Teachers' presents

[countrygull]

Pretty sure it stops at secondary school as you don't have a form teacher who's with your child all day like at primary school.

Mrs CG works at a secondary school and it goes on there for the form tutors. One of her nicer pupils asked her earlier this week if she likes chocolates, so that's a hint of what today will bring!

 

[KZNSeagull]

Have to agree with the first issue. My son was diagnosed with higher functioning autism in 1999, but had no learning difficulties. As a consequence he attracted no extra funding, so the headmaster at his school engineered his exclusion because he needed extra attention but brought in no extra income to the school.

The head managed to find him a special residential unit in PLYMOUTH (we live in Manchester) and presented this to the Board of Governors as a solution to the problem. The potential emotional and developmental impact on a 7 year old child was brushed under the carpet.

Fortunately I managed to find my lad another school which specialised in being inclusive. This school was then closed down two years later by the LEA as it was not 'efficient', according to the twattish accountants that make these decisions.

I ended up paying for his secondary education myself as the system is so flawed.

Interesting El Pres. Is/Was he in a mainstream school?

My eldest was diagnosed in 2003 with an ASD, so the council assessed him for a statement. They faffed around for weeks deciding whether he was "autistic enough" to get one but decided in the end that he was not. This was a few months before we came over here and whilst not a huge factor in our decision to emigrate, it has helped enormously as we can afford to send him to a private school here at much less cost than in the UK.

Autism knowledge in SA is far behind that in the UK and when we approached the local schools they really did not have a clue. So it has been a learning process for them and us and they have been brilliant with him. The first 3 years he had an intern with him, the same one for all 3 years for continuity when he moved between teachers and the school are so accomodating that sometimes we cannot believe our luck. In the first year, because he hated being in the classroom, they put a tent up for him in the class so that he could hide - when he wanted to say something, he just stuck his hand through the flap in the roof!! He has stayed with his peer group throughout (he is now in Grade 5) and whilst academically he is struggling a bit, socially he is a different child. He has had no bullying whatsoever, his classmates tolerate him totally and know what to do when he goes off on one for no apparent reason and most of the girls all mother him (lucky chap!!).

We do wonder sometimes what would have happened if we had stayed and he went to a mainstream school in the UK - I suspect he would now be totally lost. But we are hugely thankful to the school here and that we can afford to do this for him as I hate to think how people cope otherwise. Our next challenge is to find a high school that would accomodate him, which I think will be a tough task.

But yes, we do buy the teachers and assistants presents as they are bloody marvellous!!

 

[The Large One]

So I think to say the wishes of the parents are the only criteria is wrong. If you have the expertise to tap into, why wouldn't you? You would if it was a solicitor or accountant you needed.

I think you were addressing my point, so I'll respond. One, it sounds like your friends have had a pretty good outcome - that's excellent.

However, I'm not saying, and haven't said, that the wishes of the parents is the only criterion - far from it.

There was a case recently where a child had behavioural issues, and, despite the recommendations of the specialists and experts, the parents point blank refused to have the child statemented, principally down to the stigma they perceived it involved. So where does one go from there?

What I was commenting on was that CMD was actively encouraging parents with children with Special Needs to go to separate schools. There is, of course, no 'one size fits all' answer to any given set of issues, and some children would benefit from being in a separate school, others might benefit from being in mainstream (private or state) school. However, the concern was that parents would be railroaded into something they had massive concerns and seemingly little choice over.

I feel that that point needs addressing before it becomes policy.

 

[Tooting Gull]

There was a case recently where a child had behavioural issues, and, despite the recommendations of the specialists and experts, the parents point blank refused to have the child statemented, principally down to the stigma they perceived it involved. So where does one go from there?

.

It's clearly a hugely complex area as your example shows, and where there are strong emotions involved it can be harder to get the right result. You look at that and think 'what parent could possibly do that', but unfortunately it's never that simple.

More generally in education - and this is not just about special needs and learning difficulties - I do sometimes detect an undercurrent of 'parents always know best' which is simply not true all of the time. They don't always know how best to teach kids, and they don't always know from the off which type of school would be best for them in a statementing situation. How could they, if it's their first experience of the situation. At least there is assistance out there though (at least at the moment, there is).

 

[Gwylan]

There was a case recently where a child had behavioural issues, and, despite the recommendations of the specialists and experts, the parents point blank refused to have the child statemented, principally down to the stigma they perceived it involved. So where does one go from there?

