Parent Partnership visit today

[Madprest]

Hi,
I have wrote a number of times on here and had some amazing advice. I have called out my parent partnership officer which she will arrive in over 2 hrs. I hope I have a better experience this time as I could really do with some support for my meeting with HT,senco and 2 teachers. My husband does come with me but it's me that does the talking. I find these meetings intimidating and I just want some extra support really. I want her to see that my daughter does need to be moved to SA+ and to see a ED P. I found her great on her first visit but after she talked to senco she seemed to change. I am exhausted with researching and being fobbed off. I will continue to fight because it's my job as a mother. I just feel so alone and would appreciate having moral support.

Please don't feel intimidated, by the teaching staff or the meeting. Have you written down all the questions you want to ask? Don't let the meeting end before you have had a chance to ask - and have answered - all the questions you have. If they are answering truthfully, they will be able to justify their answers. They should be able to give examples and timelines for their opinions. Ask lots of open questions to get explanations - 'how do you monitor this? Where/when do you record this information? etc.
Keep breathing ! Write notes - if they ask why, tell them that you find it easier to remember and act on any points if you have a record. This also helps if you find looking at a bank of people off putting as it gives you the chance to listen and look at your paper rather than always focussing on their faces.

May I ask what the nature of your DDs difficulties are?.

What happened last time around?.

Your daughter should be on School Action plus already if there are any outside agencies involved for example SALT (speech and language therapist), developmental paediatrician, occupational therapist to name but some people.

You may also want to contact one of the truly independent organisations like IPSEA and or SOS:SEN as PP often work in close cahoots with the LEA.

hope your persistence pays off - don't be intimidated by them (easy to say I know) - and hope the PP person proves to be helpful this time

Thanks all..Attila I am involved with IPSEA and they have been great. My daughter is in Yr4 and been on SA since starting (only found out all this in Oct). Her difficulties are reading, writing, maths...struggling all round tbh. IPSEA advised to insist her to be put on SA+ and be referred to Ed P. Just hope PP will be on my side as last time she spoke to senco i felt she changed. Just found out she had an IEP me thinking it was her first but turned out she as been on them since starting and had 9 in all. But senco told PP that she felt like there was no need for a meeting which I clearly did.

Thanks all..Attila I am involved with IPSEA and they have been great. My daughter is in Yr4 and been on SA since starting (only found out all this in Oct). Her difficulties are reading, writing, maths...struggling all round tbh. IPSEA advised to insist her to be put on SA+ and be referred to Ed P. Just hope PP will be on my side as last time she spoke to senco i felt she changed. Just found out she had an IEP me thinking it was her first but turned out she as been on them since starting and had 9 in all. But senco told PP that she felt like there was no need for a meeting which I clearly did.

Thanks all..Attila I am involved with IPSEA and they have been great. My daughter is in Yr4 and been on SA since starting (only found out all this in Oct). Her difficulties are reading, writing, maths...struggling all round tbh. IPSEA advised to insist her to be put on SA+ and be referred to Ed P. Just hope PP will be on my side as last time she spoke to senco i felt she changed. Just found out she had an IEP me thinking it was her first but turned out she as been on them since starting and had 9 in all. But senco told PP that she felt like there was no need for a meeting which I clearly did.

sorry about the repeats...it was playing up.

I would say that my Parent Partnership is good BUT she workd with all the LA people. I feel she is more on my side than the school but at the same time, is mindful of her colleagues. When I asked her about LA Ombudsman, she asked me why did I want to make trouble for the LA...

Thad advice you have been given above is good. Also, like someone said in another thread, don't be afraid to write after the meeting to ask for clarification, confirmation etc.

Madprest

Hope your meeting was not too stressful.

I remember your previous posts before you went on holiday.

the teachers that respinded certainly thought she wasn't geting the correct support.

Your DD should definitely be on SA+ and should also have been seen by an Ed Pysch.

Plesae remember that PP is funded by the LA and many PP staff develop quite cosy relationships with those LA staff - something which could lead to them giving you less than independant advice.

I'm glad that IPSEA are providing advice. they'll help keep you on track with th right questions to ask and what approach to take.

