[senco-forum] the bogey man

It's not their fault your head won't spend the SEN part of the

Brian after I had recovered from the lovely vision of an SNO from an LA shut 
in a cupboard eating last years Christmas pudding I studied your post 
carefully. Although it was written with humour, I'm sure there were bits in 
it that you were serious about

>>It's not their fault your head won't spend the SEN part of the
. It's not their fault that you don't even know what
>>the SEN budget is. It's not their fault that, particularly in secondary 
>>schools, the kids are taught with no regard to the statement. It's not 
>>their fault that the 10 hrs provision is used to support whatever size 
>>group/class the kid is in, rather than the kid personally. It's not their 
>>fault that advice and support provided by LA support teams is ignored or 
>>not acted upon.

Well actually Bran I would have to disagree with all of the above points, 
because it is the LA's fault but more importantly it is their 
responsibility. The LA are legally responsible for all of the provision 
written in a statement and it is up to them to make sure that it is 
provided. Brian you are a parent and have worked on all sides by the sound 
of it, you try listeneing to a child saying they don't want to live anymore 
because they hate school that much, you try watching a 7 year old 'pick' 
their body to pieces in the hope that they won't have to go to school 
anymore, you try reasoning with a HT who says your child will get no extra 
support in my school unless they are statemented, you try turning to the LA 
for support and being told 'Children with Aspergers do not get statemented 
as it is a low incidence need'. Then if you are very very lucky and you 
discover people who can help you like IPSEA you might get a statement. Then 
it all starts again and you find the support allocated in the statement to 
your child is actually being used for little Jonny in another class and 
another year and you mention this to the HT who replies ' The 15 hours of 
LSA support is to be used flexibly by the school and doesn't mean we have to 
provide 15 hours of support each and every week to your child. So more 
letters and phone calls to the SNOs at the LA (who I now realise are 
probably all shut in cupboards eating old food) and the SNO saying you 
should just let the school get on with educating your child. Shall I go on 
or have you heard it all before? How about SaLT being written in to the 
statement as an educational need, but the therapist deciding to discharge 
the child and telling the parent that statement or no statement she can't be 
told what to do by the LA and especially not a parent. The LA agreeing that 
they were going to maintain an existing statement but doing nothing to 
pursue this and telling the parent and HT it was up to them to sort it out 
with Salt. This is a good one as well. An HT using the annual review to talk 
about the budget problems of funding SEN and telling a parent that if their 
child was moved down one band by the LA the child would be using 30% of the 
school SEN budget. Are these stories scary enough I've got lots more !!! So 
Brian even though

>>Just like there's no such thing as Jason, there is no such thing as the 
>>LA. It's a bunch of people, who mostly sit in an office and make decisons 
>>based on the paperwork schools send them and balance that against the Code 
>>of Practice and pressure from government .Believe it or not, they mostly 
>>(I don't know them all) have the children's best interests at heart.       
>>                                                                           
>>                  I don't give a flying fig how the LAs are organised and 
>>how much time their SNos spend in cupboards. They are ultimately 
>>responsible for ensuring that at least the provision in statements is 
>>carried out properly. As for the rest of the SEN funding, why not make 
>>available to parents the amount of money received for SEN and exactly 
>>where it goes in each school. As for having the children's best interests 
>>at heart you would like to think so wouldn't you but at the end of the day 
>>it is just a job to you. You have targets to meet and a budget to stick 
>>to, the children's best interests are probably the last thing to concern 
>>you. Cynical me?!!!!

