Maria’s story
Maria’s new school were struggling to meet her complex needs after she moved from a different area. Kids SENDIASS worked with her family to support them to access a specialist school where Maria could be given the support she needed.
Maria is 5, she has Down’s syndrome. She has been attending a mainstream primary school in her new Local Authority as her family moved. However, despite making every attempt to support both Maria and her family the school were struggling to meet her complex needs.
First visit to a SEN school
During her move her EHC was transferred to her new Local Authority. This gave her parents the opportunity to explore alternative provisions, including Additional Resource Provisions (APR) and SEN (Special Educational Needs) schools.
An interpreter was used as English is the family’s additional language. And this ensured that they had a clear understanding of the process and their school options. Maria’s parents had a limited understanding of what schools non-mainstream could provide and therefore the SENDIASS Coordinator decided to book a visit to an APR and SEN school.
Getting support at SEN school
At first the parents were concerned about SEN schools as they did not see their daughter as any ‘different’ to any other child. However when they went to view the school they were pleasantly surprised by what was on offer and observed existing children whose behaviours reminded them very much of their daughter.
This also started the relationship with the school they chose, which was eventually named in the EHC, and they were able to discuss Maria’s needs and their aspirations very openly using the interpreter.
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