i have pulled my 10 year old son from school  on friday ,and i dont know what eles to do am so upset my son has speech problem dyspraxia ,learning difficults,for the last few months me and his teacher havent seen eye to eye ,a few weeks ago my son brought home a school book by mistake and his teacher had written to another teacher dont but up with his bull ----  i spoke to the headteacher who agreed it wasnt right to put this in a book about him as he does stuggle its not put on he has a statement .anyway my son is so worried about high school in septeber on friday the class room assistant rung home and said she has arrange for my son to see the high school would agree to her taking him ,i said i would rather i take him then i can see the special needs unit and talk with my son about his worries ,5 mins later this teacher who i am having problems with rings up to say whats my problem i say i just want to take my son to see his new school ,anyway i come of phone wondering what ive done wrong so i phoned up to say can i come in to speak head teacher wsnt in ,anyway as soon as we got there this teacher was of with us i said i feel like its always a battle with him us agaist him and it shouldnt be like this he turn around and said if he wasnt proffsional because he didnt like us he would just let my son rot ,i couldnt say anything as i was so shocked ,he said a few other comments like i always run to the head teacher,am so upset i pulled my son from school there and then and dont feel like i can take him back am seeing the head teacher tomorrow ,i havent slept this weeked because am so worried what can i do to help my son till september my son is lovely polte boy but he stuggles so much hes 10 but hes not even up to key stage 2 (around 5 years ) i am so upset by this teachers attude i dont think he understands dyspraxia and my sons needs my son is upset as he has 1 best friend who goes to same school so now i feel gulity if i take him away any advice please

Hi Bobsmum

What a terrible set of affairs; no wonder you and your son are upset :(  I don't know anything about educating a child at home, so can't help there, but perhaps you might find it useful to write down the issues you have with the teacher/school prior to meeting the headteacher tomorrow and take the notes with you.  That way you can be clear about what the issues are, and will avoid missing bits out if you become upset or flustered at the meeting. Also, ask your son what he wants to happen, so that his needs and wishes can be expressed to the head teacher.

You could also write down what you think would be satisfactory solutions to/ways to address the issues so that you can be quite clear with the head teacher as to what you want to be done in the situation.  Also, is there perhaps a member of the family or friend who could go with you for moral support and as a witness to what is said?
 
Don't know if any of the above is any help, but good luck and I hope you can get it sorted out soon :)

Best wishes

Lesley

http://www.education-otherwise.org/

Try this link for parents who take there children out of school.

Almost did with my dyspraxic 10yr old as they kept him in at breaks because he did not learn his spellings???!!!!! HELLO he's dyspraxic!

Sorted it out in the end because he did enjoy school & wanted to stay.

Good luck

Jo
xxxxx

thanks for the link my son has spent years being bullied cos of his speech and balance we moved to a small school about 15 months ago the school is very small year 5 and 6 are togeather and theres only about 15 kids togeather so we thought it was for the best he setteled in made a friend but this teacher just doesnt want to help a few months ago i said i would like my son to have homework he said it would take a few days to sort out we never got it and since then things have got a little out of hand i feel like he doesnt take my concerns seriously and with it being such a small school i dont know what to do ,i want to move my son into another school bt it breaks my heart to move him from his friend cos he finds it hard cos people cant understand his speach but i cant go back after the way this teacher made me feel,he made me feel guilty for my sons condition

There might be a local Home Education support group I know there is in the nearest city to where I live

Sadly there are teachers who want the easy(sic)life & don't want to teach children who are not as able as others. My brother & sister in law are teachers & my brother has gone o supply teaching, as he is approaching retirement age,  & he sometimes cannot believe what other teachers attitudes are towards less gifted children. As I am dyslexic he knows what problems that can cause if not dealt with properly & the education not tailored to a childs needs

You might want to check with the education department of your council, you will not be alone in home schooling I'm sure

don't teach in England so I have no knowledge of the special needs provision put in place by your council.  As far as I'm aware the council has some degree of responsibility to provide for your son in an environment that is supportive and educational.  There must be a special needs department that deals with the placement and equipment requirements for children with SEN.  I have taught children with dyspraxia in previous years and found that the best line of action was to have a very open relationship with the parents and, at times, with the child involved.  As a teacher, it is important to be aware of any hospital or speech therapy reports if they contain information pertaining to the child's wellbeing and education.  It appears, looking in from the outside and with only one side of the story, that you have had little support and substandard provision for your child.  My concerns would be that there are a number of changes happening in your son's life in the near future and he is not being prepared for them properly.  Have you discussed how your child is treated in class, what allowances are made to accommodate his difficulties, if there is the possibility of having a SEN assistant and where your child will go when he leaves Primary?  There are a great number of issues that need to be addressed formally through what I would term as and IEP - an Individual Education Plan - and the school should have this or similar in place. 
With regard to pulling your child from school, you have a legal responsibility to ensure that you child is educated either in this school, another school or at home.  I have a distinction in teaching and I would not consider educating my children at home because they would not have the same learning experiences on their own and you need to have a very good understanding of the education requirements of your child.  My children would be sick of the sight of me!
If there is an issue with the teacher speak to the HT and ask for a line to be drawn under any previous disagreements.  If you feel that the teacher has spoken to you aggressively then point this out but I would also make it clear that you are not going to take this further or outside the school at the moment because you want the school and teacher to have the opportunity to sort out the problem.  Give them a timescale to discuss the problems then get back to you with their solutions. The objective here is to try to keep you child in the school and make them work for you, as a change at this moment in time might be very disruptive to your son.  It might be a good idea to put you issues in writing and ask the school to do the same so you have a written record of the problem and how the school are going to address it.  Protect your own back!
If you do want to move your son to another school speak to the Education Department to find out which school they would recommend you son attends and if it is outside your catchment area, if they provide transport to and from.  There are a number of opportunities that should be available to you and I would think that it is a case of finding which suits you and your son best.
Best of luck.

