School refusing to accept SEN diagnosis paperwork

[Cosycardigans]

Just for background my DD has one SEN diagnosis and is awaiting another after further observation in a school setting.

She is four and due to start in a few weeks.

Have repeatedly told the school at settling in sessions about her needs and asked to speak to SENCO but it's been refused. Found out other parents had 1:1 set up for their children so decided to try a bit harder. I've never asked the school for a 1:1 or tried to get one, just something set up for my DD to meet her needs.

Had been chasing a report from specialist in NHS for ages and finally got it today. Walked round to the school to see if any staff in, I could email it over to. Have tried emailing the email on their website and they never respond.
The only staff member in was a CEO overseeing some building work.
She flat right REFUSED to give me the SENCO email and kept saying I wouldn't be able to get a 1:1 and it could take years. I kept telling her I don't want a 1:1 I just want to hand over this information and for the staff to be aware of her needs and a plan in place. İt's a four page report telling the school what my DD needs to make sure she isn't at-risk of social exclusion. She accused me of being passive aggressive because I assertively wouldn't let her fob me off and get rid of me. She said my child hadn't even started at the school and I had no right therefore to be coming in and asking for things. She kept saying other children have had the same condition and been fine. She kept saying if I didn't speak to her nicely she wasn't going to help and that I should be grateful she was giving up her summer holiday to talk to me (we were standing in the school foyer where I found her). Then she said "this isn't a good start is it?" and tilted her head at me. Really nasty. All I was trying to do was question why I kept being fobbed off and why there would be zero help for my daughter, when I had an actual diagnosis for my DD and had done for months and had asked many times to open a pathway to support for my DD.
She kept saying she didn't know the email for the SENCO, and I said well you're the CEO of the school you must have access to some system or the email is surely first name.last name @blahblahblah . She then basically admitted she didn't want to hand it over. She said if I spoke to her nicely she would take some details and see if the SENCO wanted to speak to me.
She asked me for my daughter's name and I told her. Then she gave me a 'well come on then???' look and stared at me after she had written it down. "What?" I said to her. "Well I'm going to need your contact details aren't I?". Honestly I was so angry at this point with the nastiness of it all (just for asking to be able to hand over some official documents about my daughter's SEN) that I told her she was being difficult and all she had had to do was take down my email for the SENCO in the first place, instead of making a big drama. I couldn't believe someone would be so obtrusive about making sure a little girl got the support she needed when starting with teachers actually aware of her condition. she was literally goading me from the moment I walked in there and said I had some information to pass over to the SENCO. İve never experience someone so nasty there. Most of the staff there have always been lovely to us, including the headteacher when we've bumped into her, although everyone had always been clueless about how to get my dd's diagnosis on record before she starts.

I don't know what to do next. How to go about finding a new school, at the last minute, I guess, that will accept my daughter's diagnosis without an attack on me (I was also accused by this woman of being anxious for insisting there was a plan in place for settling her in, in her first week).

I'm gutted because it's the closest school to us and all our local friends are going there and i've made effort to try and integrate my DD as much as possible with other children there leading up to her starting. However, at settling in sessions DD has always said she didn't like it (which isn't like her, as she likes everywhere I take her) and at the last one was so anxious she ended up lying on me for the whole hour.

I don't think I could cope homeschooling. I'm on my own on UC, and the job centre won't accept it, as I'm supposed to be looking for part time work, and I really do need to make some extra money for us both. She also needs the observation in a school setting to get the second diagnosis, which I'm pretty sure she has. The first specialist of the first diagnosis thinks she has diagnosis number one and that they're both linked, as they work with children who have both, but specialise in just one.

If you wish to change schools, you will need to contact the LA, but it is very late in the day and another place may not be in place for the beginning of term, especially if you want a plan in place.

DC with 1:1 from the beginning of reception are likely to already have an EHCP. Therefore, the circumstances are completely different.

Support in school is based on needs, not diagnosis. What support do you think DD needs? Schools must make their best endeavours to meet a pupil’s SEN, but depending on what you are asking for/DD needs, an EHCP may be required. That is the only way to guarantee specific provision. What was discussed when you discussed DD’s needs at the settling in sessions? When the SENCO refused to speak to you, did speak to the HT?

Some schools don’t give out individual email addresses to parents, with all communication going through one central one. That isn’t unusual.

The CEO wasn’t the right person to discuss this with. They wouldn’t be able to give you the answers you want. They wouldn’t have known what transition discussions with DD’s nursery had taken place, what information had been passed on, and they won’t know the day to day working of the school or what was planned. I suggest you email the information to the address you have &/or post a copy, then follow up when school starts.

Is DD not in receipt of DLA?

Diagnoses can be given for DC not in school. There will be a way of assessing EHE DC or DC in receipt of EOTAS, so I wouldn’t focus on that.

