Day 2 - update
I have just received an email from the admissions dept of the LEA saying that the local high school had phoned them this morning to say my son hadn't shown up!
After I stopped bouncing of the walls and scraped myself of the ceiling I phoned the number on the bottom of the email. I informed the young woman on the other end of the phone that both they and the school had been notified back in July that my son would not be attending, and, indeed, there was no way on this planet that I would allow my son to attend a school that could not provide for his needs and where he has been threatened by a number of children.
....I did say "slim to nil" yesterday though!
I also found an email I had sent to the local press while cleaning out my mailbox (slightly doctored to remove names, etc);
My son is 11 years old. On Monday he should have been starting high school, but he's not - he is currently yet another political football.
He has dyslexia and Auditory Processing Disorder (also known as Auditory Processing Difficulties, APD or CAPD). When we moved to ***** in 2002 he had a statement of special needs from our pervious LEA. I attempted to hand this over to ****** LEA who informed me that "it didn't count" as it had been produced by a different LEA and that my son would need another assessment.
What followed was almost 3 1/2 years of requests by myself and the school for an assessment as my son fell further and further behind. Finally, in late 2005, I tried to take the LEA to tribunal and the LEA gave in on receiving the letter from SENDiT. My son was assessed and diagnosed severely dyslexic with APD, this was a dramatic change from being 'moderately dyslexic' in his first statement.
I was told I could name the school and so I set about visiting all the local schools. None of which knew how to support children with APD. I arranged a meeting to discuss the matter with the LEA, but when I arrived I discovered that they had issued the statement and named the school themselves. The school was our local school and completely unsuitable. Not only is there no support for children with APD, but my son faced physical, emotional and mental danger in attending the school.
For the whole four years my son had been bullied at his primary school which carried on outside the school. This was;
physical - throwing bricks/rocks/stones, punching, pushing, writing on his clothes, etc, and one child had taken to picking his nose and wiping it on my son's clothes where he couldn't see or reach.
mental - playing with him one day and alienating him the next, deliberately lining him up for humiliation by using his disabilities against him, etc.
emotional - verbal abuse, spreading rumours, etc.
The school tried it's hardest to help support my son, but on his visit to the local high school he was cornered by one of his previous bullies who had gone to the high school two years earlier. He informed him that he "was looking forward" to my son going to the school because he was "going to get him, because no-one here will protect you (my son)". Further threats have been made in the street in front of me.
I tried to meet with someone from the school to discuss the threats made, but no one would meet with me. When I attended an open day for parents I brought the matter up and the member of staff replied "oh well, that's kids today. What can you do about it".
I then thought about a private school, but that my son would need a scholarship as we don't have the money. He sat a number of entrance exams (with special provision) and gained a number of places, but we chose a local school as the class sizes were very small and conducive to APD sufferers. On assessment by the SENco he recommended my son go to a specialist school to help gain coping or learning strategies as he was so far behind he would struggle at ANY school. The SENco gave me a list of specialist schools across the UK, but I did not want to send such a vulnerable young man to boarding school, so the SENco offered to speak to the head of a local specialist school.
My sonwas offered a place by the specialist school after yet another assessment, but these schools don't offer scholarships as no-one will help fund education for dyslexic children. This meant persuading the LEA. They refused. I went to my MP, but he was unable to help, the national press don't care as they don't consider it 'big news' - even though this affects 1 in 10 children and that the Tribunal is snowed under from March by parents trying to get their children adequate help.
I am left taking the LEA to tribunal which isn't until October. I only have 8 days holiday left to take - 4 of which I'm taking next week with an emergency day. On Monday my son will be at home, a specialist school will have an empty seat in the classroom (at least until the tribunal rules) and I begin running the risk of losing my job because I want my son to have access to education throughout his life rather thank just in the next few years until he's "no longer the LEA's problem".
I have tried finding funding elsewhere, but no-one cares about SEN children with hidden disabilities. People seem to have the mentality of "if I can't see it it isn't there".
My son is so frightened of being forced to attend the high school with the bullies that he has threatened to run away if the tribunal rule against us, because he said he won't go to school and if he runs away the police can't blame me (his mum) or put me in jail. This is heartbreaking as my son loves school. His school reports show a hard working young man who has great respect for his teachers, compassion for fellow students and has never been in trouble.
This fight is no longer just about my son's education - this is now a fight to keep my son and for him to keep his mental and emotional health.
Please help us. Help us bring this to the attention of everyone in the area. May be this will bring forward someone who can help us - who may be knows of funding, or of someone who can speak at tribunal, anything.
We have the support of *** (member of House of Lords) and of ***** (specialist researching APD at G.O.S.H), but to bring these people to tribunal will cost money we just don't have. We can't even afford a solicitor and, if the tribunal rule against us, we cannot afford to take this to the high court.
We are not a well off middle class family. We are just average working people who refuse to give up on our child's education.
Thank you for your time.
Letters like this have gone out to broadsheets, tabloids, local press, internet groups, but no-one cares. What chance do good kids have when they are being ingnored in favour of stupid government policies to 'tackle anti-social behaviour before birth"?
