I want to complain about this awful SENCO

[dontknowwhat2callmyself]

Hello everyone - it has been a long long time since I have posted I do still lurk but I have a problem which I hope I can get some advice about.

My DC is due to start secondary school next year so I contacted the SENCO of one of our local secondary schools to ask for a visit. I told her DC's diagnosis's and the amount of hours she had on her statement and the SENCO replied "this school is not a suitable placement". She didn't even ask about dc abilities et c... just made a judgement.

Needless to say I will no longer be considering said school for dc !!!
but I want to complain about her dire attitude. I have already complained to the school and received an apologetic reply but her attitude was so dreadful ( don't want to out myself by going into the specifics) that I feel I need to take it further.

The Chief Education Officer seems to ring a bell does anyone know is this the person I need to complain to - Thanks

Ds school is an academy too. They have their own rules (as in totally disregard anything close to acceptable practice!) and also skate on the edge of disability discrimination constantly.

Good for you standing up for your DD - but I'd run a mile!

Can the Local Authority do anything about an academy though? I thought they were a law unto themselves and only answerable to their management.

No harm mentioning this to the LA then but I'd be surprised if they do much about it. It may be that they are already aware of similar issues there though.

But polter they will all be academies soon so it wont make much difference will it? I also agree about the way the money is spent poulter xx

PolterGoose, will academies get funding for our children? I got told it worked against our children.

It will be very difficult to prove discrimination based solely on what the Senco said. I think the most you would get from a discrimination case is an apology in any case and as you've had this already I doubt the tribunal would proceed. I have won a case of disability discrimination against a school on multiple counts but it's not easy.

True Polter

BigHairySpider - I'm not looking to go to court for a discrimination case!

The school is not following procedure for secondary transfer. I need to highlight this to someone higher up in authority. Tethersend has pointed me in the right direction.

polters spot on as usual! Academies are a law unto themselves Ime. (Of just the one DS goes too!) however, where Sen is concerned through an EHCP they are answerable to it as any school. Plus the la can send Sen inspectors into academy (Ofsted don't deal with Sen complaints).

I think the difference is - or what seems to be the case Ime - is that academies have their own lawyers, curriculum, term dates and time tables. They get a lot more autonomy over what they do and this is where they are starting to skate close to a line.

It may also be why many outstanding state schools that became academies are now not outstanding.

IMO there needs to be might tighter guidelines produced - based purely on the fact every child is legally entitled to receive an education between ages 5-18. There should be some actual guidelines to what they must be provided with - Sen or not.

Sorry - didn't explain it well. I think where they get more autonomy they are mistaking this for being able to make all their own rules and forgetting at times policies that apply everywhere - even outside of education.

I don't know if this has anything to do with the recent academies white paper which states that poor quality students should be excluded.
Here

May be nothing to do with it though.

My DC are at an academy. Children with SN often only last a day before being excluded, some having being mentally pushed to meltdown by staff, to keep in line with their zero tolerance policy, they don't seem to care about discrimination and seem to be beyond reproach when it comes to SN.

That is my experience to phil DS was excluded from a PE lesson on Friday when he turned up because the PE teacher 'decided' DS couldn't just pick and chose what sessions he participates in despite it being a reasonable adjustment DS doesn't have to do contact sports due to sensory difficulties. I'm fuming!!!

I'm not sure if the situation has anything to do with the school being an academy.

The school DD will now definitely go to is also an academy. I have visited this school and discussed DD with the SENCO who was absolutely brilliant.

I agree there are some fantastic academies - I looked at one with ASD resource unit for DS.

However I think where all academies are independently run it is more likely you find one that plays fast and loose with rules and policy because they aren't under as much la control as maintained schools iyswim?

Another school near me is an academy - an outstanding one and my friends Dds go there. However one of their own TAs advised me off the record not to consider it for DS and their ability to manage ASD is dire.

The school ds goes for 6th form is an academy; the one he was at and where dd is now isn't. I don't see any difference between them as far as SEN and other policies go other than the differences you would expect between one school and another.

don't know as Polter says I think it is good that you are willing to highlight this SENCO;s attitude to the LA. We complained about ds's primary HT even though he had left the school because we didn't want her attitude to affect other pupils. I believe that the governors have made changes because of that and things got better for pupils with SEN there. Not that we ever got an apology from the HT though. But it can make a difference.

My eldest is at an academy and receives excellent provision for his SN even though he's not got a statement or EHCP BUT the LA is currently still controlling admissions. When all schools are forced to become academies then there will be nowhere that will be prepared to take kids like mine on cost grounds. That doesn't make it ok or right, it's still discrimination. As it is even with the LA forcing admission 3 primaries have said no to my youngest and been allowed to do so by the LA.

I don't mean bringing a legal case for discrimination but in the OP's case a complaint would very much be justified if the OP feels able to do so.