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Complaints to Primary School and Transition to Secondary School help

jo_456

Hello, 

Last week, my daugther was diagnosed as Autistic. 

We are yet to have our meeting with CAMHS to discuss the report, and I am feeling very overwhelmed by it all. My daugther was initially referrred for an ADHD assessment, following my diagnosis of ADHD and similar traits my daughter had to me. This was a self referral. 

For context, we went to daugher's school two years ago, with our concerns. The school senco brushed us off, and told us her behaviour was normal for a child her age. The school refuse to refer my daughter, and flat out refused to help. 

Fast forward two years later, we have some really lovely third party people at CAMHS behind us, urging the school to put things into place for the transition to secondary school, however the school do not engage, they do not put anything in place, other than a break during SATS. 

CAMHS have provided the school with workbooks, help guides, and other helpful information but it is not being used. 

The school kept me out of all contact with CAMHS, despite me asking to be included, invited us to meetings with CAMHS with 24 hours notice, and even lied to the assessor whilst they were conducting their assessment that my daugther didn't take to school the things we bought out of our own pocket to help in school. We asked the school to clarify with CAMHS that what they told the assessor was incorrect and they said they would. 

I asked for a copy of this communication, and whilst CAMHS said it wouldnt matter, they would take on board what we had said and what they had seen, the school sent a piece of paper with the dates that they had communication with CAMHS. 

I am extremely worried about the transition to secondary school, as my child is already anxious, I am worried that the school are very good at telling CAMHS what they will do, but do not actually do it. 

I have prepared a Subject Access Request to the school, so I can see if they have prepared the new school of neurodiversity concerns, and what they have discussed with CAMHS, and i know this will not turn back the clock as to how we have been treated, but i am hoping that a complaint will stop another parent going through a battle with the school to get them to listen. 

Has anyone sent a subject access request to their child's school before? 

Is a subject access report the way to go, will it help me see what needs to be done in secondary school?

Has anyone got any advice on how i can prepare my child for the transition as i have no confidence in that the school are going to prepare her for the move. 

I am also still angry that her teacher lied to camhs or "Misinformed" as the school put it, and also told CAMHS they had put several things in place, when in fact, we as parents did. 

Thanks in advance, and if this is in the wrong section, i apologise, i just do not know which way to turn, and I just want to be sure that the move to big school is smooth for my daugther. 

  • I don't know anything about a subject access request. Sorry. But I hope the following helps.

    But my biggest question would be does she have an ehcp? This is the document that legally binds schools to support and would help with the transition to secondary school as all support would be laid out in it and schools should legally follow it.

    There would be little point asking the primary school to sort this now if she is already in year 6. However, you can apply to start the process yourself. This would hopefully mean you could get it in place early into her secondary journey.

    I would also get ahead of the game and ask to meet with the secondary school themselves. You can request a meeting to discuss your daughter's needs ahead of her starting there. I would ask that this meeting be minuted and any agreed support put down in writing. 

  • The below articles might help you to write a transition to secondary school plan (hoping it might lighten the load on you as you think about delegating to / following up with the different people and departments for support, plus, continue to aid your daughter to feel she can become as prepared as possible for experiencing her new school).

    The National Autistic Society information pages about school transition are here:

    https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/transitions/england/starting-or-switching-school

    https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/transitions

    https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/transitions/making-decisions

    Outside of the National Autistic Society:

    This article includes some practical checklists:

    https://autisticgirlsnetwork.org/some-tips-for-a-good-transition-from-primary-to-secondary-school-for-autistic-pupils/

    This article includes a link to a hints and tips video by the Anba Freud Centre:

    https://www.leicspart.nhs.uk/autism-space/education/transitioning-from-primary-school-to-secondary-school/

    This Suffolk SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service for parents & carers of children and young people with SEND) video suggests (about 12 minutes into the video) some examples of resources to help your child share their feelings and ensure their voice is heard in the preparation for transition to secondary school:

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w-UX1YwG3WE&t=925s&pp=2AGdB5ACAQ%3D%3D

    One potentially particularly confusing aspect (equally experienced by both you and your daughter) is the navigation of a mix of sometimes your daughter feeling like a more grown up young person and at other times still very much more like quite a young girl. 

    The "grown up" concerns competing with the "younger inner child" worries both need an outlet to prevent overwhelm. 

    Capturing the seemingly (on the surface of things) disparate / unrelated levels, or origins, of concerns ...and then tackling them together (to match the mode in which they find themselves at a given stage) is a way to help your daughter feel seen, heard and considered - for where she actually "is" (not where other "helpful" people have decided she "ought" to be in the process of moving from primary school to secondary school).

