I can't see the wood from the trees ATM... Advice please

[pannetone]

I will try to keep this brief but is complex...

In a nutshell I have both DS3 and DD out of school because of anxiety. DS (HFA, anxiety disorder) is in Y7 at secondary. He struggled with the transition and at the start of this term everything feel apart. He didn't manage a reduced timetable and is now meant to be going in for an hour each day doing work in the library. He only managed this for 2 out of 3 days last week. He is waiting for a CAMHs appointment and we may be looking at medication. He has had 2 lots of CBT and it didn't help. EWO now involved to support getting DS back into school. Won't happen ATM because DS needs CAMHs help. Bigger worry is that even with medication(/other help?) DS is not going to be able to re-integrate into his large MS comp. Last term they tried to support DS, but his difficulties have a lot to do with the number of different teachers and subjects and different pupils in the classes. (He is taught some subjects with his form, some in sets and some in other groups like boy/girl groups for PE).

Should I be applying for a statement for him? There is very little evidence of his difficulties in school - he only had an IEP in Y6. He hasn't been seen by an EP. Is the fact he isn't able to get to school taken as 'evidence' that his needs are not being met - or just that i'm being an ineffective parent.

Meanwhile DD's school think that I am failing in my 'duty' to get DD (Y4 HFA, selective mutism, anxiety disorder) into school and that they can't help her if she is not there. They entirely fail to make the link is that it is the fact that her needs aren't being met that is causing her to school refuse. (DS by contrast 'wants' to go in and dresses in uniform each day but his panic gets the better of him.) They also think that DD is 'copying' her brother - DS being off may have 'precipitated' her school refusal but she has had manys periods of reluctance to attend school before this.

I have had a refusal of my request to assess DD for a statement and need to appeal this month. BUT the LA say that the school has the resources to meet DD's needs. I am certain that the School aren't meeting them though - support for SEN (and school generally) was said to be requiring improvement in last term's OFSTED. What do i do? The IPSEA appealing a refusal to assess pack states that this is a difficult position to be in and that the tribunal may just throw out my appeal because the School haven't done all they could (by any stretch of the imagination) to support DD's needs.

... If so, would this be one case with one hearing (what is the cut-off timeline?) or if I made 43 separate applications could I ask for 43 separate hearings?

Keep and claw - How are your DSs academically? DS and DD are academically above the 'level expected' for their age - with a few notable 'below average' areas for DD relating to her inability to speak in class. So they are doing well academically in school - except they aren't currently in school at all...

I have found your comments on CAMHs 'pertinent' claw - yes, all of CAMHs' emphasis is on what we as parents and DD can do to 'fix' things. Evidence is that therapist says she needs DH to come to the next appt now DD is school refusing. Phoned her today to confirm the appt and she has told me we can talk about putting 'boundaries' in place for DD's 'behaviour' over not going to sleep in the evenings. I am not looking for parenting advice! And I don't like her suggestion that DD is being 'manipulative' and choosing only to tell me the 'bad things' that happen at school. In fact DD tells me neither the good or bad things but I can tell what sort of a day she has had at school by how withdrawn or alternatively explosive she is after school. And there was a suggestion that DD has to be 'therapied out' of the 'little girl' role she has allegedly adopted, refusing to 'grow up'. Not how I see it. Therapists seem to have a field day on the fact that DD is my youngest of 4 and my only DD...

I don't know what we will do if the tribunal refuse to assess or give a statement. We could take out a disability discrimination case that neither DS or DD's school are meeting needs. We will be considering making a new application once EHCP come in? I don't know.

Oh and keep we 'only' had 5 claims in our DD case - the claims have to go back no more than 6 months before the claim goes in. (Though we managed to add in some that were 'older' than that because we argued that the school had purposely held info from us and misled us in the info they did provide.) Within a 6 month period I think they would hear all your 43 claims together! (We had a mixed bag of harrassment and discrimination arising from disability and failure to make reasonable adjustments.)

Ds is above average academically, very high IQ etc is the short version. However his levels of attainment were up and down at the time of my applying for SA.

For example he was 8 at the time

One month SENCO reported in letter to LA
Reading 2b
Writing 2c
Maths 2c

Next month in his IEP (for my benefit)
Reading 3
Writing 2a
Maths 2a

Next month SENCO reported to Tribunal
Reading 2b
Writing 2c
Maths 2b

and so on and on.

Children are expected to make 1.5 sub level of progress in a year. It would appear my ds was making 2 sub levels of progress in a month, then dropping 2 sub levels the following month!

So im not sure whether his level of attainment depending on who school were reporting it to! or whether his up and down levels were due to his difficulties. None of his levels were below average.

However I didn't apply for a statement due to academic difficulties as such, although his difficulties do get in the way of effective learning, not necessarily academic learning. His difficulties with rigid thinking do create a barrier for example. His communication does create a barrier to his social interaction and so on and on, each difficulty has a knock on effect to another iyswim.

I have had a bit of a mixed bag with CAMHS.

The fact that ds1 is above average was significant. He was level 3 at KS1 but had not made progress and was still at level 3 at KS2.