Back to square one - stressed, tearful and ready to rip the next government official's head off!
After I stopped bouncing of the walls and scraped myself of the ceiling I phoned the number on the bottom of the email. I informed the young woman on the other end of the phone that both they and the school had been notified back in July that my son would not be attending, and, indeed, there was no way on this planet that I would allow my son to attend a school that could not provide for his needs and where he has been threatened by a number of children.
....I did say "slim to nil" yesterday though!
I also found an email I had sent to the local press while cleaning out my mailbox (slightly doctored to remove names, etc);
My son is 11 years old. On Monday he should have been starting high school, but he's not - he is currently yet another political football.
He has dyslexia and Auditory Processing Disorder (also known as Auditory Processing Difficulties, APD or CAPD). When we moved to ***** in 2002 he had a statement of special needs from our pervious LEA. I attempted to hand this over to ****** LEA who informed me that "it didn't count" as it had been produced by a different LEA and that my son would need another assessment.
What followed was almost 3 1/2 years of requests by myself and the school for an assessment as my son fell further and further behind. Finally, in late 2005, I tried to take the LEA to tribunal and the LEA gave in on receiving the letter from SENDiT. My son was assessed and diagnosed severely dyslexic with APD, this was a dramatic change from being 'moderately dyslexic' in his first statement.
I was told I could name the school and so I set about visiting all the local schools. None of which knew how to support children with APD. I arranged a meeting to discuss the matter with the LEA, but when I arrived I discovered that they had issued the statement and named the school themselves. The school was our local school and completely unsuitable. Not only is there no support for children with APD, but my son faced physical, emotional and mental danger in attending the school.
For the whole four years my son had been bullied at his primary school which carried on outside the school. This was;
physical - throwing bricks/rocks/stones, punching, pushing, writing on his clothes, etc, and one child had taken to picking his nose and wiping it on my son's clothes where he couldn't see or reach.
mental - playing with him one day and alienating him the next, deliberately lining him up for humiliation by using his disabilities against him, etc.
emotional - verbal abuse, spreading rumours, etc.
The school tried it's hardest to help support my son, but on his visit to the local high school he was cornered by one of his previous bullies who had gone to the high school two years earlier. He informed him that he "was looking forward" to my son going to the school because he was "going to get him, because no-one here will protect you (my son)". Further threats have been made in the street in front of me.
I tried to meet with someone from the school to discuss the threats made, but no one would meet with me. When I attended an open day for parents I brought the matter up and the member of staff replied "oh well, that's kids today. What can you do about it".
I then thought about a private school, but that my son would need a scholarship as we don't have the money. He sat a number of entrance exams (with special provision) and gained a number of places, but we chose a local school as the class sizes were very small and conducive to APD sufferers. On assessment by the SENco he recommended my son go to a specialist school to help gain coping or learning strategies as he was so far behind he would struggle at ANY school. The SENco gave me a list of specialist schools across the UK, but I did not want to send such a vulnerable young man to boarding school, so the SENco offered to speak to the head of a local specialist school.
My sonwas offered a place by the specialist school after yet another assessment, but these schools don't offer scholarships as no-one will help fund education for dyslexic children. This meant persuading the LEA. They refused. I went to my MP, but he was unable to help, the national press don't care as they don't consider it 'big news' - even though this affects 1 in 10 children and that the Tribunal is snowed under from March by parents trying to get their children adequate help.
I am left taking the LEA to tribunal which isn't until October. I only have 8 days holiday left to take - 4 of which I'm taking next week with an emergency day. On Monday my son will be at home, a specialist school will have an empty seat in the classroom (at least until the tribunal rules) and I begin running the risk of losing my job because I want my son to have access to education throughout his life rather thank just in the next few years until he's "no longer the LEA's problem".
I have tried finding funding elsewhere, but no-one cares about SEN children with hidden disabilities. People seem to have the mentality of "if I can't see it it isn't there".
My son is so frightened of being forced to attend the high school with the bullies that he has threatened to run away if the tribunal rule against us, because he said he won't go to school and if he runs away the police can't blame me (his mum) or put me in jail. This is heartbreaking as my son loves school. His school reports show a hard working young man who has great respect for his teachers, compassion for fellow students and has never been in trouble.
This fight is no longer just about my son's education - this is now a fight to keep my son and for him to keep his mental and emotional health.
Please help us. Help us bring this to the attention of everyone in the area. May be this will bring forward someone who can help us - who may be knows of funding, or of someone who can speak at tribunal, anything.
We have the support of *** (member of House of Lords) and of ***** (specialist researching APD at G.O.S.H), but to bring these people to tribunal will cost money we just don't have. We can't even afford a solicitor and, if the tribunal rule against us, we cannot afford to take this to the high court.
We are not a well off middle class family. We are just average working people who refuse to give up on our child's education.
Thank you for your time.
Letters like this have gone out to broadsheets, tabloids, local press, internet groups, but no-one cares. What chance do good kids have when they are being ingnored in favour of stupid government policies to 'tackle anti-social behaviour before birth"?
Back to square one - stressed, tearful and ready to rip the next government official's head off!
posted by Yatesies at 2:20 PM
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