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How do I get my child the extra help in school she needs?
by Noel Swanson
http://www.good-child-guide.com
(This mostly applies to the UK situation)
The British government has promised that "a child with
special educational needs should have their needs met" (sec.
1.3, SEN Code of Practice, 2001). This is a pretty rash
thing to promise, since there is no way that they have the
resources to back this up. However, there it is, in black
and white!
So, how do you make sure that your child with special needs
gets the help they need in school? First, understand how
your school is set up. Second, even with governmental
promises, there is still a limit to the resources. You need
to develop a good working partnership with your school so
you can state your concerns and be confident that they will
be resolved.
Most children's educational needs can be met in the normal
classrooms of normal mainstream schools. Once it becomes
clear that a child is not making the progress that should be
expected, it is the responsibility of the school to take
some action. Lack of progress may be because of problems
with:
If you have concerns about your child's educational
progress, talk to her teacher and/ or the SEN Coordinator
(SENCO) at her school. If they think she's having problems,
they will add her name to the Special Education Needs
Register, if they haven't already done so.
If you have concerns about your child, discuss them with
your child's teacher and/or the school's SEN Co-ordinator.
If they are in agreement with your concerns, they may place
his or her name on the Special Educational Needs Register.
In fact, they may have already done so.
The normal way to do this is to draw up an individual
education plan (IEP).
Certain target goals are spelled out on the IEP. The targets
are then reviewed about every six weeks. They could be
academic, like reading and writing, or behavioral. An
example of behavioral would be to teach the child to raise
her hand when she wants to ask a question. Social goals
could include learning to interact well with other children.
Physical goals would pertain to physical or medical
disabilities or needs.
On this IEP certain targets are identified and worked on,
with these targets being reviewed every six weeks or so.
These targets might be academic such as reading or writing,
or there may be behavioural such as putting a hand up to ask
a question, they might be social such as getting along with
other children at play time or indeed they may be physical
if the child has any particular physical or medical needs or
disabilities.
Parents are normally involved in the IEP process - both in
drawing up and reviewing IEP targets. Most children gain the
most when their parents are involved because they can
reinforce the concepts and skills in the home.
If these measures still aren't enough, the school or parent
may apply for a Statutory Assessment of SEN. The Local
Education Authority (LEA) (usually the county council)
generally takes care of this.
If they are in agreement that the child's needs are indeed
severe, they can issue a Statement of SEN, spelling out the
nature of the needs, and what is required of the school and
others to legally meet those needs. The parent has the
right to appeal the decision if the LEA refuses to do the
statutory assessment.
Note that in most cases, even if the LEA grants a statement,
the school does not necessarily get any extra money to do
what the statement says! This means that they are still
stuck with the very difficult problem of how to divide up
their limited cash amongst all the SEN children in their
school.
You can probably see by now why it is so essential for
parents and schools to work together. Fighting the school
won't help your child receive help. Listen carefully to what
teachers and others say about your child, and try to remain
calm and polite. Don't be afraid to ask questions, however.
If you have concerns that something is missing from the help
your child should be eligible for, then be sure to voice
them. No one can speak for your own child but you.
Hopefully, with a properly developed education plan to meet
the child's needs, your child will find school a fun, stress
free environment. If your child is happier at school, they
may be happier at home as well.
The SEN Code of Practice can be ordered, free, from 0845 602
2260
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