry about next year though.

Original poster
stillenacht · 27/04/2009 20:59

yes my DS has had either boy every year - the g and t ADHD boy is now in the top set but the other one sits very close to him and we have recently had one or two issues about him hurting DS during classtime. Sounds very similar stripey. DS does get a little help but feel so let down esp as we teach bright kids all day long and do our utmost to provide a wonderful, stimulating etc etc education for our charges and we feel as if our DS is not getting the same level of input at all.

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StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 27/04/2009 21:03

Have you told the school how you feel?

Original poster
stillenacht · 27/04/2009 21:07

actually no we haven't but i know of countless other parents who have complained about the class and what has happened to the class largely becuase of the issues of the two boys.

tbh i don't know what the school can do. One boy i think is on medication the other isn't. I do fully appreciate how hard it must be to have a child with behvioural SN being catered for in mainstream as i couldn't imagine for one second DS2 being in mainstream as the system couldn't in any way cope with him...i don't know what the answer is....

we are going to send him private (aaarrrghghgh!! money wise) at the end of year 6 and get him to repeat year 6 and continue at the private school thru to year 11 (thats the plan anyway) and i hope that neither of these boys will go with him (that sounds awful but...). I know one of them (the one i was talking about earlier)is highly likely to pass 11plus but the other is in DS' class is unlikely to i would imagine.

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katiestar · 27/04/2009 21:33

Sounds a really grim set up at school.Now you have your diagnosis , where do you go from here ?

Original poster
stillenacht · 27/04/2009 21:36

unfortunately Katiestar he doesn't really have a 'diagnosis' as such - i did press the Ed Pysch on this as i said i wanted a 'label' so i could access extra help for him (after she did the assessment). Am not afraid of labels in this house . He is not severe enough to be dyslexic but is still at least a year behind in numeracy and literacy - he has 'just' SpLD - i guess i have to wait for the full report to see what this means.

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StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 27/04/2009 22:17

Unfortunately even if you get a label the school don't have to take any notice of it. Labels from a private ED pSYCH THAT you employ yourself can be disregarded by a school if they choose to. They only have to pay attention if an LEA/school appointed Ed Psych make a diagnosis and where we are the child has to be further behind than my DD to have any chance of an LEA assessment.

Original poster
stillenacht · 27/04/2009 22:19

oh now that i didn't know stripey - thanks My other DS was assessed by LEA Psych Ed (for his statement).

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neolara · 27/04/2009 22:27

I'm sorry to say that having a label is absolutely no guarantee that the school would provide additional support in any case. This is also the case for children who get a label from an educatinal psychologist employed by the LEA.

If I were you, I would hire a bloody good tutor to help your ds with his literacy and numeracy, and I would also get in contact with a speech and language therapist to see what can be done to help with his expressive language skills.

Original poster
stillenacht · 27/04/2009 22:30

thanks neolara

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ICANDOTHAT · 28/04/2009 10:07

stillenacht You may want to post this on the Special Needs board as there may be some mums who have experienced similar and are able to offer more advise or support. Good luck.

Original poster
stillenacht · 28/04/2009 15:54

yes i guess i should - just don't want to really face up to the fact both DS' have some sort of SN

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ICANDOTHAT · 28/04/2009 19:37

Stillenacht What were the Ed Pyschs' recommendations for him at school? Did he suggest additional referrals? I understand what you mean about facing up to possible sn's - I'm an expert at not doing it. Currently got a thread on SN board re 2nd opinion private ADHD dx for my ds2.

Original poster
stillenacht · 28/04/2009 19:43

The Ed Psych said there isn't much extra help that the school will be able to offer over an above what he already gets (a reading helper lady and a couple of sessions a week with the TA) which i sort of knew - he is only on School Action and not School Action Plus so....

No extra refereals were suggested - i have always thought DS1 has some form of ADD but without the 'H' if that makes sense as he is soooooooo laid back as to seem asleep most of the time. I stupidly forgot to mention this but the Ed Psych's conclusions were everything i already knew - am still waiting for the report so will take it from there.

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ICANDOTHAT · 28/04/2009 19:48

Is he in a private school? I ask because your assessment was done privately.

My sons LEA has no interest in the 2nd assessment I had which concluded he was 'mild' ADHD - to them it doesn't count. They are only interested in the NHS team that carried out his original dx. This is fine 'cause basically they said the same thing.

Original poster
stillenacht · 28/04/2009 19:52

No - he is in a state school. His state school told me outright that they weren't prepared to pay for it (I am a state teacher too so i sort of know the reading between the lines stuff)

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Original poster
stillenacht · 28/04/2009 20:00

The Head told me they don't have the money to pay for Ed Psych's and i can sort of see their point as otherwise most of the paranoid parents at the school where little Jonny was one level behind his friend on ORT books would be asking for an appointment. I am still annoyed at the school though due to the disruption caused by the two boys.

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mrz · 28/04/2009 20:06

School's don't pay for an Ed Psych the Educational Psychology Service is paid for by the LA and Ed Psychs are allocated time in every school.

Original poster
stillenacht · 28/04/2009 20:08

Well i am only saying what my son's head told me - i am but a lowly music teacher. The parents who have had an Ed Psych report from his class (and there have been 5 to my knowledge) have all paid.

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Original poster
stillenacht · 28/04/2009 20:11

sorry that doesn't really make sense - there are 5 (at least) children from my sons class who have all had Ed Psych assessments - all the parents have paid privately. I would love to have not paid - i am trying to save up to send him to indie school so he can redo year 6 (and be out of year group until the end of secondary education - continuing to pay )to try and catch up on all the stuff he should be able to do now (the primary school has an outstanding ofsted btw ).

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