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SN children

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Original poster

Anyone else starting school September 2011

42 replies

MarioandLuigi · 01/02/2011 13:59

Anyone want to join me in my worrying?

DS2 is due to start in September and I am already really worried about it. I am meeting with the Senco/Incusion/Ed psych next week.

So if anyone wants to come and hold my hand it would be much appreciated :)

OP posts:

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 02/02/2011 16:14

yes, got one booked for end of April too!

auntevil · 02/02/2011 16:43

Like your style!

Original poster

MarioandLuigi · 02/02/2011 17:50

Where are you off to Fanjo?

Chickens - Are the school going to let you be in on the interviews? That would be great, atleast then you will be able to find soemone you are happy with.

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fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 02/02/2011 18:05

Just a cottage in the Borders..nice and rural...

TheCrunchyside · 02/02/2011 20:54

He is settled to a certain extent. He has a decent statement which school is mostly delivering and some lovely staff who obviously care about him.

Took ages for the OT and SALT to get going but now being delivered

the other kids are sweet with him and he is even invited to a class party in his own right. (the child is only inviting a few kids and the mum clearly had no idea he has any SEN).

so all the things i worried about turned out fine

but...

what i didn't bargain on was the additional health problems developing or that it would become very clear that it was ASD as well as global delay and dyspraxia.

He isn't really learning much afaik

So in a nutshell I think within the next year or two we will be looking at a specialised unit or special school and i'll be back to square one.

farming4 · 02/02/2011 21:37

Hi Ds2 starting in Sept - hopefully at the same school as ds1 and dd1 - meeting next week with Pre-School Senco and Inclusion Officer to discuss whether IO thinks Ds should be statemented - in her opinion its not necessary - WTF? He is completely non-verbal and has epilepsy so if she won't play ball I will be pushing for statementing myself. So very jealous of all of you that have survived and come out the other side of the process

Anyway rant over - sorry OP for highjacking if its still ok with you all may I stay and play.......

Original poster

MarioandLuigi · 02/02/2011 21:40

Of course Farming :)

Hope you can change her mind. We are in Nottinghamshire where they hate statements. I am giving the school until Christmas to convince me that they can do all the things they say without one otherwise I will be applying myself too.

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TheCrunchyside · 03/02/2011 09:54

Hi Farming
Definitely apply for statement yourself unless they clearly agree to apply themselves.

I was intitially told that it would be better to go on school action plus because i might not need a statement.

My son has lots of difficulities but he is verbal and we didn't even know about his absence seizures then.

I just firmly and politely stated I'd prefer them to apply for a statement and actually it went through without any objections. Took six months to get the draft and then a further two months to get it amended so provide specific support.

A couple of people have posted about their worries that the statement won't come through in time. This doesn't mean that no support will be available for your child particularly if they have been on SA+ at their nurseries.

ds was at school for two months before statement agreed but as he had been on SA+ the school provided a one to one for him from the first day in the expectation that the statement would come through.

chickensaresafehere · 03/02/2011 10:23

Yes M&L head said it before I even mentioned it,she said 'we encourage parents to be in on one to one interviews because we ALL want to be happy with the choice'.
I was surprised,as had heard lots of horror stories about non-suitable one to ones being taken on by the school.It re-enforced my decision that I had chosen the right school.As when we did the tours of suitable MS schools,this head was the only one who crouched down to dd2's level & spoke to her directly(even though she wasn't going to get a reply!!)and the school had agood feeling about it IYKWIM

Original poster

MarioandLuigi · 03/02/2011 10:28

Thats great Chickens - wish there were more HT's like yours!

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auntevil · 03/02/2011 13:42

TheCrunchyside, I was really to think that you would feel like it was back to square 1 if he had to move. I know what you mean as far as the logistics, but he seems to have done so well in the adjusting to school, and the social side of things. That's a huge plus if he has to move on to another school. He sounds like he has settled well. It's such a shame about the 'learning side of things'.

TheCrunchyside · 03/02/2011 14:17

thanks auntevil - you are right - he has done very well in trying to do adjust and the fact he is already in system will make things a lot easier.

I really wanted things to work out at the local school partly because of logistics(he has a younger sister who will go there).But what is most important is that he is happy and learning.

trace2 · 03/02/2011 19:55

hi dd starts school in sept too but we already got a statement but am still very worried we have to learn 3 of the school teacher how to peg feed her, and dont know weather she will manae a full day!

sayjay · 03/02/2011 21:25

Hello

Us too.

I'm so confused and undecided. Ds has asd dx. Not yet been in Nursery. Started statement last year, been told on phone he has been awarded 15 hours "as this is FT for preschool" (is this right??) When I asked how many hours he'd get in school from Sept was advised to look at a MS with Specialist ASD base. Admission panel for that meets in March.

I don't know whether to appeal statement for more hours (not got anything in writing yet!). Have others of you with preschoolers got more than 15 hours then?

Not got a school mentioned on statement as we hadn't picked one then. Eventually decided on local primary - but that's been thrown up in the air now with the mention of this ASD base.

Not sure whether to go for the ASD base (which is about 40 minutes away), the local primary (and fight for FT1:1) or even nursery with 1:1 mornings only for another year (he's 4 in June).

Gah! and DS2 (4months) is teething and keeping me up all night so I can't even think straight. My DH is wonderfully supportive and a great sounding board but leaves the decisions to me and the responsibility for making the right one is weighing heavily on my shoulders at the moment!

Twowillbefine · 03/02/2011 21:30

Hello - another Sept starter here. DS1 is already at the school nursery so is fairly settled there but I imagine that Reception will be a whole new kettle of fish.

We are currently in statementing process, having responded to their draft by saying it just doesn't otain enough support (3 hours a term?!) for a non-verbal ASD child. We have also just abandoned made a strategic retreat on toilet training as it was clearly upsetting him.

He can just about take his shoes and socks off. And that's it. So God knows what will happen for PE etc.

Sputnik · 03/02/2011 21:48

Will sign in here too. DS has communication delays and "borderline" ASD, they still can't decide really! Anyway, we're in a slightly different position as we're outside the UK, DS will be going to an English speaking school though, where my DD already goes so at least it will be a familiar environment for him.

I know they have some kind of support but not sure what this will consist of exactly, we still have to go and speak to them.

They have a policy of kids coming in wearing sports uniform on PE days up to year 4 or so, saves a lot of hassle and seems eminently sensible to me!

Original poster

MarioandLuigi · 04/02/2011 07:49

sayjay - Our DS has 15 hours 1-2-1 an Preschool. This actually covers all the hours that he is there 3-4 year olds get 15 hours a week nursery funded education so they are kind of right.

I know what you mean about the responsibility. My DH leaves everything to me, although he does listen to my ramblings. Its such a stress because if I make the wrong choice it will all go so wrong.

I like that Policy Sputnik

Twowillbefine - we have stopped trying to toilet train too, everyone has breathed a huge sigh of relief because its been a nightmare. I think I might try again at the Easter Holidays as then we will have just over two weeks with nowhere really to go and we can dedicate more time to it.

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