SENCOs at secondary school

[VoldemortsNipple]

Hi I thorght Id post this here as I think you may have more experience over here than on the education boards.

DS began y7 last week. He has always had trouble with reading and writing although he is getting better after a lot if intervention from his primary school and myself at home. Last May he had a baseline test in school which identfied that DS shows signs of dyslexia in the spacial domain. The ed psyh. said he would be picked up at secondary school and have a full assessment.

Today I received a letter informing me that his primary school identified him as needing to go on the special education needs register. They included a copy of his IEP for the term, which basically said they would support him with his hand writing and encourage him to use a spell checker on the computer.

I am going to request a meeting with the SENCO to discuss this. Im not happy with the idea of the use of a spell check as the only form of support. I know the school have a really good reading scheme to help children catch up but their was no mention of this or of further assessment. More to the point there was no mention of ways they would teach my DS to spell.

I realise that the quality of a SENCO will vary from school to school, but any ideas of how I can build up a good relationship which will work for my DS and get him the help he needs.

Thanks

I may be a little jaded but I've come to the conclusion that I shouldn't worry about having a good relationship with the SENCO.

I would find out what interventions are available, download a copy of the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice, read it and make sure that you keep close tabs on what support your son is actually getting rather than what they say he should get.

It seems that as far as SEN provision goes, those whose parents shout loudest get the best provision.

My DS's SENCO is wonderful. But she is a rare breed, she knows what she is talking about, works incredibly hard and really tries. She also has experience of working in PRUs so is not overwhelmed by the emotional and behavioural aspects of the role.

I have a good relationship by: contacting when necessary, attending all meetings, being pro-active when issues crop up, and keeping a diary of what I've asked/said and what the school has said. (I have also told her how great she is.)

I suppose Im just a bit worried about the whole process of having to make appointments, take time off work etc rather than grabbing a few minutes at the end of the day.

Thank you both for the advice though, hopefully we will get the right support in place. Im not very good at shouting loud and Im usually a push over when it comes to teachers, hence why it has taken so long to get to this stage. I think I will take somebody, maybe my mum with me for a bit of support.

Vold.. When you meet your senco .. It is well worth asking if you are able to use email as a first contact for any issues or updates :)
obviously you'll be able to follow up via call or in person when needed.. :)

You don't always have to shout. Have you had a free chat with Dyslexia Action or someone?

We use email quite a lot. I find the formality of senior school actually works a lot better. WE have proper IEPs with specific targets which are reviewed termly. The targets also have areas for the support staff, and teachers to work on as well as my son. (I have seen other IEPs which are not as useful, and where nothing much happens if targets are not met, which I think is useless.)

Good luck.

We have had much better experience of Secondary than Junior.
E mail communication is brilliant and would recommend that.
Start from the basis that they do know what they are doing and ask them to clarify the position re your DS. If you start off on the wrong foot it can be difficult to sort out and you are going to be dealing with them for at least five years.
If you establish yourself as a friendly caring parent it puts you in good stead for when the tough times come.

Thats a good tip about email Arsenic Thanks

His IEP looks like what mummytime discribes. They say they are only going off information they have been given by the primary school, so I would expect them to add extra help when they do their own assessments. I think he is doing CAT tests some time this week.

He is also doing something called Opening Minds Curriculum, which covers a variety of subjects and takes up 19 lessons per week with two teachers. This will give the teachers a better understanding of where his problems lie.

I didnt get chance to make an appointment today but will make one tommorrow so I can push for his assessment as well as making sure he is getting all the support availible.

Thanks everybody. I feel less worried now