Are there any SENCOs about? Or people who deal with SENCOs regularly?

[Katymac]

I have a meeting to discuss the help DD isn't getting

I want to ask questions but I'm not sure is fair

I want DD to be supported but after 13 weeks of virtually no support I'm not sure what her agenda is

I don't want to make the lady who currently supports DD feel bad but 5 minutes twice a day plus games/PE cover really isn't enough

I get that we have to wait until someone is recruited but poor DD in the meantime

What can I reasonably ask for? what are cloud cuckoo land requests?

So far I have:
Do you think it acceptable that DD has been in school for 14 weeks with 2 hrs a week support?

How do you think she feels that no adult supports her in class?

How do you think her self esteem is at the moment?

My heart is in my mouth every time I send her to school; will today be the day she falls down the stairs or is knocked into the wall or trips over something on the floor; surely her care and safety is more important than her education?

When DD is at school she relies on another child to remember to make sure she is safe; is this appropriate?

How is it fair that another child reads her lessons?

Katymac, does your DD have a statement? If she does it will say in there how much support the school is supposed to provide for her. 14 weeks is an awful long time for them to still not have got their act together. It's possible they might be still be waiting for funding but as it is still early on in the financial year they could surely sort something out.

Does your DD have trouble with her eyesight? It sounds like they should be doing a lot more than they are.

I think I would explain (like you have said) that I was concerned for her safety and about lack of support and how it is affecting her confidence. If they still do nothing you might need to complain to the LEA, or even withdraw her from school for a bit. Not sure how that would work, you ouldn't want your attendance people on your case, but you need to know that she is safe while at school.

HTH. Good luck

No statement

25hrs funding from the single area panel - no actual support apart form 2 hrs a week for pe/games and a 5 minute check in twice a day

As a parent you can apply for a statement yourself
Contact IPSEA
I would cite the Disability Discrimination Act
Every Child Matters Agenda and safeguarding

Big difference between 25hrs and 2hours! I think you are entitled to ask what they are doing with the funding, sorry don't know what single area panel is, but does this mean the school are getting extra money for LSA?

25 hours is a lot of support I would definitly be asking the SENCO to start the statementing process. Also I would be asking what they are doing currently to ensure her safety and what proceedures they have in place if something goes wrong? What is the class teacher doing to include her? What happens during break and lunch etc? You need to ask whatever you need to to satisfy yourself that your dd is being looked after well. A statement though is a legal obligation, it follows your child, it means regardless of staff changes the school legally has to provide her with the support set out for her within the statement.

Good luck

I don't really know what the SAP is either

it's all so confusing

Hi Katymac
First may I say, you know your daughter better than anyone and if your gut feeling is that her support isn't right then no-one else will have the same fire in their belly to sort it. Your post doesn't say what your childs individual needs are but what i would do is write yourself a list of what you as her parent think her needs are. The school must have an individual education plan for her that should state what your daughters current targets are, how these targets are supported and by whom. With the current IEP you can therefore get a jist what the school feel her needs are. If you do not feel the school are meeting her needs then you need to express this to the SENCO and if you feel it will help also send your concerns in writing to the head. As aprildays stated you can yourself start the process of statementing by contacting your LEA, you will need clear targets of what needs your daughter has and how you feel these are not being met and how they should be. Be prepared for an extension to your emotional journey as statements an take time. At the end of the day remember your daughter is entitled to the support she needs to access mainstream education to the same levels as a "typical" child and you personally can often have more pressure power than the school itself with the local education office. I wish you all the best in your meeting and any furthur action you need to take. xx

She went (effectively) blind nearly 16 weeks ago

It is hopefully temporary and possibly psychological

There is no IEP (yet)

I thought meeting with SENCO this week, DLA form next week & statementing the week after?

Thanks

Definitly find that out then if they are getting that amount of extra funding and your dd isn't benefitting then there is a big issue and you need to get in touch with whoever is providing the funding, because they won't be happy with it disappearing into the schools budget when it is being provided for a set purpose. It is possible that it isn't the SENCO that is the barrier to the LSA recruitment but the head - I would be asking what they are doing to recruit the LSA and why they haven't got it sorted yet. TBH I would be focusing on practical - what are they doing, what are the problems, what are they planning to do next questions, find out what is and isn't being put in place first, then you can decide whether to hit her with the 'how do you think dd feels?' or not depending on where you get. SEN funding and provision is a nightmare - parents who are well informed get the best help for their children - shouldn't be that way but it is.

