Anne

My daughter was the first case that SPCN took after the first really bad OFSTED. She had a EHC that was not fit for purpose. We wrote a judicial review letter to SCC on their solicitor wrote back and said that we could no go to JR because the EHC wasn’t specific enough, which is unlawful. At this stage we had already put in paperwork for tribunal. School was not even meeting the basic needs on the EHC.

We were given our own person from the LA to sort out the problems. They conceded on the Appeal 40mins before the cut off time and we now have a very good EHC. The next and most difficult part is forcing schools to meet the needs on the EHC.

Stone Lodge became very unfriendly, the Head refused to attend any meetings. The head of Governors was brought in to help, that failed. The Head then told the council that he didn’t want my daughter in his school anymore. SCC tried to reason with him. He then told them that if they didn’t pay him - undisclosed amount of money – he would not let my daughter go back and would not be able to attend her Prom. Against our wishes, they paid the money.

We then got a placement at Suffolk one. We spent two years fighting with the head about provision not being met. They refused to meet Part F of the EHC. Our first battle was to be allowed to take my daughter in the front door – All of the foundation students had to use the side entrance – I had to make a disability discrimination complaint. SCC attending many meetings and had numerous calls to try and resolve but when the staff were lying in the last meeting, we finally gave up and found the present placement.

New Skill centre – going fairly well until they hired a new deputy head, who doesn’t think she has to do anything that a parent asks for, even though it is the law. Just starting formal complaints process with them.

Other school problems before OFSTED and we were fighting on our own.

Warren school, I complained that my daughter was coming home everyday with wet sleeves, because she was chewing them all day because she was bored. The next day she came home with dry clothes. I was surprised and new they were going on a supermarket trip, so I followed and sat in my car at the back of the car park and watched my daughter get out of the minibus with a shell suit on. I later found out they got it out of lost property and changed her into her own clothes before she came home. Lots of other unpleasant issues until will pulled her out – something happened in the changing rooms at the swimming pool, bad enough that my daughter refused to go swimming and it took me 6 months to get her back in a pool with me. At the AR meeting the head was talking and telling everyone how much she enjoyed coming to school and she really enjoyed the French day and she mentioned that she had talked to my daughter and said she loved the French food at lunch time. I then explained to the meeting that daughter was off sick that day!! So the head was lying.

Riverwalk school, we spent years trying to prove that my daughter was not severe but moderate, another tribunal to get her into a moderate, we failed the EP that SCC used was awful, she would not accept any evidence we showed her. They would change her keyworker termly which caused a lot of distress. They would intervene with her personal care when thy were told not to by myself and the learning disability nursing team. She was hurt by another student, at least weekly. When I complained to the Head, she told me, it was good for my daughter to be hit, because she would be comforted by the staff – so it would help with her attachment disorder.

All through this time we were pursuing getting her some therapy because of her traumatic time with her birth mother – formal complaints to everyone. Until we were referred, and she now has all the help in place. Speech therapy, play therapy all in Part F of EHC. She is now 21 and only has few years left. At least 8 years wasted.