    For example, family circumstance changes meant that between the ages of 10 to 13; I attended 4 different schools.  Each move struck me slightly differently in terms off what might be uppermost in my concerns, frustrations and fears. 

    One practical minute it might be "will I need a new pencil case?" (That worry revolved, for whatever reason, until a proper parental conversation explored why I was bothered about the item).

    Another more social moment; "how am I going to quickly learn all the new names of students in my new class?" (My grandfather suggested I use an A6 notebook in which I could note down; where in the different classrooms fellow students tended to sit, their first name and who they seemed to talk to most.  He also gently reminded me to introduce myself to them with more than my first name e.g. "my pet's name is from my favourite story).

    On a more physical note: "what will I wear to be warm enough travelling further to the new school?". (I already had the required Winter clothing ...and yet I still needed reassuring and convincing that all would be well).

  • in reply to jo_456

    Maybe escalate this further, talk to your local education dept and your MP, the school should not be allowed to get away with this sort of institutional blindness and outright lying. Just because you're daughter dosen't use all the things provided dosen't mean she's not in need of help or that she isn't autistic, just that she ither dosen't need the aids or that they're not the right ones for her. It's like saying everyone who's disabled uses a wheelchair, total nonsense.

  • in reply to Homebird

    Thankyou I really appreciate your response. 
    I have been a bit overwhelmed since her diagnosis as to how to help and how to move forward and help her with the transition to secondary school. Will contact the schools secondary school tomorrow. 

  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    Thankyou I will do. 

    Thankyou, I understand that everyone is different, the point with the school is that they are telling everyone who visits my child, that she doesn’t use what’s provided, doesn’t present in class, doesn’t cause a bother and have no concept of masking either. 

    my child had obsessive handwashing and they denied they every saw it, even though they emailed me to say they did. 

  • in reply to jo_456

    This is very typical of a "one size fits all" view of autism and it does matter, I don't use fidget toys or use ear buds either or do a lot of other things that autistic people are "supposed" to do. Maybe you should read the second of the books more urgently as it goes iinto exactly this sort of thing.

  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    The teacher told the Autism assessor that my child doesn’t use the fidget toys or earbuds she takes to class, when she does and the head confirmed this. I asked them to send a correction to the assessor and they said it wouldn’t make any difference to the outcome of their decision. To me that is not the point, they didn’t tell the truth and they claimed the teacher was misinformed.

    It didn’t make any difference to the outcome of the assessment but that is not the point. The point is, what else have they told others which is not true. 

    school denied there was any concerns from day one. 

    thanks for the advice will have to look for the books you have mentioned. 

  • I've not been in this situation myself, it sounds horrifying, the school sounds as thought they're trying to control things and deny that your daughter has autism, maybe they're refering to the extreme male brain model of autism, which dosent' fit most women and girls, or quite a few men for that matter.

    Misinformed, thats an interesting word choice, misinformed about what, who and who by? Keep challenging, keep on with doign the right thing for your daughter. As a thing for later and more information generally about autistic women and girls, try reading "The Gendered Brain" and The Lost Girls of Autism" by Gina Rippon.

  • in reply to jo_456

    In my experience parents are better at identifying issues and suggesting ways to support than staff, as they know the child better. When my child was at Primary we could occasionally go into open classroom situations. I identified my child's anxiety when given a task, which staff denied having noticed. 

    Having support from CAMHS at a meeting would be good and they may also be able to suggest strategies for the school to follow. From our experience it was important to have a 'passport' with the most important things to help our child in classes, so all the staff teaching him could see this and we could refer them to it if necessary.

    Based on the fact that secondary schools don't take much notice of SATS because they do their own assessments early on, I would presume they wouldn't take a lot of notice of what the last school said, especially if you have spoken to the new SENCO. However if you want more information then a SAR may give you that information you want to know. 

    I hope you are able to get some reassurance and your daughter has a good transition.

  • in reply to Homebird

    Thankyou, I will contact the secondary school. We do have an advisor from CAMHS that is willing to attend meetings with us for as long as we need. My worry is what the primary school have said to the secondary school considering the “mid-informed” CAMHS during the assessment. 

  • Hi. We also had a Primary school which dismissed evidence. This meant getting a diagnosis took longer.

    As you mentioned SATS, I presume your daughter is going to Secondary school this year. You could contact the school she is going to and ask to arrange a meeting with their SENCO. The meeting would then give you an opportunity to discuss anything you feel it would be helpful to put in place. They may also be able to arrange extra visits to see the school. It is not ideal to not have support from the Primary School, but hopefully the Secondary School will be able to offer some help.