Statement meeting

[dammitjannette]

I've asked the LA for a meeting to discuss my amendments regarding the proposed statement. They have set it at the school and have asked the Head and SENCO to attend.

I do not think this is appropriate do you?

What do you think is inappropriate- the venue or asking the Head and SENCo to attend?

SEN COP says a parent has a right to request a meeting with an officer of the LA not an officer of the LA who can go and invite whoever they want so they can outmanouevre the parent.

The school has been dreadful with DS - the head even told me recently that she didn't want to divert resources to him when there were catch up literacy and numeracy groups that needed funding and that she doesn't understand his problems.

She thinks his statement is a nice little pot of money for her to spend on what she wants.

This is why I want his statement specified. Precisely!

We've then got a one day a week SENCO who has never even met him.

He has Asperger's, a specific learning disability, a Sensory Processing Disorder, Ehlers Danlos and I'm home schooling in the afternoons through lack of provision in school.

School are not thinking of his interests but their own. I'm sure that is why the LA want them to be there.

Thanks Star. I have done an email to this effect and said that requesting a meeting with the LA officer under SEN COP does not involve school etc being present although the Ed Officer is free to discuss the matter with school at their own convenience.

Trouble is LA HQ is in one town and we are in another 40 miles away. Would you invite them into your house?

I wouldn't be happy having the LA officer in my home, but that's a personal thing. You might feel more comfortable with things on your own territory?

I had a similar meeting with my LA and it was held in their offices, with just my case officer (who was fairly lowly, not the Head of SEN or anything). I have to be honest and say that the meeting didn't achieve a lot, but we were asking for quite a lot more than they were offering on the proposed statement.

Will you be expecting your DS to continue attending the same school? Based on what you say, I would be concerned about whether they would be able to meet his needs there even if you do get the specifity you want. Schools often ignore the statement requirements, especially if they have a poor attitude to SEN, and parents end up continually fighting for the provision in the statement to be upheld.

Thanks for this. Yes, the meeting is to discuss my suggested amendments to the statement. There are areas which will be hotly contested and the last thing I want is a Head who says 'he looks alright to me' undermining every point I make.

The woman involved is notoriously a deceitful, manipulative operator too and I have been advised by others that this is a well-known strategy to intimidate and bully when the LA think they can get school onside as allies.

Sugarcandy, you are dead right about the school. They don't give two hoots and I am sick of being lied to by them. We need another school but it is very difficult as this is a small place and I have not heard anyone recommend their school for a positive stance on special needs.

We need to move for a whole host of reasons (not least the secondary school system which is a grammar school system) but that is a big leap and not one to take in the middle of a statementing process!

dammit I have got someone coming to my home on Monday because it's more convenient. It was the tribunal who suggested it.