Sounds like a plan - there should be no reason why an IEP can't be put in place very quickly. You may be able to get a statement by the end of the year - I think that LEA should process them in 6 weeks (I teach SEN in mainstream, am not a SENCO myself)

I think you sound fantastically organised. Yes get meeting the SENCO done and see what he/she intends to set in place if there is no IEP yet. I could be wrong but I think if they have funding for her and are already doing the PE support and checks on her then they should have an IEP. I shall keep my fingers crossed for you that the SENCO is informative for you and what you hear puts your mind at ease. It must all be such an motional time for you and your daughter is lucky that you are keen to make sure school get it right.Keep us all informed how you get on, all the best xx

I haven't asked these questions yet

I started a thread here

We have been sending emails back & forward - not sure it was a good idea

Blimey Katy. How things change, huh? I remember discussing multi-fuel stoves with you. I also have a recent need to discuss things with my son's school senco.

I think that you are - totally understandably - finding it hard to communicate about your daughter. I know I would in your boots as you don't seem to have the support from what you say.

Have you an advocate to speak for you in a meeting with the senco? If it is so close to you, sometimes it is hard to say what you need to.

I might have this totally around my head, but I think that the actual responsibility for SEN lies solely at the feet of the Head - the SENCO has purely delegated duties. If you don't feel your daughter is getting what she needs from the co-ordinator, it is perhaps time to speak to the head?

I would be trying to tie the school down to exactly what they are going to do to support your dd.

I might ask:

When did / will the funding for 25 hours of support start? If it has already started, I would be asking where that money has gone, because it has been specifically allocated to support your dd.

How is the recuitment process going for getting someone to support your dd? When do they anticipate someone being able to start?

Given her high level of need, how does the school propose to support your dd until a new teaching assistant has been found? (Get them to commit to details here.)

How is the school going to ensure that the TA knows the best way to support your dd? Many schools will have limited experience of how to support kids with visual impairment. It's not just about having someone trail after your dd all day doing everything for her. It's about a TA being used in a targeted way to help your dd.

Your dd needs an IEP. When will this be drawn up? When will it be reviewed? At the end of this term? Or a few weeks into next term?

What other services will be involved? e.g. Is there a advisory teacher service for visual impairment? What can they offer? Can they advise the school? Work with your dd? Help with materials for schoolwork etc.

Statmenting can take a VERY long time. If I were you, I think the priority be ensuring that the school uses the 25 hours of support effectively. In the year it might easily take to get a statement in place, your dd may have recovered.

Good luck.

Just had a read of the other thread. I think that the pertinent thing to say is that, constraints are all very well, but you have not once been assured about the safety of your daughter in the interim. Ask for their risk assessment/risk management. They have a duty of care (and the statement "duty of care" is vital) to your daughter.

It all feels out of control

An advocate seems a good idea but I'm not sure I can find one

I'll print some of this out to take with me

Do you know about Parent Partnership? They are run by your LEA but are there to support parents through the nightmare of SEN funding / support. They might be able to provide an advocate.

katy - they have the funding. they need to get temp staff in immediately for the full 25 hours pw.

they need to use whichever agency they normally use for short term substitute cover.

accept no less.

they can 'recruit' whilst the temp cover from the agency is in place.

the whole point of emergency funding is to provide immediate support. statementing etc takes time - they can recruit a regular LSA as and when required.

this stuff makes me so cross.

Parent Partnership offer mainly telephone support (here) - apparently

Is agency staff appropriate? I hate agency staff as an option but I get more worried for DD as each day goes by

An advocate can be just a friend, Katy. Someone that doesn't have the absolute emotional involvement that you do.

If it's any consolation, I am out of control with my son - but I have the total support of his school, even with no statement. It's their duty of care to him. I can ask them for "words" with reference to this if you want, that you can use?

katy - the school will already use agency staff for substitute teachers if someone rings in sick. this isn't a long term solution, it's to see dd through until the end of term, or until an LSA is recruited to the terms agreed by the LA.

the school will want to keep the sub time to a minimum - it's costly , so it will give them some impetus to recruit, if that's what they are (allegedly) doing...

call the Chair of Governors, and ask to be given the number of the Governor responsible for SN.

and get very, very upset. your daughter has been awarded emergency support funding, and it is not in place.

Tell the CoG and the SN Governor that you would like copies of the special needs policies for the school. (these may be on the school website in any case)

tell them you are concerned she is going to have an accident. this is a very real health and safety concern, and you are worried for your daughter's safety. you will be holding the school accountable if anything happens that would have been prevented if the full time support she is entitled to (and they are receiving funding for) was in place.

and cry.

you are being very patient, katy. but now it's time to get upset, and demand some action.

parents who wait very rarely get anything. parents who are noisy and demand action sometimes get it

It frustrates me that we have to fight for the help we need - even after we have been awarded support - we get none

Isn't it funny you get a few people (parent partnership a charity, parent support worker, CAF manager SEN Caseworker) involved & you suddenly get a better response - had a much more positive email plus a reassurance that DD can go on the school trip and that an admin worker will accompany her

it really shouldn't have to be that way, but depressingly it so often is...