Help, schools giving me a headache

[kittyfu]

Ds started school on Monday. only in the afternoons, he had hospital on tuesday and then when i collected him yesterday the Senco asked to talk to me. they (the senco, his teacher,1:1 and class TA) have decided after two days that he is not coping and they only want him to atend school for an hour 1/2 a day.

i am in the middle of getting him statmented as originally they did not give him any hours of 1:1, the new proposed statement is giving 25 hours, the Senco is now saying that is not enough as it will not cover lunch etc and they need two people to deal with him at times.

it's making me feel crappy and all i want to do is cry, i never normally feel like this, but i just feel powerless at the moment. I know my ds is not the easiest child in the world but surly they have to find a way to deal with him as he's entilled to an education.
sorry this is such a long woe is me post.

Star is right.

The only other thing I have to offer is that I have been into meetings with SENco and staff at ds2 school and basically let them know our stratagies and worked with them so they can be used in a school environment.
Do you have a support person who could help you out in doing this? ( we found CAMHs very helpful to help bring school and home stratagies together iyswim).

How old is he. If he's younger than the term after he turned 5 (if that makes sense) then they can do this. DS1 started in this way. It was very irritating.

They can apply for emergency funds to cover the help he needs until the statement comes through - so it's balderdash that he needs to go down to 1.5 hours a day.

In any case - they should know from his previous setting to expect additional needs - wtf? do they not look at the kids' paperwork?

I have to say 2 days is a very short time to allow him to settle also.

Allow yourself to be woeful for a bit. Starlight is right - your boy needs you to fight for him. You are his very best ally and advocate.

My ds is 4 he turns 5 in a couple of months so has just started reception.

Starlight i have asked dp is ask for everything she told me in writing as he is doing the school run today, depending on what she says i will write to her as you suggested. i'm thinking i should just write to her anyway.

arseniccupcake i had loads of meetings with the school before he started i had meetings with everybody involved with ds. we were all very honnest about his medical and behavioural needs. the nursery told them all the problems they had had. we talked about what we did at home to deal with him, and what had worked in the nursery. not sure what CAHMs is i will find out.

thanks Spinkle, good to no they can apply for emergency funding, they should have known to expect additional needs, they have access to the same information i have and my copys currently fill a a4 binder.

You may not get much luck until the term after he is 5 (it's then a legal requirement to be in school so they have to deal with him, until then they don't).

thank you saintly i thought as much.

My DS is 5.5 and has ASD - last year in p1, he got progressively worse in terms of behaviour - kicking, hitting, spitting, running away etc. The ms school were not dealing with his condition very well and just treating it as poor behaviour and giving off to him - seriously counterproductive. On one occasion, he was so bad, they rang me up and asked me to take him home which I did.

At the time, I was so embarrassed, confused, etc that when they suggested that he go home at lunch time, I said yes, but they were then most annoyed when I realised they couldn't do this. It is probably illegal to reduce the hours especially with a statement.

Our son is now statemented and today started a social and communication unit.

It seems that some schools ignore basic entitlements and just want rid of children who they see as "problems"

Hmm - you could try that angle. I don't think the dda was around when ds1 was in reception.

We did have a split placement so I made the lea pay for nursery support part time in reception. He was going to school twice a week for 2 hours so it wasn't enough. He had a statement specifying full 1:1 though.

We wanted DS1 to start part-time and his school said because he had a statement that he had to go full-time and we had to get an LEA person to agree it was o.k (which they did as long as it included some prep time for DS1). I think the trouble they referred to was having the funded TA there without DS1 (I also assume the TA had a contract which specified set hours).

So long-winded way of saying they may have to have your DS there for at least the hours of the statement. Worth trying IPSEA/ or even the LEA or Parents' partnership?

as his statement is not finalised yet, will they not just say it is not a legal document and they dont have to follow it untill it is complete.

Call IPSEA I think it counts as unofficial or illegal exclusion. Ask for an urgent meeting between sen officer and school but make it clear you expect them to have him on same basis of any other child it's up to them to work out how or offer you a place where they can cope. They can transfer to special placement without statement in emergency situations. Would he be able to go back to nursery until 5? I plan to maybe delay entry for my DS and our nursery have said they will keep him if LA agree until 5. But also take time to look around at special placements units etc as this does not bode well if they are this unprepared.Is this where you want him to be? If there is another placement even if out if area / private this would be a good lever to get best placement.

ah yes I somehow missed statement wasn't final yet. When will the final be issued?

I think agnesdipesto has it spot on - I would be concerned at their attitude after only 2 days tbh.

not sure when the statement will be finalised Polareyes, i just had the 2nd proposed statement though, which gives 25 hours 1:1 but the school are saying thats not enough, so want me to write back asking for more.

as to where i want him to go, i dont i want him to stay home with mummy (im such a saddo)they offered me a place at anougher school about an hours walk away, but it seemed even worse than this one, they were undergoing building work that ment for the next year the classes would be doubled up, he needs large toilets as he needs help and they were tiny so i suck to my original choice, then over heared on the phone that they wanted me to go with there choice as he wouldnt need any 1:1.

at least im starting to get mad now, much better than crying, when i had ds i never would have guest getting something, like an education would be so hard

I think the final statement has to be issued within 8 weeks of the first proposed statement being issued, even if there are ongoing changes. Obviously better if everyone is in agreement before it is finalised, but it may help your case in this instance to have something officially set out IYKWIM.

Have you looked at other schools? I thikn you are in a strong position to negotiate a setting of your choosing and for the LEA to arrange transport, as the current school are effectively saying they can't meet his needs, which is your ammunition to get him in somewhere else.

It is really crap having to battle with schools - hope you get it all sorted asap.