Am tired and pee'd off!!!

[vicimelly]

Am just ranting really! I am absolutely knackered, and still fuming about a letter I got this morning.
DD is disabled and incontinent, she has to have an enema every three days to stop her becoming completely blocked up, the enema gives her really bad stomach cramps for about a day after having it, and the nappies are horrendous!
She started school with her 1 to 1 carer in September and as expected has been off a lot, they knew this would happen, she was at nursery there for 18months before starting and had the same routine, she can never go a whole week in it just doesn't happen, and at the worst of it she will manage just a day or two in.
This morning I received a letter from the education and attendance welfare officer for the school, who is 'concerned at dd's extremely poor attendance' and is coming out to my house to visit and 'give me advice'
I am livid about it, but couldn't get hold of this woman today to speak to her about it, and now having been up all night with dd who has got bad cramps and really shoudn't be going to school tomorrow, am thinking I will just send her into them and see how they bloody like it when they'll have no chance to do anything short of seeing to her and then bloody talk to me about her 'extremely poor attendance' arrrggghhhhh!!! God I'm just really angry, they KNEW that she'd be off a lot!

[Cabe]

Hi

Really feel for you Vikimelly... Can't believe they have the same policy for disabled children as for able bodied ones. Surely they know that depending on the type and severity of the disablement the causes for non-attendance will be greater.

I wonder if the person responsible for the letter (education attendance officer?) knew of your dd's situation - when my dd took 6 weeks off - totally different reason - we were in negotiation with the school and still being hassled by education officers office... I too was fuming. I found out they had no idea as to why I allowed the non-attendance.

Hope just posting has made you feel a little better - good to get it off your chest, hope you get some sleep {{{hugs}}}

[vicimelly]

Thanks Cabe, still no sleep here am afraid, I really don't think dd's got a hope in hell of getting to school tomorrow at this rate she'll be falling asleep on the way there!
The letter did come from the attendance officer so I suppose she may have no idea about dd's situation. ridiculous if she doesn't though how hard would it be to find out!? you'd think these people would speak to the actual school before coming to parents!!
I'll be calling her first thing tomorrow to tell her to do some sodding homework before wasting paper sending letters out in future!! lol

[greenbean]

I agree with Cabe. The attendance officer obviously has no idea about your dds circumstances. I'm sure when you've explained it all ( though you shouldn't have to), things will sort themselves out.

[spiderfan]

Since the shake up of child welfare services following the Victoria Climbie case all these agencies (schools, health services, Education Welfare Officers) should now be working together and communicating so the fact that this doesn't seem to be happening at your dd's school is actually quite worrying. If they are looking into your dd's attendance unnecessarily makes you wonder if there are children being ignored who shouldn't be because these agencies aren't communicating properly. Hope they are suitably apologetic Vici.

[vicimelly]

I called the attendance officer this morning and she was very apologetic, she said that she'd been given very basic information about dd, and was only aware of her mobility problems and nothing else, she knew nothing about her having a 1 to 1, or any of the other aspects of her condition. So she didn't understand why dd was having so much time off. It seems that the fault is with the school not providing all the information she needed.
She was very nice and agreed that there was absolutely no need for her to come out and see us. I am wondering now though if I should make an app. with the head to go over everything again and make him aware that dd has been picked up by the welfare officer when she shouldn't have been.
Would this be a good idea or a waste of time?

[greenbean]

I would have thought a visit to school would be a furthur waste of your time. If you are concerned still , write the head a letterexplaining your worries. Hope you can sleep better now.