a few days to tribunal

[Liliuk]

Hi, I am a few days from education tribunal and am feeling worried. I am not looking forward to the legal battle although I am represented and worried about the horrid stuff I will hear about son with Asd? Any word of wisdom? What happens there? Thanks

Hi, a little more info would be useful - how old is DS, appeal against refusal, parts 2, 3 or 4 etc? What is the horrid stuff you are worried about?

It's the horrid stuff about you which will get your goat. Be prepared to be told many of his difficulties are because you are:

over-anxious and neglectful,
difficult with professionals and too eager to seek expert input,
detached and over-involved
googling too much and not understanding his condition

All by the same person and within a few minutes. And if you try to point out that these are mutually exclusive accusations, they just sigh and suggest it must be hard for you to cope with a child who isn't the perfect one you wanted.

Hopefully your solicitor will slap them down. If not, don't fall for it, you could forget your spiel and get drawn into defending yourself. Slinging mud at an obviously good parent who doesn't react won't endear them to the panel.

Thanks for the warning Mariammama I'd never thought of that...what I am worried of is their lawyer who I have been warned is outright obnoxious. Keeponkeepingon, part 2,3 and 4. Professionals have a bad habbit of underestimating my son when he is very capable...

Sorry forgot. He is 5

I take it your son is in m/s? Are you appealing for special school or more support in the m/s? What do his teachers say? Is he quiet to the point of being virtually mute or is he disruptive at school?

It is good that you are being represented. Side-step obnoxious comments. It is fine to not respond to comments that are not directly addressing the needs of the child. 'That is an interesting opinion but we are here to discuss x' or 'That is certainly one option but unfortunately it fails to address x/it has been tried before without success' etc.

Thanks Keepon, appeal for part time unit in mainstream, part time funded home programm

If its the obnoxious solicitor I am thinking of - and one particular man has a reputation in sen world - you may want to search his name on the yahoo aba website for inside info

If it is him then be prepared for time wasting, stupid obscure points etc and make sure Sol is prepared to challenge such time wasting and keep the case moving on to the things that matter

Expect to hear lies about you. Politely disagree and point out any conflicting evidence but do not lose your rag as that is what they want - to roll their eyes at the panel with a 'see what we have to put up with' look.

Go armed with lots of examples and anecdotes about your ds - this is the info LAs do not have, they do now know your child so cannot come out with specific egs.

We won part time mainstream / part-time home prog so it can be done.
DS gains massively from being with mainstream children esp now his language is coming on a bit.
Good luck.

There is a legal case on part-time mainstream: MS v London Borough of Brent (SEN) [2011] UKUT 50 (AAC) - you may want to check your advocate is aware of it.