Best wishes

can I just say (based on my experience), please don't put all your faith in the PPS.
They are employed by the LEA - I know, I know, they tell you all the time they are impartial but...
Ours were useless feckers. Told one parent I knew that she should agree to the statement (pathetic as it was) that was issued and 'give it a go' for six months. Of course, that would then leave her no time to appeal...
Just saying, they are not necessarily on your side much as they would like to think they are.

PP came yesterday and honestly it was the same experience that I had last time, great here but soon as she spoke to HT everything was different and what HT said was gospel so I won't be bothering with them again. I will be sticking with IPSEA, PP are not impartial and I feel they are a waste of time. What annoyed me was the HT told PP that she showed me all her levels which was a lie. I stressed at the previous meeting I wanted to see all levels and at the meeting she only had her level from YR2,I asked where was yr3's she said it was held internally (what a load of rubbish).And apparently HT as an issue over my DD's attendance which I think was last years. DD was off school for nearly 3 weeks cus she had meningitis and this as been brought up from her previous teacher (i find it insulting because it was a very upsetting time for us all).Clutching at straws. IPSEA advise to say as follows:- Had legal advice and I want her to go on SA+ immediately and be referred to ED P. If refused I shall be going for st assessment myself.Thanks all

School Action+ means an outside professional is involved with DD. In this case you want the SpLD (specific learning disability) team.

So don't fight to 'go on to SA+', you need to fight to be seen by the SpLD team, and also to be assessed by the EP.

Sorry PP were so rubbish.

Unfortunately, I have to say I spent a year fighting for DD to be seen by the SpLD team - only to find out that they were as useless as everyone else and they made absolutely no recommendations at all.

However - my story does have a happy ending. I took DD to see a behavior optometrist and found out that all of her learning difficulties were due to vision problems. She has been doing vision therapy for 3 weeks - and has just about learned to read! ( Gone from struggling to read CVC words to being almost able to read - in 3 weeks. )

So definitely get your DD assessed by a Behavior Optometrist. 2 opticians told me DD's vision was fine. It turns out high street opticians don't really test for very much....

So happy for you indigo.How do I get in contact with SpLD?

You need to find out if your LEA has one. Either by ringing up PP :( or ringing up the LEA directly.

Then you need to find out if you can refer your DD - or if your SENCO has to.

But this is what you need your SENCO to agree. She needs to refer DD to the SpLD team.

You will probably need to fill in a CAF form as part of the referral. So when she agrees to refer her, you need to get her to fill in the CAF form straight away.

The only reason I got DD referred was because a diff parent went into the SENCO's office and wouldn't leave until she had agreed to refer her son.

However, I didn't realize that they then didn't actually refer for another whole term.

This is despite the fact that the SpLD team is a free service....

If the SENCO does agree to refer, and you have filled in the CAF form, you are then going to have to ring up the SpLD team to check they actually received the referral...

:(

Thanks Indigo but I know SENCO won't agree because they keep insisting that she isn't bad enough and that she is making progress, which isn't quite true because she wouldn't have been level 1 for 2 years. SENCO are not on my side.

MadPrest - this is exactly what I had.

Thing is SpLD is TOTALLY FREE for them to use. Nor is it a limited resource like the EP. That is they can only refer a few kids a year to the EP, but they can refer unlimited kids to the SpLD team. (If your LEA is the same as my LEA)

So they have absolutely no reason not to refer her. So you have to go into the SENCOs office and not leave until she agrees.

Or, you have to

• change schools or
• get a private EP report or
• see a behavior optometrist

Basically, do everything you want them to do yourself privately. If you can't afford to do the above, then you have no choice but to force them to look after your DD.

Do you have any idea why your DD isn't making progress?

mainly literacy and maths....thanks indigo and I am in Leyland,Lancashire

Hi Madprest

Why don't you just bypass all this rubbish and make your own direct request to the LA for an assessment that may lead to a Statement.

You have sufficient evidence with the previous IEPs and gradings. That approach would automatically get you an Ed Pysch assessment as it's part of the Statementing process.

The reason I'm suggesting this is that it's patently obvious that school have neither fully identified her difficulties not provided support for those they have managed to identify. Only a statutory assessment would reveal her true strengths and weaknesses.

Best wishes

Thanks sausage, I truly appreciate your good advice and I know your right. Thanks again