Help....please x

[mw63]

I have been fighting for my son since reception, he is now yr 5. For the third year running my son returned to school with no needs in place and everything achieved through TAF dismissed. Although his peadiatrician lists his diagnosis's as ADHD, severe dyspraxia, duane syndrome, learning difficulties, sleep difficulties and problems with sensory integration processing auditory information his headmistress and senco insist once again he has no special educational needs! In October I met with the head and a support worker to discuss and the head refused point blank to accept any of my issues as real which resulted in me telling her she was fucking useless and walking out. On the basis of this she has had me banned from the school for 6 months, she is fully aware of my own health problems and is fully aware through TAF I have no one else to take him so he has been off now since 23 october. This has provided a perfect smoke screen that I have been unable to move beyond. I have asked for help for over two years and have been refused by social service no less than eight times. Now because of my sons absense they want to be involved and want to place my son as Child in Need to speed up a process they could have been involved in over the past 5 years. No one is listening to my complaints re head and senco. Governors written to 3 months ago and still not replied. I am so upset that they are now trying to turn this on me when all I am guilty of is wanting my son to have the education he is entitled to. I lost my support worker the minute I challenged Education on Every Child Matters doc. The head in the meantime has announced her retirement. Sorry about ranting but I have just seen in local news that the head and senco are off on a jolly to Nepal to schools there whilst my son is not being education because of their incompetence here. It seems every where I turn for support is funded in some way by the people I am want to complain about. I think I really need a solicitor now this is totally out of hand, it is making me ill, I am beginning to fail (I also have adhd) and I am too scared to talk to anyone now. Does anyone know of a decent solicitor specialising in SEN in the Wirral/Merseyside area. Thanks for reading if you made it to the end...

Hi. Might you qualify for legal aid? If you think you would, if you phone Civil Legal Advice they will put you through to education lawyers - see www.gov.uk/civil-legal-advice

What is the situation with requests for statements/EHCP?

You are in the right - the law is clear that your child's sen MUST be met and with those paed diagnoses, the HT should be doing something.

Is a change of school a possibility? It sounds like there has been a total breakdown with this one and your son deserves a school that will make adjustments for his SEN. You can also apply for an EHCP but if the school are saying he has no SEN then you are going to have a major battle on your hands.

You need to start gathering evidence, getting an ehcp is all about evidence but if the school have done nothing that is going to be hard.

Do you have any evidence of a lack of progress eg, school reports ?

I also agree with one you probably need to change schools!!

Good luck

Hi, thank you all for your replies. I am not sure whether legal aid would cover this area but feel certain if it did I would qualify. Thank you for the contact. My son does not have a statement or EHCP. He had been school action+ until end of last school year. Last year the head insisted he only had medical problems and that he had a Medical Plan instead of an IEP. This was an IEP with words IEP replaced with Medical Plan. No one in Education SEN, Statementing Officer or Educational Social Welfare no what this is!

The reason I haven't moved him to another school is because he has social and communication problems. I am a single mum with no family or other support, we have been involved with a community group since his birth, 70 of us holidaying together each year. He is also a woodcraft member run by same people, most of these children all attend the same school.

Last Summer he was bullied at a football group which eventually involved the police. The boys involved in this attend the other two local schools. Finally and most importantly though I was informed by the Ed Social Worker that if he moved school he would be at the back of the queue in respect to needs!!! I have now found this to be untrue and after asking her to put it in writing she is now claiming the school told her. You couldn't make up some of the stuff I am experiencing, it really is unbelievable.

What sort of evidence would I need to collect for ehcp? With respect to the difficulties with the school I have kept all communication and logged all calls. I do have all Sonny's school reports and 5 yrs of IEP's (never reviewed). I have OT reports, SENAAT reports, speech and language reports, recommendations from Auditory Processing all ignored by school.

I have also today received FPN warning letter to issue fixed penalty notice from the head of Ed Social Work who refused to be involved in both July and November and has ignored all calls since. I am at a total loss and feel completely vulnerable. The irony is I worked for the same LEA for 18 years and know sly they can be.

Unbelievable. The more I see vulnerable children and parents being treated like this the more angry I get.

Sounds like you have been monumentally failed. You have enough evidence to appeal for a ehcp.

Let us help you get your child assessed. I like to think there are two things at play. Stupid schools and authorities and the law. Law stands up to account, idiots don't

So let your idiots tell their side to appeal. They will be held to account

I agree with 2boys loads of people have been hekped through tribunal on this board!

Go on the IPSEA website tomorrow and download the template letter to ask for a Statutory Assessment or EHC needs assessment or what ever the are calling it this week!!

Dont stand anymore shite!!

Good luck

Agree - go for EHCP and check for legal aid as it can pay for independent expert reports.