Dyslexia - catchment secondary school don't want her

[bjkmummy]

Remember I have two boys with asd so have heard it all over the years but what happened last week has knocked me for 6 in relation to my daughter.

She's 10 a normal girl who causes no issues and very compliant and well behaved at school. There was things bubbling for a few years and about 6 months ago just as the tribunal for her brother reached its head she had a mini breakdown over school. We moved her to a tiny school with 20 kids in.mteacher instantly raised the issue if dyslexia. School out in loads of support but 6 months later no improvement so we took her for a private assessment which dx her as dyslexic and about 4 years behind and 2 NC centile for reading etc so she quite affected.

Anyway as she's year 5 started to think about secondary and whether we should consider the statementing route. We are currently paying a dyslexia teacher to go into school an hour a week.

Nearest secondary is an academy - she was in the feeder school before we moved her. Feeder school used to be a lovely primary but now very very corporate grown rapidly. I went to an open evening to see the senco - she is the academies head wife and rumour has it not a teacher. Anyway she made it clear with no statement she wil get nothing no support nothing. And if she wasn't at level NC 3 they may not accept her.

I then made an appointment to see the real senco the one who is a qualified teacher who I met this week. The meeting was so bad I came out and cried my eyes out. She made it clear that if I get a statement and get dyslexia specialist teaching in it they will refuse her as they have no such provision. If she has no statement the she will be in a class of 31 kids with no help whatsoever. The teacher is expected to teach to all levels of need. They have a DSP but without an enchanced statement she has no access to it whatsoever so basically I'm screwed if I do get her statemented as they will refuse her and without one she will struggle as 4 years behind. I feel they said this deliberately for me to not send her there as the school only wants the most academic able kids. It was then suggested I look at other schools.

I'm gutted as this is her local school. I see the kids walking to the school every day but they don't want my daughter so wherever she does go will mean a 10 mile bus ride at least. The senco was the coldest woman I have ever met she would make a good employee for the LA. everyone is horrified when I tell them and suggest I complain but why on earth would I know send her to a school that doesn't want her and will make my life hell for the next 5 years as they refuse to support her. I just wanted one if my children to be able to go to their catchment school!

That's horrible.

Don't forget though, that it is the LA that has to meet the needs on the Statement, not the school.

If you get a statement with Dyslexia Specialist Teaching, then they will say, quite rightly, 'can't meet need'. Then, the LA has the option to place in a school which can (I don't know many schools that already have DST) or provide the resources for the school you want to buy in DST.

The school is in no position to outright refuse solely on the basis of something which is relatively easy to sort out.

If she has no statement and you can prove that the school using its best endeavours can't meet her needs without one, then you will win any request for SA. If the LA decides that the school is not using their best endeavours, they can either tell the school to put the provision in, or make provision and charge the school.

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Your local primary & secondary seem to have been taken over by an evil cult, whose belief system is designed for the producing identical 18 year olds, with the main methods scapegoating, bullying, discrimination, nepotism and ticking national curriculum achievement boxes.

Actually, I think your LA statement-avoidance team probably compares quite well. They're likely to be unethical only when it seems necessary, and even that as a 9-5 job, rather than a philosophy. And no wonder they don't want to issue statements if they have to rely on this crowd of charlatans to deliver them. Sucking up all the area's SEN funding, and then cherry-picking only those dc who don't need any of it. Parasites.

The usual advice: get it in writing, don't touch them with a barge pole, count your lucky stars etc. If your poor dd should ever end up there, you will most likely end up simultaneously juggling statementing and disability discrimination tribunals

Her current school - she's been there 6 months - she's year 5 now. School have done lots but say it has not helped. If I go for a statement I am conscious that the only evidence I have is her dyslexia report , a week old Iep and the report the school wrote saying she's not making progress. Normally mainstream teaching has meant she's 4 years behind. I'm mindful to apply for the statement and then see what the fallout will be.

There is another secondary school - the one 10 miles away which has 3 specialist dyslexia teachers and she would be disapplied from French to do extra literacy lessons which sounds much better but I am genuinely upset that the nearest school don't want her and that it means that locally she is by herself as the other school catchment area takes in another LA so the children will live over a huge distance away from us. Also as the school is so far away without a statement we are at real risk she won't even get a place as we will be too far distance wise when it comes to the over subscribed criteria.

Oh yes, and the won't accept her if under NC level 3 line is illegal. They can decline a statemented dc if can prove can't meet needs.

Then a bit of preferential treatment according to publshed admissions criteria: usually siblings, maybe faith criteria, looked after dc, and a small % on talent/aptitude (if they're a specialist school for something).

Everyone else is luck of the draw/ postcode in straight line etc. Even if they're on P-levels and an exclusion prevention plan despite 18h/ week 1:1 via school action plus.

I'd be tempted to suggest ignoring the usual tribunal-ready line about keeping your cards close to your chest. If you have school support now, your LA may realise a cheap statement for year 6 will get her into the dyslexia-friendly school and save them £££ in secondary provision later

Another route in might be a social worker writing a 'she's a young carer who suffered badly at the academy's feeder primary' letter. Depends if you had any social services contact for the boys and the good school has a special circumstances criterion.

maria - your cult comment is so so so true - it all started with the secondary academy - he accepted kids from everywhere to find the most talented ones which then led to loads of places going to the siblings of these kids so now the local kids are in the minority of the school, he then took over the primary school my twins were in and that went from a loving caring school to these huge corporate thing with priamry kids now subject to stringent dress codes etc - icreasing the school from 4 - 7 classes. again kids from miles away moved theri kids into the school to guarantee a place at the secondary school so yet more unlocal kids gaining access - parents still at the primary say that they now struggle to know who everyone is. the teaching staff have now all become clones - all new teachers who of course can be moulded.

