General Chat

kay i just believed in the system who was i to question, i barely attended school my self and was never allowed an opinion of my own its still very hard for me to speak andgive an opinion now
thanks girls all of you xxxx xxxxxx

Just read this nothing to add to the others comments but if you need help you know where I am (and no need to tell you) ALWAYS write then they have to respond.


Love and hugs

Linda x

Just a thought copies to your MP and AM.

afternoon puss,
i'm behind you with whatever you choose to do...
take care, catch up later,
kaz xxxx

Puss, you can bank on my "autograph"!!,
I had many run ins with the local L.E.A. when my kids were in school!!

Puss,

Why didnt you start this before your son left school.?hes 17 now and out of the education system,

Perhaps you know others who have young still at school where any efforts would benifit them in their schooling,,,,,,,,

just popping out to do some shopping for choccy lol xxxxxx

peter im sorry your friend went yhrough this
i do understand fully what your saying, and its the last thing we would both need , so it seems to get my message accross mp,s papers woulf be a good start and a pettition x
dont think ive explained my self
what i mean is i could not cope with years of fighting through the courts for it all to be in vain

You are not waffling.... you are in a righteous rage.... I'm surprised it has taken you so long.

Deanna X

I'll sign too.
Whatever you try we will all be behind you and David.

Could you take this to the OMBUDSMAN?
It would at least bring it out in the open.

Deanna XX

thanks for all your input ive taken on board every thing said , i am worn out emotianly its been a long 17 yrs of fighting and when i look back when things were unbearable i wonder how we got through it all, daff only by wed as i have made appointment with solicitor, and wasnt sure if that was the route to follow, im able to get legal aid .
at one time i would send david to school, they would send him home for being a naughty boy then i would get a letter saying i would be going to court this went on for months , thro the frustration david would run off he would be reported for running into busy rush our traffic and once nearly caused a pile up but his sister risking her own life got hi in time
sorry im waffling now i will contact mp cause i need to pour it out to someone before i go insane xxxx thanks for the pms too folks thanku for caring xxxx

A good friend of mine was in a similar situation.

The facilities that were available in the area where he lived were simply not suitable for his son, so in the end he chose to pay privately towards his education at a specialist school in another area. He also considered suing the LEA for some or all of the cost, but in the end was advised that it would not be worthwhile.

From what I have read here , it does seem that the LEA may not have fully discharged their obligations under the Childrens Acts, in which case they might have committed an offence in Law.

However, even if this this is correct, does not necessarily follow that you could sue successfully. Other than in cases of defamation, punitive, or exemplary damages are rarely awarded in this country, so unless you were sueing for a specific monetary loss suffered as a result of their negligence, I am not sure where it would lead.

Sorry for butting in but I have read all posts with interests.

When my son was at secondary school he had to have an operation on his ear which resulted in hearing loss in his right ear. When he returned to school we were approached by the Special Education Advisor who offered my son loads of equipment and aids to help him in school lessons. My son refused all the aids saying he didnt want to appear different from his friends so the only thing that was put in place was for him to sit at the front of the class on a certain side so he could hear. We had to sign a form agreeing to these conditions and so did the school. I am glad to say he finished school with 10 gcses all C grade and above.

The point I am making is that the school had to be seen to be doing something,(although they were fantastic) they could not ignore his condition otherwise they would be liable.

If the school knew of Davids condition then they to are responsible to provide a fair and appropriate education and if they fail to do this then they are liable.

Money is not always the solution but a letter to the Education Authority asking why they let your son down and what they have put in place to stop it happpening again may be all the justice you need.

I wish you luck

lol Ann.... if I could just wave a magic wand I would!!

Puss, what Jean has suggested is just perfect.... it would also give you something to channel your anger whilst doing something positive!

If the MP and Minister for Ed don't get interested, then take further steps to sue.... not sure where you'd stand if you went to the papers first.... but if you were suing it would hit the papers anyway during the hearings...... this sort of thing makes good Public Interest news. So I am sure that the local authority would be more likely to sit up and take notice, and get things right in the future... and they are going to have to spend more money on David right now cos they let him down so badly... he would almost certainly not have required such an intensive support package now had he had the support he needed at school.

I would love to see the prospectus and Statement of Purpose from his Colleges and schools......
I'll try and get hold of those later today... they will almost certainly be online these days.

Love

Daff xxx

see Puss - just knew that Daff would come up trumps for you hun!!!!

Ann XXXX

Puss, I'm not going to make any real suggestions until I've googled it all.... I like to know what all the options and everything are, lol!

Briefly though,

On the face of things, I would say that David has a strong case, and you would also be able to claim because of the stress and trauma caused to you whilst fighting... certainly it won't have helped your COPD or your FM any, would it?

But I need also to be looking at the long term stress effects on you..... they will be huge! You would presumably be taking this action on behalf of David... so he would also need to be involved and included in the proceedings, and he might find this too difficult to deal with.

Suing shouldn't make any difference to the level of support he is getting now..... he is now IN the system, and shouldn't fall through it all again.

However, we all know that strange things happen, and if David himself decides he has had enough and refuses support because of the turmoil and stress he'll be under...... no-one can do a thing about it!

I feel that this might be a strong possibility.... David is emotionally very raw just now... it'll take a while before he begins to really make progress... at the moment he is just relaxing, really.

I think a court case etc too soon might be too much for him to deal with. I also think it might be too much for you, as well, AT THIS MOMENT. That doesn't mean it can't be looked at later on when you have all had time to catch your breath

Let me get back to you when I've had a proper think... I have only just got back from the vet and now have to go into Cardiff for an eyecheck... pm me any info you feel you'd like me to look at, and I'll research it for you later.

I understand how angry you are at the way David and your family have been treated.... but you really need to catch your breath for a little while..

Why have you got to make a decision by Wednesday? Is this to do with this particular solicitor? Or have you been told that you have to start the proceedings within a specific period of time?

Take care and *speak* to you later... and don't forget you can tell me to butt out at any time, lol!!

Love

Daff xxxx

we'll all sign any petition Puss

Morning Puss..........not that ~i know much but dont you get fed up with people saying " Oh so and so fell through the net " !!!!!!!

You get up a petition hun and I'll sign it for sure...........so unfair on David.

Lin xxxxx

Yes I think you should just to high-light the problem. My g/son is also dyslexic and desprexic (sp? ) and thankfully his Mum spotted it about 3yrs ago and although told he didn't have it through the school sought advice privately The Dore institute which was a great help (which has unfortunately just folded) and through them he managed to get a hospital app and the NHS will now pay for him to help with the disprexic. I'm so sorry for your son's treatment money might not be the answer but it might certainly help him in later life. Good luck

Norah

excellent point about the Childrens' Commissioner Jax - we ain't half clever ain't we!! But I think Daff will turn out to be the cleverest when she arrives!!

Ann XXXX

You could also start a petition Puss to bring it to the attention of the government asking for better procedures to be in place which would also help others in the same situation as David

Im sure many off us on here would sign it.

Following Anns Post

Is there a Childrens commisioner in England like there is in Wales? he would be the one to contact as he is meant to ensure the education and welfare of all children.