Hi bobsmum I had similar problems to you I almost took my son who has many problems out of school as although he was statemented he wasn't getting the help he needed I took it further and went to the education authority my son got a placement in a smaller school which still followed mainstream but it was more catered for the children they took my son came on leaps and bounds and he really benefited from this I know not everyone wants or needs to take there child out of mainstream school but sometimes it really is beneficial the confidence my son gain in that environment was unbelievable. I took my daughter out of  school and taught her myself after she was bullied by a Teacher and we got no where with the school or board of governors its hard work but it was worth it she didn't sit her gcse as she was so far behind with her work when she left she wouldn't have caught up but intended to go to college and do them there are lots of sites on line to help you and I found once I got used to the commitment that is needed it came quite naturally you don't need any qualifications just access to books and the internet helps too and I was told that I could follow mainstream if I wanted but as long as she got the basics I could tailor it to suit us I wouldn't hesitate to do the same again if it came to it with my younger ones.

There used to be a mum on here called Issysmum, I believe she moved to Canada. She pulled her children from their schools and educated them herself at home in the UK. Maybe if you do a search on her name you will find some info.

Hth a bit, sorry to hear of your troubles.

Lindsay
X

Can't help but I'm sure sarah (dollydaydream) is home schooled by her mum so if she see's this I'm sure she can tell you what its like from a childs POV to be home schoold.

Anyway do what you know is best for your son.  But if at his current school his teacher doesn't understand him then surely he is not learning anything?

Goodluck with whatever you decide.

Haven't posted on Champdogs for ages. Just wanted to say if you search yahoo groups there are a few UK Home Education lists.

My friend Home schools her Daughter and has found the Home Education lists a great help.

Karen

It might be worth contacting social services. A colleague of mine is quitting fulltime work after her Grandsons social worker asked her if she was interested in helping parents home school children with special needs. She didn't need asking twice. The social worker got her enrolled at college and she starts her new job soon. This is quite an elderly colleague which I think reflects how open minded the local social services are. :)

HI Bobsmum

I'm just about to PM you !

Is the school part of a Local Education Authority (LEA)?  If so, you might consider taking this up with them, as your son's teacher's comments sound far from professional.  Also does the school have a SEN co-ordinator who you could speak to? 
It is, in theory, possible to send your child to school part-time and home school him for the rest of the time, though you may find it difficult to find a school which is prepared to accept this.  I believe there is a growing number of people educating their children in this way as it provides a balance between socialisation and individual attention.

If you have pulled him out of school you need to conatct the LEA or else you'll have education welfare on your back.Also make sure you keep copies of any letters you send to the school and the education authority.As a secondary special needs teacher myself i would say give high school a try as we are far more up to speed on specific and moderate learning difficulties than primary school teachers who often bury their heads in the sand cos they can't cope!!
You laso need to make a formal complaint about this particular teacher, who's conduct is absolutely disgraceful!!:)

he,s going to our local high scool in september as they have been fantastic and are offering lots of surport for september ,am just not sending him back to school i have to ring another local school today as its only 12 weeks left of school am thinking of teaching him myself thanks for all your advice its really helped thanks

Hi Bobsmum,

So sorry you are having this problem with the school, I am amazed that your son does not appear to have been getting any 'one-to-one' help and the teacher really sounds as if he has a problem.  

Have a look at the site below, even if your sons problems aren't specifically dyslexia, the site has information on teaching at home, not all children do well in a school environment and some thrive on home schooling - I wish I'd had the information and the courage to do this with my eldest who, despite my concerns and all the signs of dyslexia wasn't diagnosed until 18 years old and in college Some teachers should not be allowed in the classroom

http://www.dyslexics.org.uk/

Hi there bobsmom,

Im Sarah and I are educated at home by my mom. I went to primary school, and up to year eight in secondary school but my mom and I decided that I would be better if I was pulled out of school as I didn't seem to be learning much! My brother is also taught at home as he is school phobic and my mom had some similar experience as you did with the some of the teachers. We had a discussion the other night and decided that educating me at home was the best thing that I could have done. I only work three days a week and the level of work is much higher than at school. Try looking on the home education website http://www.hesa.org.uk this has lots of information on. Please feel free to PM me or my mom, Kate. You could also email at sarah_watkins_@hotmail.com and my mom is willing to give you some information based on personal experience. Hope this helps.

Sarah xxxx

thank s dollyday dream i will email your mum if thats ok bobsmum

Thats fine :)

sarah xxxx