would you be happy?

[aimee-lou]

If your lo (reception aged) who was autistic, with special needs statements and required a 1-2-1 teaching assistant in class room sessions was left as the responsibility of an untrained and inexperienced midday supervision assistant during lunch time?

 

[AnneD]

I don't think I'd be happy if I were the child's parent, nor if I were that untrained and inexperienced assistant. It's just wrong. I have a neurotypical child, but I was in the shoes of the untrained, unexperienced person in two of the classes I taught. I wasn't even told why one boy had a helmet and the other one was in a wheelchair. After the first class, in both cases, I was told that the boy with the helmet could die if he tripped and fell, got pushed by one of the kids, etc, and the one in the wheelchair could have suffocated because he had been turning his head up and I didn't know I should have corrected him.

So - whichever position you were in, I'd say you need to out in a statement or a complaint.

 

[sequeena]

No I would not. This is a worry of mine as we're just starting the statement process (aiming for 1:1). Why was your LO left with someone else?

 

[Tiff]

I've just recently battled my daughter's school in terms to her special needs support. I'm lucky that my brother is a lawyer and stepped in on our behalf.

Here, there is no such thing as 1:1. She shares EA support with another child in class, and the EA has up to 5 other children when they are outside, which is unacceptable to me.

In trying to let go of full control, I tried to take my daughter's needs into account. My main concern is she is a flight risk, so as long as whomever is watching her and in charge of her care understands that and keeps an eye on her then I'm okay.

She will test and push boundaries, but then so do most children. However, if she had a more serious need (aside from her being a flight risk) as in chocking, seizures, uncrontrollable stimming, etc... then I would be livid and asking why.

You know your kiddo best. If you feel uncomfortable, then definitely speak up! I'm not sure about across the pond, but here everything is in writing. So if they were to ever leave her with someone who isn't trained as an EA (etc) then they'd have to notify me. If I wasn't comfortable, I could contest it.

Massive hugs, school is a scary thing to begin with... even more so when you don't trust the people who are caring for your child.

 

[mummy2o]

I'm guessing your in the UK? Then this is common. As the TA needs to have a break and have lunch with the staff and discuss various bits and piece about following work etc. With my son's school we were quite lucky his lunchtime supervisor was also the spare classroom assistant so he know who she was and would play with her. Also each statement has a set number of hours. Do you get full hours? If not they will contest this. Is the playground secure? DS went to a village school so he managed to escape through the hedge into a farmers field. Also I learnt with state schools they don't spend that childs money on them, but rather on the school. For example, they made us take my son out early on Tuesday so we had the afternoon at home with him, which was great, but they wouldn't pay for an activity although by law they were suppose to have him in school or fund an activity for us to do with him.

Best thing I've ever done for him was pull him out of that school and send him to a special autistic school. I would of done it soon, but they didn't accept pupils until Year 3, but he's changed so much since September all for the better. He's now talking proper sentences, he's in a smaller class with children with similar issues he has, he can do more or less everything he couldn't do last year all within 2 months, plus he gets to do a lot more fun activities to, ie life skills by learning to cross the road safely whilst walking weekly to the park, or going on the bus to the farm to learn about animals.

 

[aimee-lou]

thanks for the responses everyone. I'm the msa in this scenario. I just needed some context - i wasn't sure if this is normal/appropriate or even allowed tbh. Thanks again.