Please or to access all these features

SN children

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

LOL - carrots - TES SN Show

112 replies

StarlightMcKenzie · 19/07/2013 09:47

www.tessenshow.co.uk/

Scroll down to the bottom and see a pic of a bunch of stereotypical carrots.

OP posts:
StarlightMcKenzie · 19/07/2013 23:08

No idea how copyright works but that picture would be excellently placed on a certain blog next to this:

"I remember by first multi-agency ?Team around the Child? meeting. I was there, humble, hopeful, scared, on the verge of tears, desperate. It sounded wonderful though. This person was going to 'advise', that person was going to 'refer', another person was going to 'monitor' and another going to 'send your son's case to a 'panel'', and someone else was going to send his case to a 'board'. Yet another person was going to put together a 'programme' and someone else was going to 'assess'. We were going to get 'support' and my son was to get 'therapy'. Someone else was going to 'investigate' the 'opportunities' that our LEA had for children such as my son, and someone else was going to 'liaise' with us.

A couple of months later and I realised that some if not ALL of the above was happening in terms of moving funds and delegating money to people's case-loads, but yet not one single OUTCOME had occurred for my son.

In fact we hardly saw anyone, they were all busy referring, and investigating and writing programmes or whatever. I hung around here a bit complaining and apologising and thinking ' Oh, he's only little, we have lots of time'. But a short while later I realised that it was good as it was ever going to get unless I started to demand better.

There are a lot of busy people, defending their paperwork and their meetings and shuffling money around, perhaps making speeches over Christmas dinner about their virtuousness. They are incredulous at the very idea you challenge their commitment to your child, yet the extent of their role seems to be simply to 'manage' them and their families through the education system for as cheap as possible.

OP posts:
bochead · 19/07/2013 23:18

The course was a H&S requirement for my new venture but the tutors head tilt was 10/10. I got a bit bored so devoted myself to this most important art before completing my multiple choice paper at the end of the day in order to tick my box on a regulatory form.

My aim at next week's meeting is currently to broccoli the caring carrots standing between my family and a decent life.

inappropriatelyemployed · 19/07/2013 23:19

Indeed!

The certain blog could ask the TES for permission to use it!

StarlightMcKenzie · 19/07/2013 23:19

You're going to broccoli your carrots?

lol

OP posts:
bochead · 19/07/2013 23:25

I hear what you are saying Star, yes I intend to broccoli my carrots, and gently guide them towards acceptance of their cauliflowers. Obviously we'll need to review their progress at infrequent intervals via remote observations of the cucumber in our Pimms at our next Panel. head tilt

StarlightMcKenzie · 19/07/2013 23:28

If only to make TES aware of blog........

OP posts:
StarlightMcKenzie · 19/07/2013 23:30

TBH, I'd probably accept any intervention these days that ended in Pimms.

OP posts:
bochead · 20/07/2013 09:59

Well the amount of BS I'm currently fed would feed a wonderful veggie garden. That would be a better outcome for DS than what's being offered right now.

Parental Intervention low level - Pimms
Parental Intervention intensive - G&T

Forgive me, but I'm fast running out of patience this term, and we still have 3 days to go.

StarlightMcKenzie · 20/07/2013 10:15

3 days. Ah forget about them. Go and live in a tent while the fees are still cheap.

OP posts:
justaboutreadyforbed · 20/07/2013 11:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

inappropriatelyemployed · 20/07/2013 12:22

Still looking for caring carrot stories for the blog!

Anyone want to do a page on it for me?

bochead · 20/07/2013 12:50

Can't - got a HUGE multi-agency meeting planned. Nope they can't tell me the purpose, who will be attending, or the expected outcomes. Confused.

It'll be the last one.

The ex has decided to be an arse too.

StarlightMcKenzie · 20/07/2013 13:10

Yes, of course.

I'd just like to change the line 'in Devon' to 'as it is in Devon'.

But go ahead.

OP posts:
StarlightMcKenzie · 20/07/2013 13:12

Is your leaving a secret?

Will this meeting be about that?

Tbh I would ask them to arrange for a date after you have left and then call in moved sick.

