NO IEP for September

[catok]

DS 9 (AS) has just done well in QCA tests. School says it is hard for them to think of targets for his IEP (SA+) so they think he doesn't need one for September! We are gobsmacked!
He has started trying to make friends at school this year, and he internalises most of his anxiety until he gets home.
We are really concerned that, without any IEP, he will have no chance of access to the local secondary with AS support unit next year (Year 5 at the moment)
I feel like I am missing something here - help please - what do I do next?

IEP targets can be social too. I would make a list of all of the aspects of his life that you feel could do with improvement and only cross of the ones that can't be worked on at school.

IEP targets are rarely purely academic. J has no academic problems, but a massive list of targets on IEP and Statement!

Good luck - I would present them with the list and discuss how the school could work on each thing with him - and that's your IEP.

Don't know much about this but I agree with givemesleep - it doesn't seem sensible them ditching the IEP for purely academic reasons.

Hi Catok,

Re your comment:-

"We are really concerned that, without any IEP, he will have no chance of access to the local secondary with AS support unit next year (Year 5 at the moment)"

What may be the case as well is that to access that particular support unit a Statement may be a prerequisite. I would ask the secondary school asap what the criteria is for entering such a unit - i.e is a Statement mandatory?.

Infact you may now want to apply for a Statement anyway from the LEA particularly if a Statement is needed to access that unit.

Think your son's current school is being misguided at the very least by saying he does not need an IEP for September. Think as well they don't know what to do. As givemesleep has correctly surmised, IEP targets don't just have to be academic. Also secondary school is an entirely different ball game from primary.

I would have a word with IPSEA, the NAS and SOS;SEN in your circumstances. You'll get a lot of information to digest but speaking to these groups may give you some more help.

I agree about IEP targets not needing to be purely academic ones. Ds1 is doing well academically but his IEP targets are usually related to things like motor skills, sensory problems, social difficulties, strategies for him to use when things go wrong etc.

I think you really need to go in and speak to someone about the things that they could be working on with ds.

Good luck.

Many thanks for all your advice - you have all helped me to feel a lot better! I will be prepared for his review meeting!