Any kind SEND lawyers here please?

[doubleshotespresso]

Please help if you can!

Am now at a crucial point in proceedings(not yet legal but heading this way), very complex but quite clearly a case for disability discrimination.

Would anybody be able to give me some honest answers I am really feeling like I need a bit of clarity before making some big decisions.

I will be eternally grateful just to find out where i stand for now, thank-you for reading.

Bump

I'm not even slightly a lawyer but I took my child's school to a disability discrimination tribunal last year and won on some counts, so happy to offer advice from what I learned along the way if that's any help?

@BoobsOnTheMoon

I'm not even slightly a lawyer but I took my child's school to a disability discrimination tribunal last year and won on some counts, so happy to offer advice from what I learned along the way if that's any help?

Goodness, yes, yes please! Thanks so much for your response. I am at the point I think of launching into exactly this process but quite terrified of the financial outlay it seems is going to be necessary. How did you find good representation? How eye-watering (if you don't mind sharing) were the costs? I do have a lot of evidence which I guess is a good start...

I didn't have any representation at all, I did the whole thing myself. Didn't cost a penny other than in photocopying and grey hairs

The costs are indeed eye watering if you start down the road of legal representation. Completely out of my reach (self employed single parent).

I had some advice from a Facebook group called Educational Equality though which was helpful :)

@BoobsOnTheMoon

I had some advice from a Facebook group called Educational Equality though which was helpful :)

Ahhh now this is reassuring to know. I think I am reasonably confident I could do this or at least give it my best shot. I had no idea this was allowed. Goodness I was quoted £10-15k yesterday and nearly collapsed

Thanks for the link for facebook I will give this a whirl.
How long did it take you to bring the case and ultimately win please?

I sent off the initial claim in December 2019. Originally the hearing was scheduled for April 2020 but the school managed to have it postponed until July.

Doing it yourself really isn't that scary. It takes time and mental energy, both of which are scarce resources when you already have a disabled child, I know. But it is absolutely doable. I'm not even remotely qualified to do anything like it but I managed!

Happy to give you more info via PM but it's potentially outing so I'd rather not go into more detail on the open board!

Should have said, the hearing was on 1st July and the school conceded a major point after 4 hours, after which I agreed to drop the rest of the claims because I felt that I couldn't take any more stress and stringing out!

@BoobsOnTheMoon

I sent off the initial claim in December 2019. Originally the hearing was scheduled for April 2020 but the school managed to have it postponed until July.

Doing it yourself really isn't that scary. It takes time and mental energy, both of which are scarce resources when you already have a disabled child, I know. But it is absolutely doable. I'm not even remotely qualified to do anything like it but I managed!

Happy to give you more info via PM but it's potentially outing so I'd rather not go into more detail on the open board!

Like all SEND parents I will drag the mental time and energy from somewhere/soehow. I am determined that they are called to account for this, it's been unforgivable and soul-destroying, I am not quite broken yet, but that's most certainly their aim -(

Yes i have been deliberately vague here, so would welcome a PM from you actually, I cannot express fully how grateful I am for this. I am currently on hold right now trying to sort out things immediately related to this subject so if I do not reply immediately please bear with me!

Many thanks ;-)

Hi I've just joined today specifically to look in to this issue. My kids are adopted and youngest is struggling, awaiting a Dyspraxia assessment with some other issues and the school have failed time and time again to put the necessary provisions in place. Just asked for a Subject Access Request to start getting provisional information together and have warned them future failures will result in me taking legal action, the after I said it I thought, 'oh actually can I?' So hugely refreshing to see you have and huge kudos that you have done it yourself. Pretty exhausted by it all, but getting ready for the next battle!