OP posts:
NoHaudinMaWheest · 20/07/2013 16:48

For a collective noun for the caring carrots Dcs and I came up with

A collusion of caring carrots who (of course) never come to a conclusion.

StarlightMcKenzie · 20/07/2013 20:21

LOL That's brilliant.

inconclusive collusion

Funnily enough I don't have any examples of caring carrotology, or at least if I do I have forgotten. My LA and all who sailed in her were blatant and smug in their demonstration of uselessness that they didn't even try or pretend.

Generally it was 'no because I said so' followed by 'you can't make us do our job so we won't'.

OP posts:
StarlightMcKenzie · 20/07/2013 20:21

Though I guess there was always the green spot..........

OP posts:
StarlightMcKenzie · 20/07/2013 20:22

Oh and the 'he can't have a 1:1 because that will cost too much especially for one trained well enough to not make him dependent

OP posts:
moondog · 20/07/2013 20:56

I'm just about to read an article in the paper asking whether we would be safer without police.
I instantly thought the same about the SEN industry.
If I could share one piece of advice, it would be to involve yourself with as few professionals as possible. Jettison the rest ruthlessly.
Love the lyrics. Grin

bochead · 20/07/2013 22:59

My bessie is coming to the meeting together with my God daughter. We'll have a nice cup of tea before we go and then head tilt in sync. Unlike all previous meetings I'm not hoping that someone will see the light & be reasonable. I'm just turning up to get my "complied with professionals" tick in the box.

I know they'll send a horrid report on me to the new LA, but I'm ready to head tilt with the best of them at that end too.

In the words of Clark Gable "Quite frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" Wink what they think anymore.

WetAugust · 21/07/2013 00:31

How about a 'calumny' of caring carrots?

I once sat in a meeting with 6 identikit caring carrots, not one of which was empowered to actually 'do' anything to assist DS. A total waste of time.

The absolute worst CC worked in the specialist unit. She used to run out of the building when she saw me arriving in the car, straight across the car park, would open my passenger door and plonk herself in my passenger seat. The first time I was WTF? The next time I just parked at the far end to make her run further. It became a battle - could I park and get out of my car before she got in?

They are all barking!

Badvoc · 21/07/2013 08:44

My sons HT called me "militant" about sen in a meeting once.
Why?
Because I disagreed with her view that my son would "magically" make 4 years progress in 2 if I just trusted her and her teachers (one of whom had told me that I may have to except that the lowest sets were "where my son belonged")
And Because I disagreed with the EP report I arranged and paid for.
I think I am the first parent to stand up to her for a long time tbh.
I don't trust anyone who writes off children at age 7.
And yet they all do.
All of them.
I have since sat in on meetings - where I think they must have forgotten I was there - and a deputy HT told the meeting that a child who did not meet expected NC levels by year 2 "never would".
Hmmmm....odd to say that whilst I am sat there. My son went from level 1s in year 3 to level 4s in year 5. Hmmmm.
The only "provision" my son ever got was inclusion in a speech and language group. Still not sure why he was put in there, but there you go. Probably to keep me quiet.
That worked (not) Grin

Badvoc · 21/07/2013 08:46

Bochead...I am pretty sure there's a huge black mark against my name on some LA file somewhere.
I home schooled for a year which is an automatic black mark ime.
Then I disagreed with the HT and EP. How dare I?
Then I just got on with it and taught my son myself.
They hate me :)

StarlightMcKenzie · 21/07/2013 08:54

The thing is Bad, that HE or anything the parent does is seen as the kind of baseline. So how ever well your child does with your efforts, it is considered zero, with what the school can supposedly do being on top of that.

It's one of the reasons we lost our tribunal, as ds' ABA programme was mainly done by us, but considered by the panel as 'just good parenting, which would continue regardless of provision'. It was felt therefore that the LA could offer 'extra' and should not be paying for something the parents were doing.

You'll never change that mindset. It's almost like 'well if a parent can raise attainment by 2 levels just THINK of how far he would go had he been in school with the professionals.

OP posts:
Badvoc · 21/07/2013 09:16

Gah!
It drives me mad.
And I have another 6 years of it as ds2 starts in August.

I just dont trust them at all anymore.
Ignorance is bliss and all that.
At least if ds2 has issues I know what to do...I.e. help him myself!