School covering their own ar**s?

[Ihatecbeebies]

This is what DP thinks about it all, what do you all think?

I had a call from the community paediatrician just to update me on things, to say she'd spoken to salt, EP, and head teacher at school and is making a referral to CAMHS for DS. When DS has started school in august the school had flagged up his concerning behaviour and got the ball rolling for dx.

DS was unofficially sent home 4 times and was very violent and aggressive in school but eventually his behaviour improved. At the paed appointment I explained everything, all of my concerns and what he was like at school, what he was like when he first started etc.

Paed then told me today on the phone that after speaking to the head teacher it seemed that he 'wasnt as bad as I had led her to believe'. I was a bit shocked and confused to comment but after the conversation on the phone I then talked it over with DP as to why the HT would downplay his behaviour and he thinks it's because they were trying to cover their own backs as he wasn't officially suspended, just sent home to 'calm down' repeatedly. I'm worried too that the paed will now think I've been exaggerating too.

You're totally right to trust your judgement here.

Schools don't always tell the truth - that may shock you as you probably expect to be able to place trust in schools.

What you and your DH need to understand is that if your child does have behaviiou which was serious enough to warrant school making a referral to a Paed and for him to have been excluded on more than one occasion there may well be problems that need to be investigated so your son can receive the correct support in school. Schools don't make referrals or exclude without having real concerns.

So it will come as a surprise to you to learn that school have now decided there is no problem after all. that may be so but what also happens is that school realise that providing the support your child needs will involve a lot of additional expense - money they may not have. Better to deny a problem exists.

Once Paeds are involved it's reasonable to expect that the child is on what's called SA+. That's the last step before the school has to approcah the Local Authority for an assessment that may lead to a Statement, if matters don't improve.

That's very time-consuming, very expensive and the Head's employers, the Local Authority don't look kindly on Heads that incur them additional costs in providing children with SNs the support they need.

That's why school changes it's tune. It sees £ signs on the horizon.

If Ed Pysch, SENCO and Head were all in agreement about the need for a referral and Paed also saw a need to refer on to CAMHS there almost certainly are issues that need to be adressed - and that's what you need to go back and tell the Paed.

Don't be worried about contacting the Paed yourself and insisting on the CAMHS referral. You know your child a lot better than a Head who has so far flip-flopped and, unlike the Head, you have no hidden agenda, you just want the best outcome for your child.

If you don't your child will struggle and will continue to have his needs ignored which will inecitably lead to further exclusions.

completely agree with WA. Sorry that ht has dropped you in it with paed by back pedalling. Others will know more than me but these unofficial exclusions are I think on dodgy ground legally, if he gets sent home again make sure that gets recorded in writing. Even if you are sending a letter to the school after the fact (keep copy for yourself).

Might it be that in the 6 months from the original referral, things have improved considerably, and this is what the school have said to the Paediatrician ? You say yourself "eventually his behaviour improved". It's difficult when people have telephone conversations and then rely on interpretation and recall of a conversation to then make a judgement. In my LA all this would be in writing, along with specific examples and objective figures, rather than a subjective conversation with someone by phone.
However, you are getting a referral to CAMHS, so clearly the paediatrician has taken on boeard the concerns of everyone involved, and is actioning it.