The needs of my DD were written out in the report from the specialist. It was a school needs report. It laid out in step by step. CEO refused to give me any email address or help in any way for me to pass on the school needs report. The report says school need to work with me to help my DD and she is at risk if she isn't given help with settling in properly, according to her needs. She was the only person in the building.

I dont need her to have a 1:1, the point is how were they able to liaise with the SENCO, but I wasn't allowed to, despite a diagnosis?

When I asked again for Senco to contact me, I was told during term time by parent liaison officer not to bother calling back again as I'd only be given the same information, that school wouldnt do anything for 26 weeks.

I have spoken to SEN at Local authority and they are going to contact me.

Don't have DLA yet as been waiting for this needs report from specialist to send to them as evidence. Only received diagnosis in January and nursery refused to give me any paperwork for DLA evidence, as I took dd out in december because they were refusing to meet her needs.

There is no email address to contact the school with, only a contact page and there's no attachment button and they never reply anyway.

I dont need her to have a 1:1, the point is how were they able to liaise with the SENCO, but I wasn't allowed to, despite a diagnosis?

Probably because they have an EHCP (or statement of SEN, the mention of 26 weeks may me query whether you are in NI as 26 weeks is the statutory timescales from start to finish for that) or are going through the EHCNA process, which as I posted is a completely different situation.

If the report writer thinks DD needs an enhanced transition, the fault lies with them for not doing something about it before now. Mid August is far too late for them to be stating it is required. What support are they stating DD needs? I’m wondering whether the support is beyond what would typically be expected at SEN Support level and would need an EHCP.

There is no email address to contact the school with

I’m confused as your OP says “…emailing the email on their website…”

Did you speak to the class teacher? To the HT?

You could have applied for DLA prior to now and sent whatever evidence you had or could get (e.g. via SAR to nursery, GP, hospital) then sent further evidence when you had it.

You asked me if I'm in receipt of DLA and I'm explaining why I'm not. Whether or not I had applied for it by now, I still wouldn't be in receipt of it right now. There's a part in the form I haven't been able to do yet as it needs filling in by someone I haven't been able to see for a while because of their recent cancer diagnosis.

She needs a key worker, and for the key worker to work with her for 15 mins, minimum, three times a week, in a private room. The key worker has to be in charge of managing any transitions. She needs all transitions explained to her, and needs a plan for settling in. She needs all staff who come into contact with her to know about her conditions and communicate with her in a certain way. UK based.

Regardless of timing of this paperwork. I've been telling the school for months that she needs help with settling in, and that she does actually have a diagnosis and been brushed off. I had old reports from when she was in nursery, before I removed her, and I told them so.

The email on their website- you click on 'email us' , and a contact box pops up, embedded into the website.

I spoke to the class teacher, yes. She was very casual. 'oh she will be fine, we make sure everyone has friends'. I've literally watched at the sessions where my child has been in visible distress to me, and the teachers are unaware of her needs. The needs are stated in the assessment for all the teachers to read about. Obviously I stepped in, but I also stepped back to begin with to allow the teachers to do their job. I haven't spoken to the head teacher no. Like I said, no emails are on the website and when I spoke to parent liaison officer at the reception, she told me not to try any further.

You don’t need the DLA form completed by anyone else. You can send it without. I know you were explaining why you weren’t in receipt of DLA. I was explaining you didn’t need to wait, so that if you or others reading need that knowledge in the future it is there. I mentioned DLA in my first place because you mentioned having to look for a job. If you had DLA, you could have the care element of UC which would remove the work search commitments, which is why it is important to submit the DLA form ASAP.

She needs a key worker, and for the key worker to work with her for 15 mins, minimum, three times a week, in a private room. The key worker has to be in charge of managing any transitions. She needs all transitions explained to her, and needs a plan for settling in. She needs all staff who come into contact with her to know about her conditions and communicate with her in a certain way.

Many schools would be unable to provide this without an EHCP (or Statement of SEN in NI). It is far too late now for the HCP to be stating an enhanced transition is put in place. You say you aren’t asking for 1:1, but you are. The key worker will be providing support 1:1.

If you felt like you were being brushed off prior to the end of term you should have spoken to the HT. I suggest you ask again when school starts then request to speak to/send a letter to the HT if refused.

Have you considered requesting an EHCNA (or statutory assessment if you are in NI)?

Have you had a look at the SEND Code of Practice?

If the OP is in NI that SENCOP doesn’t apply.

Well spotted!

Why do you keep saying I'm in NI? Lol. I've already said UK based.

This is invaluable! Thank you!

Err, NI is part of the UK!

I said if you are in NI, not that you definitely are in NI.

The fact you mentioned 26 weeks led me to believe you may be in NI, because 26 weeks is the statutory timescale for the statutory assessments in NI, hence why I mentioned it.

