My niece has been diagnosed with dyspraxia and dyslexia. She is also a very quiet, shy kid. Very different to her extrovert twin.
She has had a great deal of support from Outside agencies that mum has accessed privately.
However, the school won't take on board anything said to them from these agencies as they have not been involved in seeking them out.
She is spending most of her time in the SEN base which now seems inappropriate. She has made huge progress out of school but they won't try her with trickier reading books or work beyond probably a p2 level. She should be in primary 7 in Scotland but was held back a year so is in p6. The child, who never complains and is always very well behaved has started saying she doesn't want to go to the base at all. She can see, herself, now, that she is making good progress and is frustrated with the, in her words, "babyish" work given to her in school.
I have lost count of the times my sister has approached the school and asked for changes to be made. The response is always that they think my niece is autistic- the ed psych said she isn't. None of the staff had heard of dyspraxia. That my sister is comparing the twins and that they are different. They just don't seem to want to listen.
My sister has been taking her from school early one day a week to work with one of the agencies, a dyslexia expert who sets her work and monitors her progress. She is doing well, her confidence is growing and she is much happier. Niece long ago decided that she is stupid.
The head teacher approached my sister on Friday at a school coffee morning, in front of lots of other parents to say she would be back dating all of the times niece had been out of school for these "ridiculous classes" and that she would now be marking them as unauthorised absences. She also said my sister should expect SS to be contacting her about all this and that she was depriving niece of her " proper" education.
My sister is, understandably, very upset and worried. She just wants what is best for her kids. Does anyone have any ideas what she should say as she has requested a meeting with the head teacher on Thursday.
I am a teacher but in mainstream and far from them. I would have thought that them disregarding other agencies and the diagnosis would be out of line with GIRFEC. I was going to ask my colleagues tomorrow but wondered if anyone on here might be able to help. I feel the school have failed my niece but it is the village school and her siblings, without difficulties, enjoy their school. We just feel we hit brick walls with the school and they are not prepared to alter their views on my dniece.