Hi there,
I'm not sure if this is the right board, so I apologise if it's not. Also, this could be quite long, so please bear with me.
Towards the end of June, my DS's teacher (Yr2) asked me to fill in a form to send off to our local council to request extra help with regard to his writing. He struggles with fine motor control and dislikes writing intensely, so is therefore behind his classmates in this area. They didn't mention anything about problems with his behaviour or in any other area, although he is naturally over-loud and sometimes shouts out when he shouldn't. More than most kids, but not so much that it's an issue.
It was parents evening at his new school last night. He is now in Yr3. The teacher said that he's doing well, and his writing is definitely improving. I was really pleased with his report.
However, she did mention a couple of things that I wasn't previously aware of. She handed me a provision map which states that he is in a 'Social and Emotional Support Group'. Once a week, he goes off with a few other children and they get together in a room and just chat about things. She mentioned this was because he sometimes seems to struggle to articulate his thoughts and feelings. He doesn't have this problem at home, but I am happy for him to be in the group if he needs it at school, which he obviously does. However, I was unaware that he had any difficulties with this.
He's part of a writing focus group, and goes to another class for english, as that class works at a slower pace and is for students who need a little extra time. This is brilliant, I think it's really helping him.
He also has access to various lunchtime clubs, with the support of his Learning Mentor. I knew he went to a couple of clubs, but had assumed they were open to everyone. I asked his teacher about this, and she said that initially the clubs are only available to those students who are on the SEN register.
Now, I don't have any problems with this, but I wasn't actually aware he was on the SEN register. Would the form I filled in last term regarding his writing have been the application to go on the register? Would that be regarded as his statement? Should I have been told by somebody previously that he was registered?
I trust the teachers, they know what they are doing. But I feel a little left out of the loop and I don't really understand exactly what being on the register means. Obviously, he does have extra educational needs because he is behind his peers in some areas. But I thought that meetings and discussions would take place beforehand, so that everyone knows exactly what's happening.
Is anyone able to shed any light on this please? Thanks in advance, especially if you've read through the whole essay!