DS excluded from school any guesses why?

[coff33pot]

I know keep calm everyone keeps saying it wont be long before he is out of there but.....

We have worked out some great OT ideas and together with me saying he will never have to do the morning excercises again in busy hall DS has been to school on time. Has walked into class by main door which is another difficult feat and has sat at his desk. Have asked school to work with me and have a plan of action for when ds arrives so he has something to look forward to. No his TA is reading with another child but nevertheless DS still went in. I am proud of him this week. :)

Its SATS isnt it. Maths he has done brilliant effort and managed 3 challenges, taken sats mock and did well. He loves maths.

Cant write, read. Can copy off board as to him he says it is copying pictures. Cannot for the life of him write from memory. Has fine motor issues with writing, reading cannot cope with phonics. Can write his name. They insist he can write and just wont do it.

This week is literacy for sats. They are reading out a sentence and he has to write it. They have given him time outs for it. They have given him loss of playtime for it, they have given him 10 mins before he can have lunch for it.

I get a phone call he is excluded for two days for non compliance of tasks and behaviour towards staff. He basically hid in the loo and ran for it.

What was it about writing. They are doing no sensory work, still havent been on workshop, still not called in Outreach team and still think that he needs to comply with being shut in a class all day and must comply with tasks requested. Still no proper playground 1 to 1 and if he doesnt come in he forfiets play wait for it.........for the week.

I am pissed

Coff

At least the Juniors sounds like they will support you but I can't believe that they have excluded him for 2 days. DS got caught cheating today (in SATS practice) and got a lecture about breaking one of the school's golden rules and then lost his playtime and 5 mins golden time. That is the type of "punishment" that I would expect for a 6 year old.

Yes Ben10 I agree with you.

Its just frustrating because the frustrations then come home. I have had to put ds in his room earlier to miss 10 mins simpsons (his recent obsession) because he then took his day out on his sister (poking her hard) at the same time screaming unfair! unfair! It wasnt her he was angry at and its only now come out. Now he is wrapped in a fleece curled up by his sister.

They have been told to encourage through different media for motor skills writing. the team we saw said they were concerned about his writing and reading and his difficulties. He cant cope for more than 9 mins at a time let alone sit a sats test with writing involved.

He writes the most beautiful poems with his laptop. I would rather they just keep him using other media and building strength than mess around with literacy sats that they know he cant do.

He cant read the poems though bless him and I do have to say letters for spelling but its still his own work from his head :)

:) Sweet little thing. So not fair that they are punishing him for having SN. I think it's fantastic that he likes to write poems :)

I read your earlier posts and your frustration then as you were starting DS full time at school. I am on your behalf.
The school sound so unreasonable. I have had conversations with my school about appropriate punishments and we all agreed that sending DS home would seem like a winning situation to him as he would rather not be at school. They agreed to use alternative strategies, such as rewarding good behaviour with computer time at the end of the day - but he can earn/lose it depending on how the day goes.

I cannot believe how it sounds when you write it all down.
I just wish I could say something that would help, but I know you have suggested so much to the school already.......

DS is red cheeked with high temp today and a hacking cough. I did tell them he had the makings of a cold coming yesterday and put it in the homebook. Trouble is with ds he has very high pain threshold and doesnt spell out exactly how he is hurting or ill till it gets at serious level. In other words he is ok.......then ill or ok............then broken bone.

Him poorly was obviously not helping matters. And although I could say the school wouldnt detect it the fact that I told them how he is re pain etc and that I pointed he had a restless night should have given them an inkling not to pressure him further. The sats are hell. I am going to see if I can pull him out of it someway. How can you make a child do sats literacy when he cant write is beyond me. Just as well do the maths side which is hard enough on his concentration levels and sensory levels and leave the literacy well alone.

Looking at ACE guidelines at moment. Re exclusion and disability discrimination. I feel a letter brewing to the governors.

Coff - don't know how you stay so calm, think I would have torn down the HT's office around her head, what a croc. Bet this is an ofstead outstanding school where the marks in the tests count for everything and the welfare of their children count for shite whether they be NT or SN. You must be so proud of ds for keeping it together despite being sick and being amongst moronic imbeciles - GO MINICOFF!

Indigo might know something about the SATS and literacy as her daughter was really struggling in Y2.

DS has really been playing up this week. I'm going in later to see what they are doing differently re the SATS practice to cause it and see if they can help him out at all....

Poor old DS being poorly :( My DS is the same, he can't say if he is feeling ill. He just doesn't recognise the sensation of being ill.

and for you

I'm speechless, coff33pot.

(And eternally grateful for DS1's school who have learnt that sometimes, he just won't do the work because there's something that no one can possibly understand stopping him from doing it and there is no sense in exacerbating The Fear.)

My DS didn't have to attempt SATS in year 2. New school & I agreed it officially with the LEA. At the time it just wasn't worth the stress to him it would have caused. No black mark for the school as after all only 1.5% kids are bad enough to need a statement & they are only 6, (age is taken into account - I think it's harder to get an exemption for KS2 SATS).

School should have applied for an exemption.

Perhaps you can copy that governors letter to OFSTEAD?