The countries that make up the UK all have their own SEN systems, legislation and guidance. Unless you are in England specifically that SENCOP doesn’t apply.

Oh yeah so it is- 'slows down to year one homework memorising voice', United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island.

I always get muddled between UK and GB. Been a while. Wish they would simplify it.

Ah you led yourself to believe wrong- I'm in GB.

So, if you are in England, you should consider requesting an EHCNA and look at IPSEA and SOSSEN’s websites. If you are in Wales, you should look at IDPs and SNAP Cymru. Neither the English or Welsh system has 26 weeks as a statutory timescale, so there’s some miscommunication somewhere about that. I haven’t mentioned Scotland as you obviously aren’t there because it is CDP there, not DLA.

If you are in England, the school’s OFSTED report sometimes contains an email address - if the most recent report doesn’t look at an older one.

Is your daughter at a nursery attached to the school and transferring to Reception in September. I’m assuming this as you say she’s four and that conversations you’ve previously had with the staff, would have been nursery staff.

One of the problems is that the report has come to you at a time when it’s the summer break and staff might not be in school, or even away from home. If the CEO was the only person in the building and was there to oversee building work she probably was focused on that.

Obviously you want to ensure the best start for your daughter, but you probably won’t find the people you need until nearer the start of term. It would be quite reasonable to request an early appointment with the SENCo and go through the report with her then.

Am I right in thinking that you took her out of nursery? Did she have any support when she was there? If you’re asking for someone to support transitions, you are actually requesting 1-1 support for parts of the day. As has been suggested, look into requesting a n EHCNA. It will be very difficult to find a place at a different school at this time and you’d really be starting again with people who don’t know your child.

No, previous conversations I had with staff were at weekly settling in sessions.

The problem I have with the CEO being so dismissive was that I only asked her for an email address so that I could send the report over. She refused to help me in any way to get the report sent to someone who could receive it when they were back in the office. All I wanted was for the staff to be able to read the report before my DD started so they could understand her diagnosis and needs better than I could explain it to them. The report said her teachers needed to be able to go through some power points before working with her and that there's certain things they shouldn't push with my DD, as it could make her more anxious. It's all well and good me telling the teacher these things, but there were things on the report I wouldn't even know could be harmful from another adult to say to my DD, and I wouldn't be able to coherently explain these things, or even trust that me telling them was going to be taken seriously, or with a pinch of salt. I told the CEO I wasn't asking for a 1:1, as I'm not going to be expecting the school to have a 1:1 ready with two weeks notice. All I wanted was for the report to be read and to have a plan in place with the staff for my DD, so that all staff were singing from the same hymn sheet about her. Why couldn't she just give me an email address for it to be read by her teachers and the SENCO, or give me her own email and offer to email it to senco, if she didn't want to give out a SENCO email address? It's hardly flying the flag for inclusivity to insinuate a parent is being disruptive for asking to notify the school of something before they start at the school. Anyway, I've done my research thanks to the link from a pp, and it's actually unlawful to refuse to make accomodations for a disabled child. My child's first SEN diagnosis is classed as a disability as it's a communication issue.

I had spoken to teachers before the holidays many times about dd's needs and diagnosises and they said once I received paperwork to bring it in as soon as possible, so that everything was on record, and that there would be someone in some of the days of the holidays who could take it for me. For the actual CEO of the school to basically tell me to get lost and say 'that I had no right to be there asking for anything, as my child wasn't even at the school yet' is just disgusting. Lots of parents had told me previous to choosing that school that staff and their replacements were constantly leaving, because of the new management and the whole thing just screams red flags to me.

As I posted, schools must make their best endeavours to meet a pupil’s SEN. That isn’t the same thing as must provide everything a parent or HCP requests.

Unless there is more to your posts the school hasn’t refused to provide support.

What you are describing does include providing 1:1, which is highly unlikely to happen without an EHCP.

Some schools don’t give parents email addresses.

If you wanted to, you can go ahead and apply for an EHCNA this week, before the term starts. You can do a parental application. Yes it's good to have the school onside when you apply, but they don't have to be.
You won't find many parents whose children have additional needs, that at some point haven't had to fight schools and LA's to get adequate support. Very sadly it comes with the territory. It really shouldn't be, but navigating the education system is just another difficult part of parenting a child with special needs and disabilities.
It's frustrating and I've had my fair share of very unhelpful school staff, but as she's not actually started yet, it maybe that things will improve once she's there in September.

School holidays are also pretty much the worst time to try and make contact with staff. My Ds works in a pastoral role within a school and unless contact was made with him that was an emergency situation regarding safeguarding a child at immediate risk, he wouldn't normally respond. Any other communication would be dealt with at the start of term, as staff are on annual leave.