he then took over the nursery as well!!! and now jsut for good measure he is planning on opening a 6 th form college - the reason for the 6th form college - so kids dont have to travel - shame he doesnt realise that he is already causing a huge exodus of kids having to travel due his policies.

the other school in their criteria doesnt have a special needs criteria as was hoping to use this if i needed to. yes we do have a social worker for the boys and she is okay and my daughter does attend siblings group.

im hopefully meeting the senco of the further away school next week so that should help and guide me what i need to do. a friend has told me (shes very critical of most things, she works with sen kids at a college) that the senco of this school is inspirational and already is quoting the law re the new EHCP - she really knows her stuff but in a good way which again sounds really promising.

its also now how i will also have to fund her transport as well and with 2 kids out of county - one of which i do have to transport it just well makes me blooming angry! that said i would walk on hot coals to get my kids in the schools that are right for them. ive fought long and hard for the boys and they are sorted thankfully. dyslexia is all new to me

Poor you. It sound horrible. The school 10 miles away sounds loads better. Ask your school if they will support your application for a statement. They just have to provide evidence of provision and the fact that it hasn't worked.

the primary school is out of county - their county have a policy that a child cant be statemented unless approx. 6 years behind whilst mine is only 4 years - my LA have no such policy. my plan is to meet with the senco of the other school this week , see what she says then I will approach the primary school. they are aware of whats happening with the local secondary and are disgusted and appalled and want me to complain. ive heard from others that the local secondary has done this with other children as well so not unique to my daughter as such. the statementing route is one im not looking forward to as my LA hate me after taking them to tribunal and winning an independent placement for my son. I can hear them know moaning about me but what do I do? I have no choice but to fight for her

I am facing the reality than in 18 months time I will have 3 kids in three different LAs schools - one at a school 10 mile north of me and one at a school 10 miles south of me and the other one is 40 miles away!!! I predict lots and lots of driving ahead of me :-)

Which academy is this? They aren't allowed to refuse children with statements except in limited circumstances which clearly won't apply here, and if dd gets a statement with specialist dyslexia provision in it, the school and the LA between them will have no choice but to ensure she gets it. They also have a duty to provide for learning difficulties. Goodness knows what the SENCO's function is supposed to be if they do so little for SEN.

I think you are better off keeping dd out of this school, but I do think whatever happens you should write to the school setting out your understanding of what the SENCO has told you and asking if that is correct. If they say yes, get a copy of the letter to the Department for Education and ask them what they are going to do to enforce the terms of their funding agreement with the academy.

I have a meeting now on Thursday for the further away school with the senco so fingers crossed this school seem more welcoming and helpful. im sure they will be as so far they have made the right noises and seem to have everything in place for a child with dyslexia. if anyone has any questions they think I should ask I would be very grateful just in case there is something or some angle I have forgotten about

A policy that a child can't be statemented unless 6 years behind is unlawful. And a bit bloody ridiculous for primary age children.

There's a very useful paragraph in the SENCOP which outlines all the ways in which a child can make inadequate progress. It mentions nothing about absolutes, in numbers of years, rates of progress, etc

5:42 Adequate progress can be defined in a number of ways. It might, for instance, be progress which:

closes the attainment gap between the child and their peers

prevents the attainment gap growing wider

is similar to that of peers starting from the same attainment baseline, but less than that of the majority of peers

matches or betters the child’s previous rate of progress

ensures access to the full curriculum

demonstrates an improvement in self-help, social or personal skills

demonstrates improvements in the child’s behaviour.

Do your parental statutory request now. When I did mine I only had a dyslexia report, no IEP nor was my child on the special needs register so not on school action nor school action plus. It took me 15 months from start to finish to get his Final Statement and a specialist dyslexic school funded by the LA.

When I received the draft statement, my child's assessments were still ongoing. The draft statement we received was for dyslexia. He has all the other DYS and ASD but we didn't know this when we received the draft statement.

My solicitor didn't know he had other learning difficulties at the time we received the draft statement but he always said my child would get a specialist dyslexic school based on the report by the dyslexia consultant.

Long before starting the process I had contacted a secondary school in another borough who advised me statemented children were the first to get a place at their school.

I started the process when my child was in year 3, he was 8 years old.

All the best, I hope you will apply ASAP.

yes I am going to apply - my back is totally against the wall now. she had some homework from her dyslexia teacher to do - it was nothing major at all and would take a child 5 mins to go but it was awful as she just could not understand it all - it really highlighted how affected by it all she is but she has been good at masking it all by being a bubbly happy girl. whe also didn't go to school yesterday as she said she felt unwell - there was nothing wrong with her and I think she is just finding it all too much at the moment - she would have had her dyslexia teaching yesterday and I think she was anxious die to the fact she just didn't understand the homework she had. there is no specialist dyslexia school near to us so I need to decide where I want this journey to end - mainstream with lots of support or a full out battle for a specialist dyslexia school

Sorry to hear your daughter wasn't able to face school yesterday. I understand what you are going through as a family and it is horrendous. I'm very glad you are going to apply. There might not be a specialist dyslexic school near you but as you go through this lengthy process, hopefully in your research, you will find one or two that are perhaps at one hours' drive from your home.

For a severely dyslexic child, only a specialist dyslexic school will do. I'm in no way an expert but from what you describe, she is on the severe end of the spectrum.

You've done it before for your 2 boys (amazing) and you can do this again for your girl.

Best wishes, if you need any help, please PM me. I am passionate about dyslexic children!