Please or to access all these features

SN children

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

EHCP angst, advice, support, tips, get it off your chest.

230 replies

enterthedragon · 11/05/2016 17:17

As the title suggests, if you need help or advice or just want to let off steam about the EHCP process feel free to get your thoughts down on here.

As usual we will all support each other and give whatever advice we can, and if we don't know the answers we'll try and find out for you or point you in the right direction.

OP posts:
youarenotkiddingme · 15/08/2016 17:04

How's things progressing enter

enterthedragon · 15/08/2016 17:29

youare I'm afraid things are not progressing at all, I can't get in touch with anyone, and I really don't know what to do now.

OP posts:
enterthedragon · 15/08/2016 17:30

How are things progressing with you?

OP posts:
youarenotkiddingme · 15/08/2016 17:38

I'm just waiting for tribunal in Nov!

I've contacted send because I don't believe the la relapse was what they asked for!
For abstract they were asked to provide attendance record for academic year and didn't!

BuffySENsational · 15/08/2016 21:09

Hi Enter I'm sure LA have timed this just so all the helplines would be closed and people on holiday. Try not to panic. A couple of weeks will not strike in instant death for you or ds. I do understand your frustration as you know but my research has taught me an important lesson when dealing with this mad, unreasonable,loony and unlawful LA. They do not care about children with SEN. They really don't give a fuck. They are only interested in themselves and the budgets they control. They will never give you the provision your child is entitled to, never mind the provision they need unless they are forced to. Ever. They will lie and lie to cover up their lies and even if you present indisputable evidence to prove their lies, they will lie. It's shit it really is but once you except that as fact it becomes much easier to deal with. Prepare your grounds for appeal. Shelve your complaint for now and save it for the LGO. But do not expect the LGO to find in your favour. An Appeal to the Tribunal is the only way you will get what you want, what ds needs and is entitled to. Save your energy for the battle ahead and prepare to Barton down the hatches. Once you have put in your appeal and I have hopefully got mine in any day that will be 4 parents that I know of who are appealing our LA. With the help of anyone I can get I intend to at the very least make those nasty fuckers two in particular spring to mind work for their money. And if I can get the 4 of us together we can hopefully pool resources and really make them sweat. But for now I am biding my panicking trying to get grounds finished so I can post it time, researching, reaching out for help and encouraging myself to believe I can do this. I can win this. I am right. I am only asking for what was already on his statement ( although after today that may change Hmm) And I will never give up. Unless I'm dead. Then I will haunt those mother fuckers into the after life with me Grin Prepare for the worst then you will be prepared for it all, you can't be surprised and their power is weakened. And that's what is, power. Knowledge is power and I have met you in RL you have knowledge and it is expanding daily. You are articulate and able to advocate for your ds admirably and you can only improve. You also like Cake which made you leap even higher in my estimations. Even more important than all of the above you love ds and that is the most powerful knowledge of all. Now if only I can follow all of the above......Smile

MeirAya · 15/08/2016 22:23

If I was a LA bod reading this thread i'd be quite worried now Grin

youarenotkiddingme · 15/08/2016 22:33

Info on holiday tomorrow (in the middle of the night!). When j get back the 3 of us should get together for coffee - 2 heads have to be better than 1! M
I know technically I'm separate la but I swear blind both work in the same way.

bedelia · 15/08/2016 23:04

Enter I believe the NAS education helpline is manned well through the summer holiday, they also respond fairly quickly to email enquiries, would this be useful for you?

Buffy - I LOVE your recent post! Could you be talking about our LA too..? who in addition to everything you've written, have a tendency to delay finalising EHCPs so parents are unable to appeal...

youarenotkiddingme · 15/08/2016 23:14

I might add Ds old/current school operate the way you said too buffy!

That's why I'd suggest avoiding an academy. You are then fighting them and the la who don't agree with each other but use their disagreements to gang up on you and as each other's allies!

BuffySENsational · 15/08/2016 23:31

Blush Gosh thanks guys have avoided since posted as thought maybe was a bit ott Grin

Meir I seem to be able to kick ass on paper lack the skills to either link stuff together and link my grounds to legal arguments sadly in RL under pressure I either resort to a mute trembling angry wreck (I kid you not I have attended a CAF back in the day and couldn't physically speak - oh how I laugh now not Grin) or I have the equivalent of verbal diarrhoea and if you make me Angry I go into hulk mode as in RL Envy Confused Maybe I am absolutely fucking positive this is why I get the impression in their petulant writing to me that they find me really, really hard work of a sudden. There I was plodding along in my CFS oblivious bubble being helpfully guided actively not advising by parent support whilst LA ignored statement and placed ds1 into their holding pen, without any right of appeal or reason for two fucking years or an AR AngrySad and then parent partnership felt sorry for me at AR and finally fucking advised me to phone IPSEA. Quickly. So I did and kaboom Buffy was resurrected and I'm ready to kick some butt!!! Grin In my head my LA are my nemesis (The Master who had all his minions do the killing) and I kill him endlessly by slaying him in all manner of Buffy ways. In RL I am hold a black belt in TaeKwonDo and I am also very imaginative. It keeps me amused for hours at night when I can't sleep Grin

BuffySENsational · 15/08/2016 23:43

Oh and youare yes definitely meet up I think our LA's 'share' experience and such so it will be useful for us all but more importantly a confidence boost as I am sure we all each have good and really shit days ahead and already behind. I hope you have a great holiday and Happy Birthdays SmileFlowersCakeWine

My dream now would be for all our Tribunals to run one after the other so they don't get a break. I actively seek parents out now and have already signposted her to IPSEA SOSSEN NAS for advice as she was being conned and like me simply unaware. I will encourage as many as I can and when mine is over help them. So I can slowly defeat them one hearing at a time. I have a long way to go though. Having some knowledge of the relevant Education Act and SEN COP REGS would aid me so that's where I am beginning. For now

MeirAya · 15/08/2016 23:51

Buffy Yep- verbal diarrhoea or mute trembling are a big RL feature here too.

