09 February 2006

Japanese Soldier

Remember those stories of poor little Japanese soldiers, marooned on islands which they were charged to defend, and nobody went back to tell them the war was over or to take them home? If you could get past them taking pot shots at you, you still couldn't tell the old guys the truth without a doctor present, for fear they'd have a heart attack on the spot.

I know how they feel.

Two hours ago, someone took the lid off my pressure cooker. They undid things, and the physical effects have been a teensy bit worrying. Quite aside from mental blankness and indecision over whether to celebrate or hide under a rock, my chest hurts. I'm still not having too much joy with taking a full deep breath and may have to go for a walk shortly, as an attempt at carefully controlled adrenalin release. As my blood pressure must have hit the roof (I can still feel the woomph, woomph of it rushing round my head) I am still quite dizzy, but feel I should post to update all you lovely, caring people who have commented and shared my frustration.

Little things nobody told me (which I have now found out via the Ed Psych):
  1. Statements no longer tell a school how to achieve the goals set
  2. This means its a good statement after all
  3. The big issue comes with hand-over between the schools, what they call 'transition'
  4. That's where the current school tells the next school how they do it
  5. And the next school decides whether thats the way to continue
  6. But nobody says they have to.
She did tell me that she had a copy, that it was a good result, and I should be pleased. I'm trying my hardest at that, honestly. Meanwhile I am still angry that this turned up just before the holidays, still pained that I could have been left in this state of high alert for a solid week, still flabbergasted that there is no mention of home-school communication etc. I am also really, truly pipped that all statements are now, by law, far less precise, and that this conveniently makes it nearer to impossible for a parent to prove their case if a school fails to make the provisions stipulated. 'Access to', I ask you. How more vague could anything be?

However.

This is just to say that I retract the portion of my earlier post which basically called the experts within the hallowed halls of ESCC a bunch of money grubbing, unsympathetic, child-hating jobsworth wankers pushing frustrated, belittled mothers and children to early graves. Apparently they're not. Apparently the arseholes are even higher up than that, somewhere in Central Government, presumably in the DfES.

Lovely.

4 comments:

fineartist said...

Dealing with, and sometimes from within, the institution of education can be such a pain in the ass.

Also, be careful, people interpret things differently all around, and talk out of both sides of their faces...

Gads, am I in a cranky mood or what?

What I meant to say, is hang in there Cheryl, and I'm sure you are already fully aware of my warnings...

Ivy the Goober said...

Cheryl, I can't pretend to understand what you're going through because I really have never had that type of experience. But I can tell you what I see. I see a woman who is courageous and persistent, and who, I believe, will change things... benefitting not only her son, but other kids as well. You rock!

Gareth said...

Having been shafted by the education system myself back in the sevnties and eighties, I can empathoise with you and yur son.


Hopefully it will work out for you.

Anonymous said...

Hope you've kicked the **** out of a few cushions? walls???

Thought also about Autism Outreach - at least you've got the diagnosis - the school should bring in the AO team (part of CAHMS?) to support him/them/you - ???