Another edducation Q sorry- can we take this to Governors?

[BethNoireNewNameForPeachy]

After chatting to another SN Mum at the school(non PC term but hey hoLOL),it seems her child wasdenied additionalreading becuase of the Heads preference for threeformalworships a week, and her refusal to eat into it: the request for ds1'ssocialskillstimewent in at the same time so I assume that wasdenied also. DS2 isn't getting writing support for the samereason.

Is this something I can go to governors about? They used to have formalised worship every few weeks,thrice weekly is IMO excessive. This a schoolwith Church links, but also our only catchment one which is the only reason we picked it. We didn't have other options.

Dont know if this is something completely up to Head,or challengeable. good cahnce I can get Vicar onside, he likesme (taught me at Uni) but don't know if they ahve poweer in this sort of thing.

The religious thing is affecting SEN provision in other ways- the request for sit n move cushions was refused (only for twokids,so £30) becuase no funds yet plenty for faith study purposes. What's wrong with a happy medium?

The governors' role is primarily strategic. They very rarely become involved discussion about individual children. Consequently I think they would almost certainly not get involved with discussion about whether particular children did or did not get particular support. However, they should be involved in agreeing the policy for worship, ensuring that inclusion is happening and they also have a key role in decising how resources for different areas are allocated.

The governors will only get involved on a stategic level, but it seems like your child's experience may be highlighting flaws in the overall strategy. I would say that this is definitely worth highlighting to governors.

I don't have any experience of church schools, but I am a governor at a state primary school and also mum of asd kid. I would recommend starting with the SENCO and class teacher, probably write to them and then work your way up the school. Governors are more likely to take you seriously if you follow the procedures. I would find out formally from the SENCO what happened to the social skills time request and the writing support request. Also have a meeting with the head and find out from the horse's mouth rather than another Mum. Hopefully you can work with them and get some positive results. Good luck!

other option is you do know that you can pull ds from worship then they will have to provide someone to look after him

Thanks

It was SENCO asking for permission to dothis,after IEP meeting. We want to shift a fewof his hours of support from lessons to social skills work.

Head normally refuses yo meet parents except at termly coffee morning (i've not properly met her even though I go in weekly to help- theres a rumour her trial wont be extended after it ends becuase of weird bits like this)_ I can ask though I guess, se what hapens.

put it all in writing then if she refuses then do again but copy to govenors , probably telling you something already know

Peachy

"The parental right to withdraw a child from receiving RE should be freely
exercisable and a school must give effect to any such request. Parents
are not obliged to state their reasons for seeking withdrawal" DFES 1/94 R.E. and Collective Worship

Write to the school, stating that you wish to withdraw your DS from formalised worship.

Now, obviously, your DS1 is not going to be able to just be left in a classroom. He will need supervision. The supervising person will have to find something to do with him. Oh, wait a minute, he needs to work on his social skills.....

"Guidance regarding the right of withdrawal is outlined in DFES Circular 1/94
sections 46 ? 49 [RE] and 83 ? 88 [collective worship] and relates to the 1988
and 1993 Education Acts. In essence it allows parents to with draw their children
from collective worship and/or Religious Education either in part or completely.
Parents do not have to give a reason to request withdrawal. Teachers also have
the right to withdraw."

In fact, if the SENCO is getting ticked off, he/she could elect to withdraw also...

(I am a Christian, BTW, so not trying to scupper RE, just believe that God would rather have these children getting the help they need than sitting in a hall 3 times a week to formally worship & drown the rest of the week.)

Intreested in the aprtial withdrawal- wasn't sure about absolute (a Christian (Quaker type) with an RS degree to bootLOL,and DS1 likes philosophy that they do at school. If partial is possible willdiscuss with dh alter.

Phoenix nope not telling me stuff I already know,found getting statements easy so whilst got into the wholemedical / actualasdside didn't really get knowledge of the fiddler ed stuff IYSWIM.

Yes, you can elect to keep him in RE type lessons, but not collective worship, and crucially, you don't even have to justify it.

yep ds2 who is nt quite frankly refused to do religious assembly from age 9 able to say why not and yes I did back him .

though he did and does enjoy Re and finding out about other relgions, he is now almost 13
] and very open and understanding ,respectful of others beliefs but a total non believer

There should be a governor at the school that is responsible for SEN. Not 100% sure if that's the case at a church school, but assume as they're overseen by the LEA that it would be the same as for a 'normal' community school. Whenever I have a problem wrt SEN that the HT and or SenCo isn't dealing with effectively, I write a letter to the SEN governor. Who probably shudders and recognises my handwriting on the envelope by now...If they refuse to take the child out of collective worship for the extra support that is needed, then they have to make time elsewhere in the timetable for it. At DD's secondary school they have given up on French in order to fit the extra Maths and English lessons into the timetable that she needs, so I'm dang sure that missing assembly wouldn't be that difficult. Unless the SenCo is also a class teacher in which case that would create problems, as they would have to be supervising their class.

OH and the extra time is not allowed to be breaktimes. It is allowed to be in their lunch hour providing they get time to eat. DD's social skills class is on a Thursday lunchtime.

The SENCO has identified that your ds needs this extra help. So the help should be given. (what stage of SEN register is he on?) I would defintely write to the governor in charge of SEN. Also contact Parent partnership officer for advice.

CS he is statemented, it would come out of his statement time. It means a rejib but LEAwereOK with that.

It'snot a Church School as such.... it'san LEAwith an endowed status. TBH I have no idea how exactly that works and very few do, they get an annualassessment which decides if they get the endowed funding and the Vicar (actually rather nice and liberal himself) sits as Head of Governors...last time the report complained that there isn't enough God in maths FGS. I'mnot sure how you battlewith that.Oh and the Head has to be pratcsing worshipper in our Diocese.

Can't be at lunchtime-apart fromfact its so short (45 mins total( that there is only 10mins for play, every teahcerrefusestocover I think which is why we're after lunchtimne funding. Thre dinner ladieswereoffered ASD training last year (old Head) but refused it.