IEP question, SPLD x2 does my ds qualify for IEP?

[supermum98]

Based on school Neale analysis told my ds does not need IEP. However had private EP assessment and his working memory is 11th percentile or below and he has a high order visual processing difficulty ie 1st. percentile or below. School haven't seen EP report yet, but he feels should have IEP and be on Action Plus.
What do I do if they disagree, when I give EP report to school?

You need to be having a meeting with the SENCo at the school and his class teacher. You should think about how the findings of the indi EP are manifest in the classroom. The IEP should draw up both long and short-term targets and say what the success criteria will be and how this will be measured. Your indi EP report should make recommedations. He should also be having standardised spelling and reading tests that specify reading/spelling age and chronological age at least twice yearly and this data should be used to calculate ratio gain (his rate of progress).

Severity and persistence can only be measured if individual progress rate is considered rather than just comparing DS to average peers. My own LEA showed me a little chart indicating that DS1 would have to be level 1b or below at the end of year 6 to be 'bad enough' to qualify for a statement (he has one btw) or as she clarified 'he can read and write'.

What are his SATs levels like? What provision do you think would help him? eg DS1 had touch typing lessons, voice recorder, Wave 3 intervention (such as Accelewrite/read), individual TA support etc. Again, the indi EP should make recommendations.

DS should be on the SEN register and have an IEP. If all the provision is in-house then he can be SA. If outside agencies, including the school calling in EP, are or have been involved the child should be on SA+.

Also read the Rose Review www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/00659-2009DOM-EN.pdf

Your lea will have a specific SEN policy and may have a specific dyslexia policy.

who administered the Neale analysis?
Neale analysis is just a reading test. Will only show reading accuracy, rate and comprehension. It's also considered to be out of date.

Had meeting, Feel so depressed, lovely Senco and HT keen to help, but don't think he should be on Action + or SEN register or with IEP. EP rushed through provisional report, to try and get him extra time in SAT's but to no avail, school felt he wouldn't qualify even though EP thought he should. EP report says 3 x SPLD now as considers hand-writing speed as an SPLD, needing scribing for SAT's. But I don't think I will get it.
Sat grades 3a, 4c, 4c. Just because he scored well in Neale and not falling down on SATs too much, they don't seem to think he needs anything. The fact is, his maths has not progressed, in a year. Just moved schools but previous Senco, said the same. I just can't believe this can be right, as I thought once EP called in then he should be on at least Action plus. I think we will hit bad times at Secondary, when the load increases, he is already too tired to do anything because of SAT's pressure as well as stressed. Thanks for help you guys.

Um Neale analysis is old hat and been superceeded by far better tests, if this is all your EP offered then you've been had and they are of the breed that takes the money and write the report to what the parents want. A school does not have to accept any findings of a private EP because of this reason. Extra time for year 6 sats is far harder to get than extra time at GCSE. Frankly from what you've said here and what the EP has told you, I would be siding with the school.

Can I play devil's advocate here. If he does badly in the SATS then that is going to activate SEN support at secondary. If he doesn't get SEN support then providing evidence of need for exam access arrangements is very hard. Most secondary school teachers take not much notice of SATs. I have taught someone who got 3s and left with 10 good GCSE. Year 6 is a bit of a crap year and a lot of students get left behind as teachers focus on anyone who might get a 5. Do not worry. Most work is covered again, far better taught and a lot of kids start motoring at secondary. My son got crap SATs, seemingly made no progress throughout upper primary due to his medical condition. Eighteen months later he is in top set science and middle of the road maths group doing gcse foundation maths probs.

Is it worth going to a behavioural optometriist for the visual side? It may be that coloured overlays might help and the exercises they give are transforming. Also think they should be giving him touch typing programme. Bbc dancemat is free.

I can understand your concern about year 7 but actually I find that many students who struggled in year 6 heave a sigh of relief, and thoroughly enjoy themselves. They love going to different lessons and having science in a real lab, using proper DT equipment, having decent IT equipment, getting taught be specialist teachers, particularly PE. If you can wangle him to be able to use wp, then he can do soe exams using that.

My experience if EP reports is that they are of limited value to school. School IME will make their own decision as to whether your ds needs targets or methods that are different from the 'differentiated curriculum' in the classroom. That's how our SENCO explained it to me. So really it can be quite subjective. What recommendations are in the EP report? Will school accept any of these?