Aleena's help open letter (the pursuit of truth 605)

#openletter #worldautism #autism #funding #ehcp #governent #swale #school @RishiSunak

World Autism Acceptance Week / 27th March 2023 / end of Term 4/6
Dear, those with power and responsibility,
Do you want all autistic, disabled and neuro-diverse children to be successful in life? I hope your answer is yes, if so then please let me tell you my story and my ideas to help this, as early intervention will reduce problems later in life, allowing better education results and ultimately jobs, meaning less tax reliance on the state and opening work barriers; the Office for National Statistics show that autistic people are the least likely to be employed of any disabled group, only 21.7% are in employment, and these inequalities start with education according to the ONS’s own report people with disabilities are two and a half times more likes to have NO qualifications and when surveyed by 5 News primary and secondary school teachers from the NASUWT union said only 4% of Neuro-divergent children always receive support and 43% rarely or never get the support they need and my ideas aren’t really going to increase what you already spend just a more efficient and timely way of spending it!
I just wish to express that my intention is not to cause any trouble or issues but solve a problem that is bigger than those dealing with it. Our daughter, Aleena, was diagnosed with Autism before she attended Nursery and she now attends reception in a mainstream primary school which is part of Swale Academies Trust in Eastbourne.
I know Aleena’s autism is difficult, it is difficult for us too. I know she can run around or not want to conform and can’t communicate her needs well. These are all parts of autism, but she is so, so clever. At two she taught herself the alphabet and numbers from watching BBC’s alpha/numberblocks. She knows technology more than a lot of others her age, she can already source material and edit her own videos at five. This is a child with a lot of learning capacity.
I know the teachers try, and sometimes I think it’s too much for them as Aleena has been sent home a few times for getting a finger stuck in a toy, crying, sneezing too much or being sleepy. I worry that they are struggling without the 7support of a special needs teacher who knows how to handle and support Aleena and her ASD; they tell us at end of the day and at parents meeting that they want to get someone to do full time one-to-one teaching with her and acknowledge that she is clever. During Term 4, I understand they have found support for Mondays and Tuesdays for Aleena, which we’ve noticed has helped Aleena progress, especially recently on a Monday when in her book review, she read 3 books with ease and was engaged and cuddled a child that was crying rather than getting upset as crying sometimes triggers Aleena, which makes me wonder if Aleena had full 5 days support since day one how much progress she could have made!
In her first Additional Needs Plan (ANP) meeting, after 6 weeks of school attendance, the Inclusion Team were already talking about a transfer to another school, ie a special school, which I wasn’t happy about and everyone in the room said that Aleena needed one-to-one support but the plan was us to attend three more of these ANP sessions before an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) could be started.
Now at the end of term 3, in the ANP meeting, a temporary place for attendance at a “unit” was proposed. After clarification, they meant a special needs school as Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (ISEND) want them to start the EHCP - a 20 week process of more unnecessary analysing rather than accepting the professional opinion / medical diagnosis (which has now started its process, SEN/E0001PS). This means delaying the support she needed from day one of reception which will now come in Year 1 if the EHCP is accepted. I am led to understand that the EHCP usually continues to Term 4! I had tried, in term 1, to help the school by writing on the 14th October 2022 to my local MP who passed the letter on to the Director of Child Services asking for the EHCP to start then. (ref CA24459)
In the ANP meeting with SENCO and ISEND, (Communication, Learning and Autism Support Services (CLASS) didn’t attend), it was admitted that Aleena’s needs had not been met or support provided and wanted her to go to a special school as she had not progressed under them with comparison between term 1 and term 3. It was reported in the ANP notes that Aleena’s funding for term 1 was for 7 hours a week but term 3 was only 4 hours a week.
As I said in the meeting, I am disappointed that in the 21st Century that mainstream schools are still failing autistic/disabled children by not meeting their needs.

...rest in next email... if u want to send email me for doc johndoylepoems@gmail.com