detention already for poor ds <sigh>

[cornzy]

poor ds2 just starting Y7 (dyspraxia, hypermobility)
He has always worked to the best of his ability and is a lovely polite boy.
(I know I'm biased just a leetle bit but still...)
He's got a detention because his teacher has decided that he didn't start his work quickly enough in the lesson
He probably didn't...but this is an issue which was highlighted in his OT report as being part of his dyspraxia. He needs prompting, extra time and help in getting his ideas down.

I'm thinking of sending a letter with ds2 to give to the teacher, explaining about his difficulties (highly unlikely the teacher will have been informed I'm sure) and specifically how they are likely to affect him in that particular lesson. But would this get her back up?

If you are not sure the teacher knows, I would approach the teacher first and ask for a meeting with him/her and the SENCo to set out the 'ground rules'. You can say that is really unfortunate that SENCO/head have not passed this info to the teacher.

I agree with Tiredness, they need to take this seriously but start with the teacher and make it clear that it needs the involvement of SENCO or head or whoever you feel most comfortable with.

Do you think so? TBH I agree, but I don't know whether I'm just being an overprotective mum. I know he wouldn't have been talking or messing about.

I will write a letter to the teacher then and I was going to write to the SENCO anyway, to ask her to pass the info about him on to all his teachers.

I'm pretty sure his teachers won't have been told anything. The TA based in the class didn't know, as ds told her today and she said she'd help him with writing stuff down.

I too would be at this detention.
If he is known to have dyspraxia and this is one of the effects then if no help was given in class first then to me this looks like discrimination and I woud be writing to the teacher and SENCO. Personally I would save the letter to the head in case the first one didn't work.
Although, copying the head means that you mean business.....so maybe copy the head too.

In Dd2's old school the registration system on the teachers lap top notified the teachers in every lesson if there were Dc's with SN's in the class. You definitely need to give the SENCO a kick up the backside. The teacher should have known that he needs time to organise his thoughts.

Dd3 has a passport at her primary which lets the staff know that she has difficulties. I am planning that it will go with her to secondary.

I had all this with ds1 - detentions given due difficulties associated with his additional needs. The SENCO did bypass most of them, but it's still stressful.
Can see it happening again with ds2 now.

In my DS's secondary the pupil passport comes up automatically on their laptop when they take the lesson register, which they have to do for every lesson. If your DS is on school action or higher he should have some sort of pupil passport highlighting his needs to the teacher. Good, automatic communication between staff is essential in a secondary as each DC will have many, many teachers and they won't be able to remember every DC's needs in their head. There has to be a system to communicate these issues.

I'd be on to the SENCo, it's their job to communicate this to each teacher, it shouldn't be yours! The teacher just didn't know, not their fault, the fault is with the school's communication system which the SENCo should manage. All his teachers need to know his difficulties.

I'd be quite angry. Your DS is new to the school, they should be getting this right from the start! This sort of thing could knock his confidence.

My DS got a detention last year (he's Y8) from a random teacher who spotted him picking some bubbled paint off the wall. He was soon let off with a verbal warning once the teacher realised he wasn't NT, but it did escape their usual communication route. But in a lesson, with one of his teachers... not very impressive.

cornzy

History could repeat itself here so you must act decisively and swiftly. WOuld not actually care about potentially getting their backs up to be honest, you are your child's best and only advocate here.

Is your son on anything like SA plus. you do not mention this so am asking.

I would arrange a meeting with the SENCO asap and then follow this up in writing.

Would also suggest you speak with the Year 7 Pastoral support person if there is one in this school. They need to be on side too.

In my DS's secondary the pupil passport comes up automatically on their laptop when they take the lesson register, which they have to do for every lesson

What an excellent idea!

i would assume she isnt aware & call in and have a quick word with her.

he's on school action
thanks for all the advice

dh was actually drafting a letter to the SENCO today about ds using a laptop and there's been no communication about what's happening with that.

I'll write to teacher and contact the SENCO tomorrow and see what the response is.
I don't know who the Y7 pastoral person is but I will find out.

I'm not taking crap anymore where ds2 is concerned -I did that for far too long with ds1.

In my DS's secondary the pupil passport comes up automatically on their laptop when they take the lesson register, which they have to do for every lesson

What an excellent idea!

Isn't it! So simple yet so effective. One of the reasons I chose that school, despite it being so large.

Cornzy Go get'em girl! It should be so much better and it can be so much better. Though, TBH, communication from the school to me is few and far between. DS has a homework planner which the TAs fill in to make sure I know what H/w he has, but that's pretty much it except for parents' evenings and AR. Very different to primary...

have written a letter to the teacher and am including a printout from the dyspraxia foundation
I am rubbish in RL though when it comes to my dc - I lose the power of speech altogether

Well done, good luck!

Always have notes written down! Even for a phone call, but always back up with an email afterwards, 'clarifying' what's been agreed to get a paper trail. It's the only way to do it if you suspect any incompetence or obstruction.

yes good idea ellenjane - will do that
I usually get dh to do the phonecalls as I am so crap!

I'd contact the SENCo. However DD used to teach Secondary and she said they would be sent dozens of IEPs for children in their classes and although she read them it was difficult to think of the IEP in relation to the child until they had had them for a while (unless there were behaviour problems of course).

I have lost count of the number of times that DS has been punished for his additional needs. The problem is that having problems with starting work to the extent that they need prompting (whilst not talking or being disruptive) 'looks' like bloody-mindness - particulary if they 'get it' easily with 1:1 support but seem to be 'not trying' when left to their own devices even to teachers with information about the child's difficulties. Even the SALT who did the preliminary diagnosis of ASD commented that to the untrained eye it would be very difficult to see DS's behaviour as anything other than awkwardness, passive resistance, bloody-mindedness. Even I find myself questioning whether or is just not being an awkard bugger at times - and sometimes he is!

Embrace being 'pushy'. It is important to your DS's self-esteem that those in positions of authority are not critical of that which he cannot control.