SEND Register, Yes or No?

[DonnaD]

Tillyjcm, what a horrific story. Sadly my 14 year old DD had a similar experience. She was fine in primary school and only had minor sensory issues and needed a bit of extra help with Maths. The transition to secondary school started well and I was happy to have chosen a school that seemed to focus on more than just academics.
It turned into a nightmare. To cut a long story short, she most likely has ASD and the stress of being ignored and left to struggle caused huge amounts of anxiety. The SENCO seemed kind enough but was pretty much powerless to do anything. Their best solution seemed to be giving her a pass to leave class any time she wanted. She would then go to the matron and beg me to come home. She was in such a bad state that she stopped making eye contact with everyone including me.

She ended up being assaulted by an ex friend at school. This triggered Conversion Disorder that has left her unable to walk.

The school were so unhelpful that I got phone calls focused on her missing school while she was still in hospital! They seemed very happy when I withdrew her for homeschooling until our move to Florida 5 months later. They definitely were more concerned about their absence rates than her health and never tried to offer any help to get her back to school.

She has thrived at school here. She actually got approved for a 1 on 1 assisstant on her very first day as her needs are so great. I am glad to hear your DD is thriving as well.

OP sorry for the horror story but removing your DD from the SEND list at such a vulnerable age sounds like a very bad idea to me. I have been told by specialists that the early teenage years are the most difficult for girls with ASD. Anything that forces her future secondary school to acknowledge her needs must be beneficial.

[Tillyjcm]

Originally Posted by sasperella

Wow! So sorry to hear all of this.

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Thanks, it was a terrible time but we’re in a good place now. X

[Tillyjcm]

Originally Posted by DonnaD

Tillyjcm, what a horrific story. Sadly my 14 year old DD had a similar experience. She was fine in primary school and only had minor sensory issues and needed a bit of extra help with Maths. The transition to secondary school started well and I was happy to have chosen a school that seemed to focus on more than just academics.
It turned into a nightmare. To cut a long story short, she most likely has ASD and the stress of being ignored and left to struggle caused huge amounts of anxiety. The SENCO seemed kind enough but was pretty much powerless to do anything. Their best solution seemed to be giving her a pass to leave class any time she wanted. She would then go to the matron and beg me to come home. She was in such a bad state that she stopped making eye contact with everyone including me.

She ended up being assaulted by an ex friend at school. This triggered Conversion Disorder that has left her unable to walk.

The school were so unhelpful that I got phone calls focused on her missing school while she was still in hospital! They seemed very happy when I withdrew her for homeschooling until our move to Florida 5 months later. They definitely were more concerned about their absence rates than her health and never tried to offer any help to get her back to school.

She has thrived at school here. She actually got approved for a 1 on 1 assisstant on her very first day as her needs are so great. I am glad to hear your DD is thriving as well.

OP sorry for the horror story but removing your DD from the SEND list at such a vulnerable age sounds like a very bad idea to me. I have been told by specialists that the early teenage years are the most difficult for girls with ASD. Anything that forces her future secondary school to acknowledge her needs must be beneficial.

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So sorry to hear your story, it’s horrific the damage that can be caused and unfortunately it seems to be happening more frequently. I’m so glad your Dd has had a happy outcome. X

[DonnaD]

Originally Posted by Tillyjcm

So sorry to hear your story, it’s horrific the damage that can be caused and unfortunately it seems to be happening more frequently. I’m so glad your Dd has had a happy outcome. X

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She is doing well but still unable to walk. The school used to have a special SEN unit and a good reputation for helping the children that needed it. When that closed it seems like everyone was just expected to "get on with it". Very sad for vulnerable children. The failing CAMHS system didn't help either.

[Megandllsmum]

Originally Posted by Geojen75

It is a slight myth that schools get SEN funding based on a child's diagnosis. This would only happen with a child who had been given an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). This could include extra funding from the Local Authority.

A child who has any diagnosis may/may not then be on the SEN register. If they are on the SEN register they may/ may not need extra support or help across the school day (Sensory Circuits before school all the way to 1:1 support). These may/ may not cost money.

In terms of Finance - each school has a dedicated SEN budget. However it is not equivalent to the number of children on the SEN register in most authorities. It is worked out by a number of other factors.

If it is better that your child stays on the SEN register to flag her up as someone needing extra support (which may not cost any money) then ask for this.

Just playing devil's advocate but the local secondary school to here takes children off the SEN register at entry unless they have an EHCP! This doesn't mean they don't get extra help, it is just because they have too many children to administer to. Extra help still takes place etc.

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My daughter does have an EHCP in place that could be what I was thinking, she used to have a lot more support in infants sensory circuits springs to mind every day, a lot of this has gone by the wayside in juniors but they have a dedicated SEND team at my daughters school so she spends time with them instead as and when needed. Our next big thing is transition to comp in a year and a half she's year 5 at the minute. I'm liaising already with comp so hoping come this September she will be one school year to going and will start with visits etc to familiarise herself... The school is massive, daunting for me so I can only imagine how big a change it will be for her

[Kidd McFluff]

Children on the SEN register should be having support that is additional and different to the mainstream students. In my school we remove children from the register once we’ve judged them to no longer required additional support, that enables us to focus resources on those needing additional and different support. Children can be placed back on the register if they require more support in the future. I would recommend finding out what transition package they can offer when moving up to secondary and speaking to the secondary SENCO before she starts. I’d also discuss with the primary SENCO whether any additional arrangements need to be made for SATs. (Secondary Sen teacher)

[VicStar]

Wow thanks for all the really useful replies! DonnaD and Tillyjcm I'm so sorry for what your families have been through

I've just had a meeting with the SENCO who has reassured me that the level of support that DD needs at the moment, can be provided without the need for her being officially on the register. She should still get extra time/a reader for SATS this year. She won't move school again now until the start of Y9 but will be on the list of children with extra transition requirements. Apparently they are going to 'monitor the situation' for the moment.

The SENCO did at the end of the meeting offer to put DD on the register 'if it would put my mind at rest'! Ermm...

[Maryj]

Originally Posted by NLB

Wow thanks for all the really useful replies! DonnaD and Tillyjcm I'm so sorry for what your families have been through

I've just had a meeting with the SENCO who has reassured me that the level of support that DD needs at the moment, can be provided without the need for her being officially on the register. She should still get extra time/a reader for SATS this year. She won't move school again now until the start of Y9 but will be on the list of children with extra transition requirements. Apparently they are going to 'monitor the situation' for the moment.

The SENCO did at the end of the meeting offer to put DD on the register 'if it would put my mind at rest'! Ermm...

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Your senco sounds very like the one at my dd’s school. She is at a middle school and will not move until year 9. However if your dd is likely to be eligible for extra time, the school needs good reason to prove this. It seems strange they would want to remove your dd from the sen register.
I also got the ‘we’re well aware of your dd’s issues and are monitoring the situation’ I asked what issues they believed they were monitoring, how long the process was likely to be and what was their initial findings to date. The learning mentor got in touch the next day.