what would my DD gain from being on the SEN register?

[slowlygoingcrazy]

DD who is 9 cannot use her right arm/hand. She gets middle rate DLA and I have been told she should be on the SEN register (not by the school or medical professions though - just an associate).

I am just wondering what she would gain by this? She is a bright girl and only needs help occasionally at school.

Probably not so much at primary school, but once she goes to secondary school and it'll take half a term for some teachers to even learn her name because they'll see her for 40 minutes a week, if that, they'll at least officially be forewarned.

She will need to be on the SEN register if she is to receive any exam concessions at all (things like a scribe, word processing, extra time etc). If she's not on then she will be lost in a big pond and there will be no justification for her to get help. I'd stick her on. It does her no harm, its a name on a list and it means that people are alerted to her should there be problems later on. Possibly she might need to have some recognition from the PE dept. Remember secondary schools are so much bigger with a HUGE staff pool and its the first thing you do when you get the class list is look on the SEN reg. I'd be pretty stunned, asa teacher, that your daughter was not on there. You'd be amazed the children on it who shouldn't be there and the kids that aren't but should.

Get her put on - it will do her no harm and might save time and effort later on when she is in year10.

All the best.

I totally agree with Flyingmum - being on the SEN register just raises staff awareness of her. Will she be able to cope with carrying all her stuff around at secondary? Might she need some extra time to get changed for PE? Support in DT lessons with machinery or knives?
We have some pupils on the SEN register for very peculiar reasons!
At the very least her support needs will be checked regularly.