DD missing out on interacting with peers

[HaveAcuppa]

DD M/S secondary has complex difficulties. This yr (8) she has dropped MFL so has 3 hours intervention which is great. She is way behind with reading accuracy and fluency so she has been reading to a TA during form time. Recently they have pulled her out of assembly time as well. So at the moment she has no contact time with her peers. At lunchtimes she does a sensory diet each day.
During the last IEP review SENCO commented that she has no time with her form group peers and concerned that she is not interacting with her peers. In a recent email I commented that I am not happy she is now missing assembly so she has come back and ask for my permission for her to forfeit reading. I don't know how to react to this. in her recent reading test, the age gap has got bigger even though there is now support in place, so I am reluctant to agree to this as DD still needs lots of support. At the moment DD is happy to read to someone at school but we still have meltdowns at home around this.
Any advise please as to respond?

Any help please, I need to email back to school this weekend. Dd has had a terrible week, low self esteem and gets upset she has no friends but doesn't know how to change this and communicate with them.

Why don't you do the work yourself when she is home? It makes a pleasant change to hear about a school that takes a child's needs so seriously and fits them into a day I must say.

Does your DD have a statement in place; if not I would be applying for one of these and asap.

I would be speaking to the SENCO directly now face to face as well as e-mail and request a meeting. It sounds like your DD is bottling up all the frustrations of the school day to take it all out on the nearest and dearest at home; an indication to my mind that her needs at school are still not being met.

Where's her pastoral support year group person in all this, has this person had any input?. What does she do first thing; is she not going to her form class?.

What has the SENCO done if anything to increase your DDs time with her peer group since the last IEP review?.

Thanks For your reply. Yes she has a statement.

It was the SENCO who raised at the iep review that they are concerned the dd is not interacting with her form/peer group. This put me on the spot and I didn't really respond to it. They have not come up with a solution and are now asking my permission for her to forfeit some her her support not that I have raised my concerns.

On her statement it ver wispy washy and states 'to support dd socially and Emotionally'

There is a lot of intervention in place now which is brilliant, but I don't feel like saying it is ok to start dropping things so she interact at form times and assemblies as she is 13 and only just started getting proper support to help.

We argued with school for dd to drop MfL which LA agreed but now I am thinking that this might not be enough to properly support where it is needed. I don't know whether to suggest this as an option that another lesson is dropped (something that she has no intention of taking at KS4)

They don,t go to form first thing, just straight to lessons and then they have 20 mins before lunch in form time. DD does not participate in this on any day as she does interventions with a TA.

I would be having a word with IPSEA www.ipsea.org.uk to see if it is now possible to get the wishy washy parts of the statement i.e "to support DD socially and emotionally" totally reworded. Its a shame it was never seemingly rejected out of hand at the time but it may be able to still get amended even now. This scenario you describe is also why the wording of statements has to be right and right first time.

When does the next annual review of the statement take place?.

Is she working in total isolation with a TA, are there no other children in the classroom when she is working with the TA?.

I would certainly be calling for a meeting with the SENCO and the pastoral support person (if there is one that is) for Y8.

If another subject was dropped, what subject would that be?. I ask this as you need to bear in mind that RS is compulsory, they may be able to let her drop Citizenship/Lifeskills if this is taught at her secondary school.

"They have not come up with a solution and are now asking my permission for her to forfeit some her her support not that I have raised my concerns".

Tell them no, they need to come up with another solution because this is no solution at all. I would still talk this through with IPSEA.

Thanks. I think I shall just send a reply back stating I am not happy with dd forfeiting support that I feel is important and is on the statement but I am very concerned regarding her interaction with peers.
I will contact IPSEA, thanks.