NewsChoosing the 'right' school28 February 2010
There’s a link between inclusion, rights and choice, that lies in the definition of social inclusion. If you haven’t already read our article about what social exclusion means in 2010 and brushed up on the definition of social inclusion, here it is: Social Inclusion is about recognizing the needs of individuals, their families and communities, and working with them to overcome the barriers to the opportunities and rights that the rest of society take for granted. Some of the rights taken for granted in society are obvious: the right to shelter, and protection from violence for example. Some are more subtle, like the right to chose where your child goes to school. Ask any parent about the critical moments ahead in their children’s lives, and getting a good school that meets their child’s needs is likely to be a concern. A government response to the strength of feeling about it being so high among UK parents was the creation of the Choice Adviser Service. Many middle class parents have made use of it, but its value has been most significant for parents and children who are least able to exercise their right to choose and adequately express their preference for a school. In Devon, families who find the decisions around schooling an extra struggle often include Many of these families fail to meet the strict application deadlines, and consequently have no choice in the decision made for their children. Their problems may be to do with language and communication, not knowing the way around the system, lack of knowledge of the area and the options, not being able to discover whether a school has the facilities that will meet the parent’s or children’s special needs, no means to travel to a suitable school, and difficulties in attending the open days or interviews that schools offer. Some of the consequences of not finding the right school close by can have knock on effects; “Children often end up in schools far from where they live, and so all their social life and learning is done at a distance, putting strain on families and reinforcing isolation”. The Choice Adviser Service mediates between parents, schools, Admissions and the County Special Educational Needs Team, interpretation and, other services, significantly increasing the number of applications that go in on time from families for whom getting the right school for their child is critical. “A lot can be done just over the phone”, says Choice Adviser Melanie Henrywood. “After you’ve talked it through, it’s often possible to guide people through forms on the phone, or to help engage the support of a family member when they have been given a little understanding of the process”. For some parents, being socially isolated, for reasons from geography to deafness, means that basic information that others take for granted in their decision making, is missing. This can be overcome by a friendly phone conversation with a Choice Adviser: “If you’re deaf, for example, you miss out on the social asides – it deprives you of a lot of knowledge normally picked up subconsciously”. Accompanying families through tough meetings and bringing in additional support is an essential part of the service too. “Quite often we have split family issues; we can help to involve services at the school, like counsellors, and accompany the families to the school for meetings, or to appeals.” All the Choice Advisers in Devon have professional backgrounds in working with minority and disadvantaged groups, and have experience of the importance of supporting families at critical life moments. “It’s important to get it right the first time, because you don’t easily get a second chance. A significant amount of time in a child’s life can be lost if the placement or provision is not right.” The two Choice Adviser case studies below give a flavour of the kind of help that makes the difference, especially when a family is at a disadvantage on several counts. Helping parents who have difficulty engaging with the admissions process has a positive effect for all parents. “When parents fail to apply, they are allocated to schools that are not full often because other parents have voted with their feet. (This may be because of a bad Ofsted report, or just because of perceptions). The result can be that the school fills up with families who feel disaffected, and having been unable to engage with the application process are also struggling to engage with their school. The knock on effect is often that their children don’t develop a positive relationship with the school either, leading to a downward spiral for the school community and its reputation.” When families who struggle to engage are hand-held through the process - achieving a choice with which they feel confident - their children and the schools they join understand each other better, and have a better outcome. It makes for a more cohesive community. There are key elements to an advice service that make it work, says Melanie:
Initial contact was made in the summer term by the Headteacher of a Devon primary school who was concerned about a Year 5 child’s choices for secondary school. The child had complex needs and had arrived from Poland in August 2007. The school had successfully managed the assessment process and got the child a Statement of SEN for cerebral palsy and learning difficulties. His Polish language level was around age 3/4 and in English this was age 2/3. He was in need of intensive 1:1 support. At the recent Y5 Annual Review the transition to secondary school had been addressed. However, the Headteacher was concerned that the young, single Polish mother who was lodging at a local farm did not have enough English to understand the process or to have access to informed choice. The Headteacher felt a special school placement would be appropriate, but the mother had formed a biased opinion about it through attending a Saturday Club at the school which was attended by children with severe learning difficulties. Having already visited the local secondary school, that was considered too large an environment and their deployment of teaching assistants unsuited to the need for intensive 1:1 support. It was possible to contact the mother through the farmer’s wife, who passed on messages and acted as a sort of mentor. Three school prospectuses were requested and sent to the mother to look at over the summer and an early autumn term meeting was arranged at the school with her and a member of the interpretation Team from MultiLingua in Exeter. This enabled discussion regarding the child’s needs, the mother’s preferences, the choices available, transport and the application process through the interpreter. It was agreed that the Choice Adviser would arrange for the mother and child to look around the special school of her choice, again with an interpreter, and we discussed some questions that she might ask at the school. The visit took place and the mother got her application in on time with help from the farmer’s wife, putting the special school as her first choice and the local school second.
This was a Parent Partnership referral following a ‘Team Around the Child’ meeting regarding a primary-aged child with a 0.8 Statement of SEN for ASD and EAL with language and communication needs. Communication between the school and mother had broken down due to a disagreement about assessment of ability. With the help of the Choice Adviser a number of schools were identified to visit including special schools and a primary based CAIRB unit. The Choice Adviser facilitated the transport to 2 schools which were out of area and provided support to the parent to attend. There was multi-agency liaison involved including discussion with EOTAS, CSET, Parent Partnership, and EMA. The Choice Adviser was able to support the mother to express her opinions and her knowledge of her child; to negotiate around differences with professionals and to reassure school staff regarding the assessment process. Joint work with the parent and other professionals ensured a clear preference could be expressed and the preparation of information to share with schools during assessment for admission. The Choice Adviser also carefully raised the issue of communication between the originating school during the school visit process ahead of preference being expressed by the parent. The Choice Adviser Service welcomes referrals of any families wanting advice and support with school applications for children of any age and background. Please contact 01392 381296, cyp.choiceadvisers@devon.gov.uk or see www.devon.gov.uk/choiceadvisers
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We interview one of Devon’s “Choice Advisers” to find out why parents are looking for help when it comes to making the decisions that could shape their child’s future and, who needs assistance from their Service the most.