Mumsnet/KIDS support session on special needs and education: THIS THURSDAY, 9pm

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello there,

We're pleased to announce that the second support session with members of KIDS staff will be held this Thursday evening between 9pm amd 10pm (in the hope that this will avoid most kids' bed-times!). The topic for Thursday's session will be education and related issues. (You can see the first session here.)

KIDS is a national charity working with disabled children, young people and their families across England. The KIDS staff at the session will be Sue Cawkwell (KIDS Regional Director for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire), and SEN specialists Rosemary Foster and Dave Lison.

The idea of these support sessions is to complement the advice and support that Special Needs posters already give each other with the insight and experience of people working for an organisation in the field. We hope that the session will pull together perspectives and advice from MNers and from KIDS staff, and that the thread will serve as a reference point for posters looking for advice about SEN.

It would be great to have as many of you as possible join us 'live' on Thursday evening, but if you can't make it, please also post up any advance questions for here.

We'd really appreciate your feedback on these sessions, so if you can find the time to fill in a survey after the session, that would be great - it's open to lurkers as well as posters - to everyone who has seen the thread.

Thanks,
MNHQ

Not sure if I can make this or not, so pre-posting a question:

Am having issues with the law and guidance around medical absence.

Briefly, DD1 is at a SLD/PMLD school and has medical needs. They are intermittent and varying. There is a new school nurse who from what I can see isn't used to the degree of need in the school and increasingly DD1 is being sent home in the middle of the day as "too ill" to attend. My view is that she is not "ill" as such, this is part of her disability and if we don't educate her when her condition is affecting her like this then we don't educate her at all.

School are usually pretty good and I think we can thrash this out together if we can put the decision of whether she should be in school or not on a more objective footing. But I can find virtually no DfE or legal guidance about the school's right to take a decision about her fitness for school, or what form that process should take. Is there precedent?

how timely...can i have the session all to myself please

obvs i know this isn't possible so...

what should a parent do if it's becoming more obvious that the SENCO has very little understanding of your child's diagnosed condition?

Sotheby's government know they are failing children with SN in early life by forcing them into mainstream schools and their funding cuts for transport. Why is it so hard to get a statement and who is the best source of support when applying?

Marking my place for this evening.

Marking spot.

Marking my place too.

Me too. Not sure if I can make it but the reason isn't daily logistics or anything.

Will try.

will try to be here x

Marking my spot

Test

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I am concerned over the Green Paper too.

Other issues in Herts, there is a push from the County to send any child who achieves level 1 back to mainstream. Apparently this hasn't been trumpeted as official policy but is what the heads are being told. I see this as punishing SN kids for their achievement and would expect a rapid decline in many cases. It will be left to individuals to appeal with all that entails. I think it is criminal they are prepared to experiment with our children's lives in this way. How can parents put pressure on them to rescind this when they won't even admit it is policy?

This area is generally secretive about what the procedures are, apparently parents will not be offered SN schooling, they must ask for it before it is even discussed. They are not being told the options available to them.

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@HotheadPaisan

Rowan, please can you sticky or link this is SN: Children too please.

Thanks for this Hothead - will do it now.

i've just logged in to check times and realised it's an hour later than the last one, thanks for changing this - much more user friendly

Thanks Unchartered, we aim to please

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Yes, but it's pretty much accepted that Herts are evil, - isn't it?

Probably starlight but how do they get away with it?

Not sure if I can make as bed time here is between midnight and 3am. Looking forward to reading about the green paper, from what I can gather this will suit us perfectly.

DS has always been special school from 2yo. He has always been reluctant for issues the profs refuse to acknowledge or accept. The bigger and stronger he has got the harder it is to get him there, hence him being at home 24/7 for the last 2 year.

He has a home tutor for up to an hour, 4 days per week, however all services (OT etc) are in turn letting him down, due to his low arousal level, passive but aggressive nature and his lack of motivation. In your words he lacks accountability!! Should this mean he is overlooked?!!

Another situation we are in is as he is still registered at his local authority special school he remains under the care of the pead there. They have rotated and the new one won't take DS on as he is not accessing school and the old one has discharged him. So now have none.

Hello again,

Sue, Dave and Rosemary are in position ready to start at 9pm; we're just going to post up some pre-prepared answers over the next ten minutes or so.

Hello mumsnetters

It's great to be invited back. There are three of us this evening but probably
just me typing (Sue) to avoid any confusion.

I'm Sue Cawkwell, regional director of KIDS and also a parent of three
children - two of my children have been through the statutory assessment
process. I've also worked during my career as a portage visitor and
a parent partnership coordinator.

Joining me this evening are Rosemary Foster and Dave Lison. Rosemary
and Dave both work for KIDS as parent partnership coordinators and have
had many years experience supporting families. Both Dave and Rosemary
have supported families' right through all stages of SEN processes including
SEND tribunals.