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SN children

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Original poster

Journey's End

25 replies

TOWIELA · 01/09/2013 20:45

DS starts indi ss tomorrow. We spent the afternoon there today. The school is amazing.

The last few years of hell was worth it (inc 14 months of home ed). DS finally has a future.

OP posts:

bochead · 01/09/2013 20:47

It's fantastic to hear of positive outcomes so do keep posting. keeps those of still deep in doo, doo going ; )

ExEssexGirl · 01/09/2013 21:24

Hope he enjoys his first day . After all the stress and tribunal worry it'll be nice to have a bit of a breather I'm sure (as much as you can do anyway).
My ds has been at an indi ss for a while and it's lovely not having the dreaded 'phone calls from school saying that they don't know what to do and threatening exclusion. All the best.

PolterGoose · 01/09/2013 21:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Handywoman · 01/09/2013 23:25

Fantastic to hear that. Hope he has a lovely day.

coff33pot · 02/09/2013 00:52

hope he has a great first day tomorrow :)

KOKOagainandagain · 02/09/2013 07:51

Good luck for today

inappropriatelyemployed · 02/09/2013 12:38

Good luck - hope it goes really well xx

StarlightMcKenzie · 02/09/2013 12:44

Good luck.

Hope it is going well.

iwanttoscream · 02/09/2013 15:46

Good luck for today, hope it is going well.

Original poster

TOWIELA · 02/09/2013 19:04

Thank you everyone. He had a great first day - came to meet me with a big grin on his face. Told me all about his day (lunchtime lasagne was better than his dad's ). He has NEVER told me about his day at school - it's always been a closed book.

LA have given up. Their appeal deadline has come and gone. Final Statement has arrived with the words 'I hope you are happy with the Statement. If you have any problems please call and we will arrange a meeting'. This is from the same woman who refused to meet or correspond with me in any shape or form from April until Tribunal in July.

So it's all over. Next stop is AR - which will also be secondary transfer. No doubt I'll be back in Tribunal in a year's time when they try to get him out of the school!

Btw, is AR on the anniversary of the crap illegal original Statement? Or is the date when the LA re-wrote it properly following the Tribunal's Decision?

OP posts:

PolterGoose · 02/09/2013 19:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

inappropriatelyemployed · 02/09/2013 21:02

Glad he had a good day.

Think it is generally considered that the date runs from the original statement date. Remember that it is the LA's decision which constitutes the AR and not the meeting held at school to make recommendations to the LA (which they ignore!)

AgnesDiPesto · 03/09/2013 11:43

Our AR runs from after tribunal as a new statement was issued then and replaced the previous one. But tbh I think LAs choose the date that suits them and they can call reviews when they want.

If transferring to secondary Sept 2014 they will have to name the school by Feb 2014 (so you can appeal in time for Sept) so may do a review by Jan 2014. You can try and argue this should be a 'light touch' / mini review as your DS has been assessed so much already for tribunal.

claw2 · 03/09/2013 12:02

Great news! Ds starts his specialist indie school on Thursday too, after 5 years of fighting. The future has just begun

Original poster

TOWIELA · 03/09/2013 12:03

Hmm - very confused now!

Original statement was early February - rewritten statement was end of August. Son has just gone into year 5 (although indie ss school doesn't do year groups - classes are based on ability - so he's with other pupils from approx year 3 up to approx year 7).

He would be going into secondary school Sept 2015. So I'm assuming that AR will be in on the anniversary of when rewritten Statement was issued when he'd be going into year 6. (But then again it could be in 5 months time when original was written!)

So I have no idea when they'll do AR! And if this will be a normal AR or a separate one specifically for secondary transfer.

When do they tell you AR will be? Or I should I write to them asking for it to be in August?

OP posts:

claw2 · 03/09/2013 12:24

It states when ds's AR will be in the statement. Its ds's first statement, so not sure if this is the norm.

Original poster

TOWIELA · 03/09/2013 13:17

Thanks claw - good luck with your DS start of indie school on Thursday!

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claw2 · 03/09/2013 13:25

Thanks Towiela, I am feeling confident and excited after a year off from school, I think ds is in a much better place mentally/emotionally and some of the damage caused by inexperienced MS schools has been repaired.

Ds doesn't know yet that he is going on Thursday, too much preparation and warning can be worse than none at all. I am fully expecting some fuss and refusal to get dressed etc, but hopefully no where near as distressed as he was a year ago. Finger crossed!

I really hope these new schools are the turning points for our ds's.

Original poster

TOWIELA · 03/09/2013 13:54

Fingers crossed for you claw! It's such a great new start.

Yesterday my son got up extra early and got dressed without any hassle whatsoever. Before I withdrew him from school, we used to have a massive 'performance'. He even had to be told to brush his teeth only once!

Today he totally brushed me away when I dropped him off. No goodbye kiss! I'm no longer needed lol.

OP posts:

KOKOagainandagain · 03/09/2013 14:02

I can understand the problem of needing time to get used to a big change - but too much time increases anxiety. DS1 also lives in the present and so only deals with the immediate - if he is not going to school that second he does not have to think about it.

Good luck on Thursday. Will he still have 1:1 and is he starting full days?

Hope the rest of the week continues to be successful TOWIE

claw2 · 03/09/2013 14:03

That is brilliant Towiela! and I really hope that ds will end up like that.

He has attended his new school for 2 half trial days, then twice a week for about 4 weeks, so he has been a few times. We haven't quite managed no performance at all or actually dressing himself. We have had refusing to get out of bed, get dressed, im not going, tears etc. But nothing like before. Im hoping once back into the routine of going every day, with all the extra support he has and better environment, this will improve even more.

claw2 · 03/09/2013 14:11

Keep that is certainly true of ds too much time increases his anxiety. The day before seems to work best with ds. If I wake him in the morning for school with no prior warning at all, he will have a melt down. So I Melatonin to help him sleep and will tell him tomorrow, no big deal, no big fuss, just very matter of fact.

He has a named TA for when he starts and will be full time. TA wont be 1:1 specifically, but ds will be in a much smaller class of about 10, with one other boy with SN's. Home/school book for TA and I to monitor his behaviour and meeting with school, TA, CAMHS etc after 2 weeks.

hoxtonbabe · 03/09/2013 21:35

Hi towie..

Good to hear its all going well :-D

jessiestressy · 03/09/2013 22:03

Hoxton how's the planning for trib going?

Original poster

TOWIELA · 04/09/2013 09:46

Thanks hoxton. How is going with your appeal?

I spoke too soon about getting DS into school. He refused to get out of the car this morning. Eventually he did. Fortunately not a meltdown - more of a stroppy sulk. Oh well - I kinda-of expected a couple of blips.

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