How much of a fuss should I make? (School delaying promised TA support for DD)

[pannetone]

Thanks to all of you who replied to me earlier thread about the games LAs play and advised me to keep to my original hearing date for my tribunal appealing refusal to assess. I have emailed SENDIST asking for my date back. I had put in a request for changes but luckily no order has been drawn up yet so hopefully I am in time.

The other 'issue' is that DD's school promised at the TAC meeting last week to put in 5 mornings (15 hours) TA support with a newly appointed TA. Head said support would be put in place for start of summer term.

Now it turns out that the Head is planning to use a TA he had already appointed to start in Sep - that TA was to work with a different child in Sep, but since the appointment the child unexpectedly left the school. So Head wants that TA to work with DD instead. Trouble is the support for DD is meant to start in the summer term. The Head has negotiated that the new TA will come at half term (so June) having been released from her current position.

So Head's take is that he has successfully negotiated for this TA to start in June, not Sep. Our take on it is that the School didn't appoint a specific TA for DD and DD will have to wait another half term for the 15 hour a week support.

DD (9, HFA, anxiety, selective mutism) has been out of class since late Jan. Since Feb she has has 3 x 20 min sessions a week with a TA and me in a closed room away from the classroom (and that is all her time in school.) She interacts a little with the TA 'through' her soft toy, sometimes speaking a little, again as the toy. DD is too anxious to go into class with the TA however briefly, and she gets tearful and panicky if she is seen by any children or staff.

This TA that DD currently has is the TA DD had in Y1 and 2 (and used to work well with) - she only gets 3 x 20 mins because the Head will not release the TA from her Y1 and 2 'duties' for any more time. Though now as the Head is not putting in the promised 15 hours support, as a 'sop' DD will get 4 hours a week with this current TA.

Followed all that?! In summary DD was getting 1 hour of support a week. It was meant to be 15 hours from start of the summer term. Instead she will get 4 hours until summer half term. So DD is better off than she was, but well short of what she was promised.

I am also put out that the Head has appointed a new additional TA for the reception class to start after Easter - should he be juggling things around so DD gets much closer to the promised 15 hours support? The reality is that DD hasn't had any actual education from school since Jan - the TA sessions have just been spent on trying to build a relationship (again) between the TA and DD and we are still at the stage of playing simple games. The other issue is that the longer DD is away from the classroom, the harder it is going to be to re integrate her. The 15 hours was meant to 'kick start' her re integration.

this is the reason you need a specified and quantified statement. legally at the moment as your dd doesnt have a statement there is not much you can do as the school's sen budget isnt ring fenced - they can spend it as they wish.
do you have the agreed 15 hours in writing from the tac meeting? if so I would be emailing the HT and LA and asking why this wont be provided. also if they blame lack of funds you could do a foi request of a breakdown of the schools sen budget. but tbh if they are reluctant to provide the support this probably wont change things.
seeing you have a tribunal date for early june I would be putting every effort in to ensure that your evidence is supportive that your dd needs SA. I would apply under the data protection act for a copy of your dds school file, ask for copies of reports from all outside professionals involved with your dd, conatct your gp etc.
when/ if your dd does get the statement make sure that is specific in terms of ta support otherwise you will probably find that the school use the ta to support other children etc. this is the issue im having .

sorry I should have said I have every sympathy with you - it is such a long, drawn out process that is incredibly frustrating and ultimately robs our dcs of provision

It could be that the head has found the perfect TA and thinks it's worth waiting half a term for her.

Not really fair on the YR children or their teacher to lose their TA. There may be new children plus some coming for settling in sessions.

It doesn't seem fair on your DD but if the TA is experienced and a good one she could be worth the wait.

Thanks armani. We have no minutes from the TAC yet but I would hope it was recorded. In fact head not puttingin the support makes a mockery of the whole TAC system - no way will we get the wanted 'outcomes' without proper support for DD. It is such a crazy system -DD has no 'entitlement' to support because she doesn't have a statement BUT the LA are claiming DD doesn't need a statement because she is 'adequately' supported by the school...

Hmm morgause thing is that this TA was actually not appointed with Dd in mind - she was meant to be for the child who has now left you has rather different support needs than DD. I hope she is 'worth the wait' but I am also worried that the wait will make it even harder for DD to re integrate.

I don't want the children in YR to 'miss out' but this is an additional TA for that class. DD isn't in class at all. I'm sure the Head won't juggle that TA now but it just shows that the Head has found extra resources where he saw a need - just not in the case of DD.

exactly the LA will claim that your dd is supported by the school, as they dont want her to have an entitlement to provision that they are responsible to provide! its disgusting!
also you can still get a statement that doesnt provide additional funds from the la (school provide the provision from their own budget). it just ensures that your dd recieves the provision she needs.