DD (statemented) will start school next week - questions re IEP etc.

[chocjunkie]

DD (4 with autism & severe s/l delay) will start school next week. She will go to a MS school with a small SN unit. She is statemented (we are currently appealing against the statement - just full of not specified/quantified waffle which could mean anything and no 1:1).

just wondered what will happen once she starts school. Will we have meetings with the school re IEPs etc? what should I expect?

ta

I personally would not allow her to start without satisfactory provision in place.

She doesn't need to start until the term after her 5th birthday. The reasons you give, in writing is that you are unwilling to put her in a situation where starting school without appropriate provision could establish early negative attitudes towards school and damage her self-esteem.

By Puting her in school now, you are allowing the LA and school to gather evidence that their unspecified nonsense is meeting her needs.

There will be a time for settling in. Do remember tay all of te pupils starting will be settling as well and there may be som non sen kids who have issues too. Because it is reception then you will have more informal contact with the teachers and this is usual at this stage. It may be a TA you see or the person in the unit more than a teacher. Don,t expect ieps just yet they will have to get to know your child first to get a proper idea so as to write meaningful ones. You should have an anual review about the statement. The school will have a schedule. Because it has a unit, i think you will find all the systems are set in place. One thing to guard against is staff talking to you about problems when either your child can hear or other parents are around with flapping ears

I know what you mean, star, but i am working. No way i can go down the SAHM route so have to send DD in :( Tribunal isn't too far away though and i still hope LA will back down sooner. They know they haven't got a leg to stand on.

Thanks ina for that.

Can you send her somewhere else? You're still entitled to the 15 hours free until the term after she is 5!?

I don't hold much with the whole 'kids need to settle in' stuff anyway. I really don't think they do. I think it is more the teachers need time to get a handle on their intake.

Just look at how fast nt kids 'settle in' to a new playground, making friends, establishing rules and pecking orders within minutes.

I remember Ds' nursery.

At various times I asked what was actually being done. At each time I was told my requests were unreasonable because:
Half a term to settle in, half a term run up to Christmas and then at th end it was all about sports day and the run up to summer with anxiety about transition to next class.

So half a year of no IEPs.... C

Presumably you have had at least one transition meeting at the new school, which the previous setting attended etc etc. the plan should have been gone through at this transition meeting. They normally involve the ht, new class teacher, and TA/ LSA or 1-1 key worker as applicable. At your daughter's age, the IEP should be rewritten and updated every term (next year it should be every six months) and you and any therapists involved (ie slt and autism outreach or specialist teacher involvement) should be involved with target setting.

Sometimes these specialists are involved in the transition meeting as well - ours wasn't due to scheduling conflict, but had visited the school with us in the summer term prior to yr r instead.

It is acceptable for the IEP to not be drafted for a couple of weeks, whilst they get to know each other, but in the interim there should be clear understanding of support necessary, as the 'targets' for the first couple of weeks are really settling in and not academic. Ie to learn the new routine, be capable of understanding the format of the day, learn the new people involved and gain trust etc. so not academic targets. If a child struggles with these, then they will be carried into formal IEP targets along smart guidelines. If you know these areas are going to be problematic (ie child struggles with changes to routine) then this should have been discussed at length at the transition meeting, and a plan agreed.

Did you have a transition meeting last term?

We had a transition meeting in july with class teacher and teacher from the SN unit. We discussed DD and her needs etc. But nothing as specific as iep. LA was still drafting the statement at that point.

Think i will arrange a meeting with school asap to discuss next steps.

Also need to clarify what support Dd will get as statement is rubbish. Oh dear...

It will be fine. Class teacher knows what to expect, and they will want to get to know her before drafting IEP. Does she have any 1-1 time specified in the draft statement? (ft? 15 hours etc?)

I think they did dd2's IEP at about half term in yr r. That doesn't mean she didn't have support until that point, just that specific targets had yet to be agreed. If you have the latest report from slt, that will enable the school to know what sort of things they need to be working on, alongside getting dd used to the new environment and routine.

Tbh, a lot of children start yr r with substantial sn, and the school doesn't know until they arrive as they have been fobbed off re statements etc through nursery, so you are (to an extent) way ahead of the drag curve.

It's frustrating, but even for nt kids there is fuck all very little going on in the first month or so except getting them used to each other and the setting.

I would just call the school and ask if they are happy that they have everything they need, and then just check whether they would like you to take her to the class with everyone else, or whether they would prefer to meet her at the school reception so that she can be supported by the TA in a quieter environment before being taken to the class.

Then do it.

It will be fine. You can still be getting the wording on the statement changed to specify quant etc, but they know she is coming, and they know what her needs are.

Thanks madwoman. Dd has zero 1:1. La refuse to specify anyt in the statement (we appealed). Will arrange meeting but have clearer picture now.

And to be honest, if school throw up their hands and request finding for a 1-1 after a week, you stand a much better chance of actually getting it than if you rely on you v the la.

I'm sure there will be some hiccups, but ultimately school know she is statemented, and they will be keen to get support sorted.

Good luck!

Thanks a lot!