That's incredible. Not the refusal but that a school was actually prepared to statement a child, that's normally rarer than Frank Lampard hitting the target.

As so often with NSC, the thread's gone off in a different direction, one that's more interesting than the original post

 

[KZNSeagull]

It's clearly a hugely complex area as your example shows, and where there are strong emotions involved it can be harder to get the right result. You look at that and think 'what parent could possibly do that', but unfortunately it's never that simple.

More generally in education - and this is not just about special needs and learning difficulties - I do sometimes detect an undercurrent of 'parents always know best' which is simply not true all of the time. They don't always know how best to teach kids, and they don't always know from the off which type of school would be best for them in a statementing situation. How could they, if it's their first experience of the situation. At least there is assistance out there though (at least at the moment, there is).

In our situation, we have had parents complain to the school that their children are being tought along with an autistic child. We have also had other parents expressing their delight to us that their child is being taught alongside an autistic child, as it is teaching their children tolerance and understanding that not everyone is the same. There is a stigma attached to anyone who is different whether they are statemented or not - the child of the parents in the example above may be picked on anyway, statemented or not.

We as parents certainly do not know best, but what we did know is that sticking our son in a mainstream school without any assistance whatsoever would have been detrimental to him. We send our son to a mainstream school principally to learn social skills, not get certificates. It seems to me that education is so focussed on grades and results that the other important part of school life, socialisation and learning to get on with other people, is lost. It should be beneficial, if handled correctly, to educate "normal" and "special needs" children together, depending, of course, upon the severity of the childs "special needs".

 

[The Large One]

It's clearly a hugely complex area as your example shows, and where there are strong emotions involved it can be harder to get the right result. You look at that and think 'what parent could possibly do that', but unfortunately it's never that simple.

I really shouldn't say this, but the parents' response was to take their child to three different specialists (at huge expense to themselves) in order to get an opinion to say that the child DIDN'T need help.

However, matters weren't helped when the mother did inform the authorities - with a straight face - that her children were from Pleiades (apparently, a star cluster in the Taurus constellation). Don't ask.

More generally in education - and this is not just about special needs and learning difficulties - I do sometimes detect an undercurrent of 'parents always know best' which is simply not true all of the time. They don't always know how best to teach kids, and they don't always know from the off which type of school would be best for them in a statementing situation. How could they, if it's their first experience of the situation. At least there is assistance out there though (at least at the moment, there is).

The best education is USUALLY achieved (especially in special cases) when the school and the parents (as well as any other agencies) act as one, without any competing agendas.

 

[The Large One]

That's incredible. Not the refusal but that a school was actually prepared to statement a child, that's normally rarer than Frank Lampard hitting the target.

As so often with NSC, the thread's gone off in a different direction, one that's more interesting than the original post

My partner was prepared to assist with the statement because, after all considerations, in this instance she felt it the best and most appropriate course of action.

What isn't helped is that the LEA, when the child is statemented, and one-on-one tuition is necessary, only pays £6.00 an hour for the Special Needs tutor. The rest has to be found elsewhere - usually from the parents.

 

[Dave the OAP]

One of the problems with non " statemented " children who need one to one, is that for the school, there is the balance of looking after the needs of the child and in 99 out of a 100 cases the parents who flatly refuse to believe or admit that there is a serious problem and that of the the rest of the class and the parents who are concerned that little Johhny is being bashed about in the classroom by an overactive child.

Heads will try as hard as possible not to exclude children as it goes on their statistics as failures, the LEA will not support exclusion for the same reason, and yet more and more non statemented children are being included in the classroom with no support.

The bottom line is how do you balance the needs of the 25 or so children with the very great needs of the other 5 when school budgets are trimmed to the bone and this dozy lot are suggesting more money is taken away from the mainstream schools so parents can set up their own schools....I bet none of those parents setting these schools up will have any obligation whatsoever to take "challenging" pupils.

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

My Mrs tends to get prezzies , chocolates, wine etc at Christmas and end of year.

She has been getting this for at least 15 years. - she is a TA

It is not expected and the teacher and TA do not expect it....in fact a card written by the parents or the child saying thank you is appreciated sometimes more than a box of maltesers ( not by me obviously who can clear a box of maltesers in 3.942 seconds!!!)

I expect it!!!