Buckle up.. Mon 3rd March 2014
By Jeannette | March 3, 2014
I had a little cry today, it didn’t make me feel better and it didn’t achieve anything (apart from a red nose).
Whatever “IT” is, I feel like we’re up against it.
The secondary school allocation came through by email for T today, not once but four times. Each saying the same thing, each informing us that he didn’t have first choice of secondary school. I had a feeling we wouldn’t be successful first off but to see it in black and white with “no offer” was quite demoralising, especially before 8am on a Monday.
I went into a lot of detail on the initial application detailing T’s diagnosis and how we believed this school would benefit him. When I phoned the admissions department to discuss next steps (ie. appealing), I was told that this particular school does not take into account medical, emotional or psychological evidence as a basis for their decision which kind of disputes the fact that had T had a statement of SEN (he doesn’t), he’d automatically be offered a place.
The SEN department of the Council could offer no advice and were quite dismissive when I said he had no statement.
So, we are appealing and with this particular school, it’s an appeal directly to them and not via the admissions department.
Time to strap that thick skin on. This is where I get a bit girlie, I ALWAYS cry in important meetings concerning T or D, always. Diagnosis meeting x 2? Indeed x 2. Statement planning meeting for D? Definitely. Statement offer meeting for D? Yes, but tears of relief. Just pass the tissues…
And then there’s the doctor/hospital/school nurse issue for D.
During another telephone conversation, I found out that the surgery were negligent in their advice and this has most certainly been the cause of D being poorly. There is a one day leeway for future injections and the school nurse will be writing to the Practice Manager.
In the meantime, another injection looms tomorrow and we’ll have to go in, manage D’s obvious anxieties and just be nice – because that’s how I do things even though I want to shout at the person who incorrectly advised us. But that would get us nowhere. And there is still no returned phone call from the hospital.
Even thicker skin time.
I’m not alone in feeling up against “IT”, the twitter community is wonderful for support and advice and so many parents/carers are trying to negotiate various systems and bureaucracy. Trying to achieve a common aim, that of achieving the best individual result for their child. Because that’s what each and every child is: an individual under an umbrella spectrum.
So, not a fantastic start to the week and hopefully a more positive J (moi) will feel in an up-and-at-em mode tomorrow but if not, keep those tissues (and sunglasses) handy.
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