Help me prepare for meeting tomorrow please

[claw3]

Have a meeting tomorrow after applying for Statutory Assessment and it being refused.

Initially school wrote to me requesting this meeting to discuss ds's 'progress' (school are NOT backing my request for SA)

After this meeting was arranged i wrote to LA and requested a meeting with them, while we were awaiting Tribunal. I stated that i wished to challenge the provision as it had been ineffective and i wanted to provide evidence and examples.

LA phoned me and said they had spoken to school and seen as i had requested a meeting with them, they would attend the school one!

I was expecting 2 separate meetings.

So i have a meeting with LA officer and school and i need a bullet proof agenda, backed up with my evidence.

Where to start?

Thank you Silverfrog, ive just looked at the bathroom, looks like a hurricane has ripped through it, with 2 teenager boys!

Off to straighten the house up, will pop back here again if i have time before PP lady arrives to refresh my focus.

After all the advice on here i will find it hard to use ds's name during the meeting, i shall be referring to him as ds!

Thanks again everyone for your advice and wishes, much appreciated.

Housework and washing done, now sitting here twiddling my thumbs waiting for PP to arrive. I tried to phone her this morning to check that she is coming, went onto answerphone. I bet she doesnt turn up!

I always think like that too. Fingers crossed for you.

If she doesn't turn up and you feel the need for her support then postpone the meeting.

School have just phoned to cancel the meeting!

Oh b####y h##l you must be feeling awful. Happened to us last week with a meeting we had pinned a lot of hopes on. So much emotional time used up. Did they say why? Maybe they realised what they are up against ....

No reason given, it was the receptionist who phoned. Just said Head Teacher has had to cancel the meeting.

They would have received my letter this morning, about information missing from ds's and comments made in school file. It was pretty damning, further evidence that they are unable to identify his needs and must have rattled a few cages.

Oh How frustrating!

If that's the reason they've cancelled at least it's an indicator that you have a good case. What did parent partnership say?

I still havent heard from PP. I phoned this morning to check she was coming and left a message and phoned again 15 minutes ago to let her know meeting had been cancelled and left a message.

Will be interesting to see if she turns up at my house at 1.45.

I bet head teacher and SENCO were when they read the letter, im guessing they have never even read ds's school file.

Oh how annoying! I hope it does mean that school have realised what they are up against.

Is there any chance.of you still having the meeting with the LA? School must have set aside a.room for the meeting, and LA person has made time for it... I'd check if still possible,and not get off the phone until another date has been set - with or without school involvement!

Tbh, overall it doesn't look good for the school cancelling at last minute either.

Claw - what a pain in the a**e for you. I bet they have had a panic and realised they had better get their act together in front of the LA. It might work out to your advantage in the long run. Emotionally draining though.

Silverfrog, i have also just realised that there was a PTA meeting today at the same time, im on the PTA and could not attend the meeting because of the LA meeting.

I will ask one of the other parents tomorrow whether the Head was at THAT meeting, i bet she was and that is why meeting was cancelled

oh no can you phone Lea and arrange meeting direct with them

Silverfrog, sorry should have added school had already cancelled with LA before they phoned me and PP lady turned up at my house.

Roundthebend, my request was for a meeting directly with them and they jumped on the school meeting bandwagon.

Ive tried, i think i will just let them deal with SENDIST.

Debs, either a panic or a cake sale that needed urgent attention, will be interesting to see which!

Just phoned the LA and asked what reason the school gave them for cancelling, she will be getting back to me.

Surely the Head Teacher is not stupid enough to cancel a meeting with LA, for a PTA meeting?

Claw - how disappointing. I've just got home from work and logged on straight to this thread hoping to read how you got on. I agree with Deb - they've read your letter and are cacking themselves! Still it's all extra ammo towards your case. It will be absolutely shocking if she attended PTA meeting rather than yours. If she did attend obtain a copy of the minutes as proof of how committed she/he is towards helping your DS! All the best, Pouffe.

Claw - Disgusted for you and don't see why the meeting with LA could not have gone ahead without school there - but more ammo for your appeal as you can quote their failure to engage with you

Had minutes of PTA meeting this morning and she did not attend.

Went to the school office this morning to pay for photocopying of file and Head and SENCO were there, they ignored me when i said a cheerful good morning

Phoned the school that ds has his name down for and he is still no further up the list.

I also think moving schools for ds would affect him extremely badly. The school he is at only has one form per year so he remains with the same children every year (one of the reasons i choose it). He has been at school for over a year and has only just started to remember the children names in his class.

There is also one TA who he loves and trusts, she has been with him since reception.

Is it ever possible for staff to change their attitudes?

Is it ever possible for staff to change their attitudes?

Personally speaking, I don't think you will change their attitude. If anything I think it will harden as you've experienced by them stone-walling you today.

Parents who want the best for their SEN children and are willing to push for it seem to antagonise some schools / heads etc. I think they feel undermined - by the fact that you as the parent has initiated SEN request whereas they probbaly see that as their job - not yours plus they no doubt get an ear-bashing from the LA's SEN section for being unable to 'contain' you to the extent that you've made a direct request for stat assess.

Of course I'm biased in my opinion as have experienced nothing but crap from school. I hope I'm wrong.

Wet, I keep hoping that i am wrong too and im finding it more and more difficult to bite my tongue and continue along the 'school are just not understanding his difficulties' route.

They are viewing it as 'we cant do anything right' according to mum and even with overwhelming evidence that they actually are not doing anything right, they still cant see it.

The chances of them saying ok hands up, we dont know what to do and need some help is pretty slim i suppose.

Either way ds needs a statement, to stay where he is or to get into a new school. New school has an asd unit, which ds cannot access without one. With a statement he would go to the top of the list.