Reluctance to put children on the SEN register?

[debs40]

I have had a long battle with school this year to get them to acknowledge my son's problems and apply appropriate provision - first by putting him on the SEN register with an IEP and then through the SA and SA+ stages. This has involved numerous professionals who had intervened to help school understand my son's complex needs. He has developmental coordination disorder and is on the autistic spectrum awaiting specific diagnosis of which persistent development disorder this month.

I spoke to another mum of a child in DS's class recently and we have discovered that both boys are awaiting final ASD dx.

Her DS has speech problems and problems with social communication/skills etc and gets a bit of help. However, as we started discussing the SEN pathway, it was clear he has never even been given an IEP in the two years he has been there. Again, numerous professionals have been involved. The lack of formal history to this can affect statementing applications as it is a graduated approach

Out of curiousity I wonder why school would be so reluctant to 'formalise' provision for these children? Is it extra work? Don't want to many children on the SEN register in case it puts off prospective pupils?

I bought the Icredible 5 point book and passed it onto our Y3 teacher (he has 2 ASD children neither are a problem in school but both get very stressed and it spills over at home). He took it home did the exercise with the whole class the next day and decided on strategies with the class

Thanks. They won't do that though. I have given them books which haven't been read and SALT and Autism Outreach team have been in and made recommendations about these type of things. The teacher will just say 'he's fine'. Neither of them have ever had a conversation with him about what he finds hard. They seriously don't see this as part of their job.

There is an IDP on ASD which has a really good DVD with lots of useful info (as i'm sure you know). Senco say you would never get a teacher to look at that in their free time so it will have to wait until they can find the time to do a training session. They haven't got round to doing the first IDP yet.

The trouble is, you can't spend your life chasing these basic adjustments. School say they do many things when other agencies come in, most of which I know to be untrue e.g. we have weekly home/school meeting - well we don't. They may even say all the right things about strategies but they don't implement them because it takes time which they don't want to spend on him when there are children who need support with reading and writing.

You can't force a school to have a different view about these things if they show no interest to learn or willingness to change

I'm fortunately in a position to ensure that advice is followed but as a parent I am well aware that not all schools follow recommendations from EPs and other agencies.

Thanks for listening mrz - I'm glad your dcs are happily settled now and that there are SENCOs like you about. It gives me hope!

My son would tell you he had a pretty miserably time in school which is why I say I wish I had known then what I know now. I trusted the school and staff to adopt the EPs recommendations - some did others utterly refused.
It probably explains why I don't want children in my charge to have the same bad start.

Good for you....you don't work anywhere near Wilts/Hants do you

I'm afraid not

Interestingly, the other mum in DS's class who has a son on the ASD diagnostic waiting list recently realised (after coming to a meeting) that he was not getting any support through SA/SA+ and that she had never been shown an IEP in the two years he had been there, although he has SALT and has been getting some support.

She has now approached SENCO who says he has actually been on SA+ throughout this time They were never told or shown an IEP.

She then asks about statementing and is told 'only children falling into the bottom 30% on achievement will ever get a statement, your DS will not get a statement, he doesn't qualify'

So where did that gem come from and why are schools so reluctant to put children on the register??

Here are the Hillingdon SEN Policies:

www.hillingdongrid.org/articleshow/cms/imagegallery/imagebank/064%20sen%20policy.pdf
and
www.hillingdongrid.org/articleshow/cms/imagegallery/imagebank/Criteria_hillchildren0604.pdf

However, there is no way my DS1 meets these requirements - and his SENCO is still applying for a statement for him. So I gather it's largely down to how good the SENCO is? (Although she's still in the process of doing it - it might well be turned down.)

Maybe you can find your LEA policies online?

Thanks. I will have a look for them.