Coff I am furious on your and Ds behalf. We had a very similar situation when DS was in yr 5and school excluded him for 1 week because um he couldn't toilet independentlly (although I was coming in a lunchtime to help with school's full agreement) and because his anxiety was upsetting the other children!!!. In other words because behaviour relating to his disability was messing up HT's nice new school. We appealed to the governors and won. Exclusion was judged inappropriate and taken off DS's record. HT was reprimanded by governors and they made a lot of effort to improve SEN attitude in the school. It is still not brilliant but when DD proved to have mild dyslexia it was clear that the attitude was much better. Ds however never went back to that school. ACE were really helpful regarding the legal position and framing the appeal. Make a formal appeal to the governors against the exclusion you definitely have grounds. I couldn't believe it was you when I saw the post title. What an appalling school! I am so glad that juniors appears to be so much better. Roll on September.

Coff, I have no experience of the other things, but my DGS in primary had a pop up tent kept in the HT office that he could use in time of stress and over stimulation. Could they not implement something similar?

I am totally mystified about why they would make your child do the SAts anyway. DS is similar in that he cant write, barely reads (but for different reasons) he is now year 9 and has never done a SAT in his life, as he just couldn't (but he goes to a SS, so they are obvioulsy not driven by results)

I echo what starfishmummy said why the hell was he doing SATS, my 2 girls went to MS school and were exempt (both DS) I thought things had improved over the years for our kids how wrong I am
coff33pot Don't let the buggers grind you down

Thanks all and Nohaudin and your ds exclusion!!! that is downright cruel.

Written letter to Chair of Governors about this fixed term exclusion and added to discuss the matter of all the other illegal exclusions over the past 14 months. Thought what the hell they were all illegal.

Kept it simple and straight similar to bocheads post. Also emailed LA with attachment of my letter. Will give her copy of exclusion letter on monday at the meeting seeing as its friday and post wont work that fast here.

I discussed the sats in the email as well and said surely it is best to concentrate on the fine motor skills first and writing essays later! Juniors are already aware he cannot write apart from his name so they dont need a sats score to work it out that he needs full support.

They did buy a tent but said the only place they can put it is in the hallway which is the main through area for body traffic, PE, general public etc and the door bell annoyed him. He wants the cupboard and hides in there to chill but they wont empty it out for him and march him for time outs in other classes.

Its a mess really

He has time outs in other classrooms full of other children - what are they thinking

Because they insist he has to comply, conform and stay in class setting regardless of any report or myself saying it is detremental. They say he has to conform to stay in a mainstream school I am going in guns blazing.

That makes me want to cry :( This is a statemented child with numerous SNs ........... absolutely outrageous.

Report to Ofstead. Schools can now FAIL inspections due to inability to comply with Sen CoP & DDA. This has only changed fairly recently.

My lifelong impression of Cornwall is that some individuals go through life 20 years behind the times. This particular HT being a priime example of what I mean. If the HT thinks she could be formally declared a failing school and therefore in the cesspit with the LEA & all other parents as a result of her treatment of your DS then GOOD!

So far she's demonstrated

1. Complete inability to follow the LAW as regards support
2. Complete lack of understanding regarding SATS regulations (SEN exemptions, what to do if a kid is off sick etc). Again this is legal/regulatory stuff.
3. Lack of understanding of the legal position regarding when she should & shouldn't exclude a pupil = lacks basic knowledge of standard disciplinary procedures.

Adds up to not fit to run a school = OFSTEAD need to go in and sort it out for the benefit of ALL children, not just the SEN ones, as when you put it all together you are left wondering what aspects of the silly bint's job description she does know how to do?

A cupboard was emptied out for DS1 - it turned out to be a nice sized room which is now nicely furnished with comfy chairs and sofas and used for meetings and for kids who are withdrawn for speech, intensive reading etc. DS1 doesn't use it so much any more, but DS2 keeps all his clutter toys and resources in there and, for a little effort, the school (which is really strapped for space) now has a lovely room which is of benefit to everyone.

I'm astounded by the lack of effort your DS's school is willing to put into meeting his needs, Coff33cup. It's not as if he'll walk out of the door for the last time in July and they'll never have to deal with a child with social communication or sensory integration difficulties ever again.

Bochead she is the senco too lol which I believe is not supposed to be that way per the rules.

To be honest I am doing this for ds yes but also for the other kids there. Its not just mine. I walk in there and at various corners or benches there is always another stressed child. You can tell it a mile off and there is just nowhere for them to go and they are great kids. Its all pretty pretty smiles (the office staff are lovely and will go out of their way to help you) pretty smiles with "we really have your childs best interests at heart" look. My other 2 went to that school and yes they were fine but they were NT and so no battles. It has really opened my eyes just how different they treat you if you are not the ideal image of a school child.

We have what....about 11 weeks left excluding hols if that? not a lot is going to happen for ds. But I am damn well going to kick up a stink. Letters delivered, meeting monday for update on how things are going, I will see what governors say if I get a face to face and ofsted next is a good idea. What the hell its not that they can take anymore away from ds as they havent given it in the first place........

Go for it Coff. As bochead said a lot of what she is doing is illegal and once you start pointing that out to governors, LA etc. they can't ignore it. Our experience has shown that it can make a difference for other Dcs although our DS didn't benefit. Also I feel though I can't prove obviously that having had such a truly bad experience with one school has meant that the LA were a bit more careful about how they dealt with Ds subsequently. Which of course didn't mean no more fights and I suspect more to come now he is about to move on again.