The angry thing not so much- I don't seem able to channel in in RL. Though I do have very fond memories of a 'final verbal warning' interview with DS1 old HT. Told her I had advertised for a replacement but lucky for her, no applicants she was only still
his HT due to Y5 place shortages, and clearly explained all the many areas she needed to improve on

enterthedragon · 16/08/2016 00:31

Thanks everyone, you've got me smiling again.

OP posts:
enterthedragon · 16/08/2016 00:45

I get angry, raise my voice and inwardly tremble.

I don't know whether to appeal or not, if I appeal now it will delay a post 16 AR, atm I have no tangible evidence to back up my suspicions that ds is not as academically able as certain people claim he is.

OP posts:
enterthedragon · 16/08/2016 01:03

Buffy I adore cake and hot chocolate 🍰&🍵. Reading your posts definitely makes me believe you are selling yourself short and you know more than me.

Yes to a three way meet up with or without the offspring 😁

OP posts:
enterthedragon · 16/08/2016 16:53

I can't do this anymore, I've had enough, I want to throw in the towel, admit defeat and disappear off somewhere else.

I'm sick of it all...

OP posts:
youarenotkiddingme · 16/08/2016 19:47

Enter when I felt like that I took a break. I decided I'd be better doing it with a clear head so made myself stop looking at it for a week and read a book.
When I went back to it it surprisingly made more sense!

BuffySENsational · 16/08/2016 19:50

Yes. You. Can. You can do this enter don't give up in this part of the race. That is exactly what there response was intended to do. To demoralise you and make you think you cannot do it. I am so tantalising close to finishing so I can photocopy docs and send off my application - and then I will be here to help if I can. And give you support. I just didn't want to leave you thinking you were alone. I am here I just must be selfish for a little time longer and then I can relax.

You are one step ahead of me re complaint and one step behind me re appeal. youare is further ahead and there are 2 more families waiting for hearing dates. You are not alone. Feel sorry for yourself for a time (I do I find it helps a process if you like, then comes anger and then if I'm really pissed off I become relentless) then take a deep breath, regroup, remind yourself why you began this. And you will find all the strength you need CakeWine

I will be back but must get back to this application xxx

youarenotkiddingme · 16/08/2016 20:31

Haha I'm miles behind! My tribunal is only for refusal to assess! I am just waiting for response from dentist re my quiery about la response not including the info yet said it must!

youarenotkiddingme · 16/08/2016 20:31

Or sendist! Not sure my dentist is much good in this situation - despite being lovely!

MeirAya · 16/08/2016 23:06

enter The AR probably won't be better- it'll likely be worse in effect, at best it'll be crap content but slightly-more-cleverly-put-together. Which would be worse for your ds's case. The big virtue of the crap document in your hand is that you won't need a particularly skilled or clever panel to spot its uselessness.

So if you don't appeal now, you'll just have to wait for the AR, wait for the crap revised statement, and then wait for SENDIST appeal for the 'failure to amend' correctly.

Not a fatal flaw- but more time & trouble than getting on & doing it now.

enterthedragon · 17/08/2016 08:59

To my untrained eye the EHCP looks OK, but only if ds is capable of getting the minimum level 4s (new exam levels) he needs to get onto the course he wishes to do. The ehcp even states that ds is at risk of not obtaining those results and has specified and quantified extra support, the problem is that the delay in getting the final ehcp has meant that ds has not had the extra support.

What the LA don't seem to see is that if the ehcp had been issued within the statutory timeframe then ds would have had the extra support in place for the whole of the academic year and would have stood a better chance of getting the GCSEs that he requires.

However it is a moot subject now because he is not 'at risk' of not getting the GCSEs, he will not get the GCSEs.

So now we have to try and persuade ds to change his shorter term aspirations.

The whole ehcp is set out on the basis that ds is as academically able as any other 15 yr old according to the gov guidelines of what a 15/16 should be able to achieve.
A need for extra support was identified at the transfer meeting but apparently that does not constitute a change of needs.

OP posts:
BuffySENsational · 17/08/2016 13:34

enter Cake X

I am so unbelievably close to finishing my grounds for appeal doc. I am nearly weeping with frustration and exhaustion at present. The postman has been and no notice so I can breath again. I honestly think that if they cut off my right of appeal after 2 years by transferring to ECHP I will just kill them all literally one by fucking one explode. The stress is really eating away at me Sad

I have done ds 1 background, list of advice & evidence, reason I disagree with parts 2,3 & 4 and my conclusion beg the tribunal to see sense and apply the law I found a template on SOSSEN website and did that.

It is about 14 pages long and I just have the last 4 pages to rewrite and then a final tweak. So I best get back Grin

Hang in there enter I've just realised I've got to write my response to stage 2 by 5pm tomorrow Confused

enterthedragon · 17/08/2016 16:09

I'm utterly defeated.

OP posts:
BuffySENsational · 17/08/2016 17:13

enter you can do this more Cake? X