>From: "pam" <pam at pheggie.freeserve.co.uk>
>To: "brian hepburn" 
><hepburnbrian at hotmail.com>,<senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk>
>Subject: Re: [senco-forum] the bogey man
>Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2006 19:05:04 -0000
>
>Its a relief to hear we are not the only ones having to eat last year's 
>Xmas pudding (turning it into ice cream actually)  -  as this years has 
>just arrived with the mother in law
>
>I too was devasted to hear there is no Jason - I had him dark haired as 
>well as young and good looking, and obviously very talented.
>
>(sorry Brian - I do not mean to make light of your issues!)
>
>Pam
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- From: "brian hepburn" 
><hepburnbrian at hotmail.com>
>To: <senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk>
>Sent: Sunday, December 03, 2006 8:52 PM
>Subject: [senco-forum] the bogey man
>
>
>>Team
>>
>>You've all been watching too many horror films, haven't you? There's 
>>somebody waiting inside that dark room to get you. But it's not Jason, 
>>Freddie or Saw, it's the LA!
>>
>>The LA jumps on you just as you're turning your childlike, innocent faces 
>>up to the light of resources,funding, recognition, appreciation or 
>>whatever else you're hoping for. (I know, it's a preposition at the end of 
>>a sentence, sue me!) The only way you can cater for the little lambs is to 
>>get more money from the LA, but will she co-operate? No, she's going to 
>>leap out when you least expect it and TURN YOU DOWN!
>>
>>Why? Obviously because she enjoys torturing you. The LA hates all 
>>children, schools and especially SENCOs. She will do whatever she can to 
>>destroy you.  She is never happier than when she can suck all the joy from 
>>your lives by saying no. She knows that without her, you'll never be able 
>>to meet the needs of those pathetic scraps of children. And she laughs her 
>>evil laugh every time she says no, because she gets so much masochistic 
>>pleasure from the your pain.
>>
>>Deep breath, Brian.
>>
>>OK, I've calmed down a bit now.
>>
>>I've worked in SEN depts, I've worked with SENCOs in a LA support service, 
>>I'm now on the dark side working as an SEN officer. I've seen the SEN 
>>process from all sides. (I'm a parent and worked with parents of kids with 
>>SEN)
>>
>>Just like there's no such thing as Jason, there is no such thing as the 
>>LA. It's a bunch of people, who mostly sit in an office and make decisons 
>>based on the paperwork schools send them and balance that against the Code 
>>of Practice and pressure from government .Believe it or not, they mostly 
>>(I don't know them all) have the children's best interests at heart.
>>
>>It's not their fault your head won't spend the SEN part of the formula on 
>>SEN. It's not their fault that you don't even know what the SEN budget is. 
>>It's not their fault that, particularly in secondary schools, the kids are 
>>taught with no regard to the statement. It's not their fault that the 10 
>>hrs provision is used to support whatever size group/class the kid is in, 
>>rather than the kid personally. It's not their fault that advice and 
>>support provided by LA support teams is ignored or not acted upon.
>>
>>You want to listen to the parents who ring them, at their wits end because 
>>the school won't listen to the parents' concerns? Particularly when they 
>>know, since LMS, that the LA has no power and so can't make schools act on 
>>those concerns.
>>
>>Ah, yes, there are always 2 sides to a story. In this case it's at least 
>>4. Kid, parent, school, LA. And what's the easiest reaction when 
>>everyone's frustrated and tired? Let's get angry. Let's start blaming 
>>someone else.
>>
>>I can see exactly why SEN becomes a battlefield. It's a microcosm of 
>>education. Thatcher and Baker turned education into a battlefield in the 
>>mid 80s. Since then, any tinpot politician or Daily Mail editor has used 
>>education to score cheap points. The effect has been to create sides, to 
>>perpetuate the blame culture and to stop us all seeking out the real 
>>culprits.
>>
>>And we fall for it. We fight amongst ourselves.
>>
>>I give up. I'm going to help finish the bottle of Merlot. I'm going to eat 
>>last year's Xmas pudding (to make room in the cupboard for this year's 
>>lot) and take my last chance to watch I'm a Celeb for another year. (How 
>>do I live without Myleene in her white bikini?)
>>
>>Have fun with the fighting
>>
>>Brian
>>
>>_________________________________________________________________
>>Find Singles In Your Area Now With Match.com! msnuk.match.com
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>--
>>No virus found in this incoming message.
>>Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>>Version: 7.5.430 / Virus Database: 268.15.2/559 - Release Date: 30/11/2006 
>>05:07
>>
>>
>
>
>

_________________________________________________________________
It's Hotmail's 10th Birthday! Come and play Pass the Parcel 
http://www.msnpasstheparcel.com