I'm tempted to post some hints for this SENCO...

[humblebum]

...here who wants some advice on how to deal with a 'difficult parent' and SALT who doesn't seem to know her place.

I'm sure some of the teachers/SENCOs used to think the same thing before DS was statemented!

My son was not passive but they were still very defensive in mainstream.

I remember one meeting where I made a suggestion (PECS related) and they looked at me as if I'd suggested something ridiculous until the autism outreach teacher said 'oh what a GOOD idea', then they all shuffled and looked pissed off.

The best thing about special school is it's all first names (at least ds1's is) and no barriers and people actually working together.

I think there can be a feeling in some mainstream schools that things like PECS or even something like visual timetables are 'random' and can be dismissed, out of fear or sometimes ignorance or unwillingness. Not fair on the child. I guess that's less true in most for special schools because everything is more individualised and the training for staff is good.

OMG when I started reading that post I thought it was DD1's senco until I got to the part about statementing, as Dd1 has already got a statement.

I think it's possible to get there if you are persistent and there are some good people who will take what you say on board. In Debs' situaton, I'm shocked at how few people seem willing to work with her and it is really sad - but most schools will have someone, be it the HT, the SENCO or the class teacher/ TA, who will realise that working with you is the biggest key to making everyone's lives easier.

I have gone through good times and bad time with J's schools. The key, I've found, is getting what MUST happen into the Statement. For example, it's written into the Statement that they must meet me every half term to go through J's targets. etc. This makes it quite hard to ignore me. Plus I do have a habit of turning up if something particularly terrible has happened. It's their fault for constantly calling me in during his first term there, getting me out of work all the time - they got me too attached to the place

Plus all the stuff they need to do with him, down to how they should model good playing etc. at breaktimes is in his Statement. Doesn't mean it all happens all the time but it does mean that I can complain in brief, almost apologetically, saying 'but it says in the Statement that you have to...' rather than having to justify myself and convince them of things.

GMS...do you think you get listened to more because you are a teacher? I do wonder why there is a reluctance to listen and, in want of a better explanation, I can only ascribe it to laziness or unwillingness to help.

Interestingly, I too have a 'passive' child and I think this is a key feature of whether you get appropriate help or not. Anyone disrupting the class or causing the teacher problems, creates needs for the teacher and hence has their needs met.

A child who causes no problems, creates no needs for the teacher, and therefore has no needs. Seems to be a common problem.

I think a way forward would be a more prescriptive and inclusive system - e.g. before a child gets an IEP, there must be a meeting with parents, parents have a right to be involved in IEP target setting (SEN COP sort of says this but it is too wishy washy).

There should also be more openness about budgets - what is delegated, is it ringfenced, what is it being used for, how many hours is a child on SA, or SA to get from that budget etc. Accountability is key. This is public money after all.

debs, possibly. But I think my job makes people defensive too - a kind of 'just cos she's a teacher doesn't mean we have to do what she says' attitude. I absolutely agree with the rest of your post. A non-disruptive child (not necessarily aggressive, but one who doesn;t visibly need adult help/ intervention) is less likely to have needs identified and therefore met.

Also agree that the whole budget thing needs to be more open.

ok my tuppance worth - ready to go down in flames as it its based purely on personal experince. #

Most SENCO's and primary teacher have little to no real SEN training but many, as this one are defensive almost angry about being offered any ''advice'' by parent or other health proffesionals. ie how dare a salt think they know about education. Salt's are sen specialists for goodsness sake by defeintion of what they do. How dare parents question anything.

No to the pepsi and redbull!

Still, wasuup, you may as well have come out and just used the R word.

I think I could do with daily pepsi and redbull - have to make do with a triple shot grande latte instead

ouryve

Sorry don't have a clue what you on about.

Wasuup - your comment about "teachers who are intellectually challenged" may as well have used the R word, for the way you phrased and intended it.

I would have liked to have seen the teacher define exactly how the child in question is doing ok.

My ds's teacher is convinced that he is doing perfectly ok and needs no help because his results are no lower than some of the other children in the class; i.e. he is not lower than the bottom range of his year. I do not think this is good enough for ds as I know him: I am not convinced that he should be anywhere near the bottom range and he is overstraining his body. But as far as teacher is concerned, perfectly ok.

Cory, it is a common issue I think - 'doing ok' means 'we've got kids who are worse'. SEN COP talks about accessing the curriculum and barriers to learning and achievement should be seen in that light - is a child with SEN accessing the curriculum as well as the same child without the SEN?

I also think, when a child is labelled as having SEN , expectations are lowered as teachers automatically start considering their progress in terms of 'failing or not failing' and not in terms of achieving potential.

I think, as with any job, teachers get so used to seeing particular issues in a particular way, they can lose sight of the original purpose of the framework. I think this is why any parent of a child with SEN who hears a teacher say a child is 'doing fine' is suspicious. To say otherwise, when a child is not 'failing' per se, is to cause alot of extra work.

Wow @ the SENCO on that thread.

In my experience SENCO's rely on information passed on by teachers as to child is 'doing fine' and have very little personal experience of the child.

Teachers seem to have very limited training or knowledge of special needs, even the most common types.

ouryve

I didn't know I had to answer to you and wasn't allowed an opinion. I have no idea what the R word is. I amended my comment and as far as I am concerned that is that.

I don't want this topic to me about me so please lets move forward, I am.

You are clearly an idiot who is intellectually challenged yourself. After all, you appear to be unable to use the apostrophe correctly.

You are clearly an idiot who is intellectually challenged yourself. After all, you appear to be unable to use the apostrophe correctly.

In response to this gem:

"Why bother its only TES the website for teachers who are intellectually challenged anyway?

But on the other hand lets go and wind them up!!"

( from the intellectual giant Wasuup3000 )

Blimey, no need for that .

I don't think I've seen a post like that on this board before.....has someone taken a wrong turn on their way to the 'Am I being unreasonable board'?

Wasuup has apologised already and she posts lots of helpful messages on this board. There is a lot of frustration on this board about school issues so perhaps we are not always as reasonable or level headed as we would like to be in a perfect world.

But this is not a perfect world.

Let's keep it civil ladies!

Um, Ailith - given that this is the SN board, we're not particularly keen on phrases like "You are clearly an idiot who is intellectually challenged yourself". After all, it's not a particularly tactful phrase to use as an 'insult' when many parents on this board have children with learning disabilities/ difficulties...that's why (I think) ouyve pulled wasuup up on what she said.

Ditto to the sarcastic 'intellectual giant' thing.

Wasuup did apologise and what debs has said is right: parents on this board have had a lot of difficult experiences and, even though I'm a teacher and will always say if something's unfair to teachers in general, I can see why some people don't have the greatest attitude towards teachers. My son's schools have had a good balance of excellent and shocking teachers. But that attitude from parents doesn't change if the mud-slinging happens from the other direction either!

You read me right, givememoresleep.