Andre, Look What you've done! :-)

Andre's comment forced me to write so much, I thought it would be best to put it on the front of the blog. :-)

Andre - Yes, it does raise awareness but I have a lot of mixed feelings about it. You may not think it, from my post, but I truly have a lot of sympathy for Ruth Kelly. She should be allowed to do the best possible for her child (I'm sure that will happen - She doesn't seem like a mother who is going to let anything get in her son's way).

You say she didn't have a choice. I say that she should have had a choice. If a child's needs cannot be met within a state school, what becomes of that child if the parents can't afford private education?

In some areas of the country, not all, there is a system whereby you can apply for a statement and then, if it is deemed necessary, look for a suitable school, which the education authorities have to pay for, but this can be a long drawn out process with many barriers and hurdles. At the first stage, the mainstream school will be given a few extra pounds so that they can get a teaching assistant for a few hours a week. (Often wholly inadequate and almost pointless). This has to fail so that you can apply again and get a few more hours. Only after continual failures and continuous fighting will you eventually get the right kind of provision for your child.

The schools seem to have very little weight and so little time they will tell you that they need parent power. So much paper work and so many meeting - Sigh. Many, many so called experts, psychologists, child psychiatrists, teachers, speech therapists, LEA officials and god knows who else to deal with. No wonder Ruth Kelly has decided to pay up! I had to write long reports on my own child, search the Internet for legal documents, read parts of the Human Rights Act and the Disability Act, produce evidence, counter arguments, and attend many meetings. (At times, I was a bit naughty. Instead of dealing with people from the bottom up, I started at the top and let them filter the stuff down if necessary– most effective and I would advise people not to be afraid to do this. More importantly, you need give them the impression that you are never going to give up ).

You have to be there to believe it - and all the time this is going on you have to live your life and cope with your own and your child's distress. There are still a lot of children mixed up in this whole inclusion / special needs / cost cutting exercise and it needs to be sorted out. Schools are under too much pressure. Parents and children are distressed. It isn't human and the system must change.

I am sure you realise that there are many parents who couldn't even begin to take the system on - Their children lose out - Many of these children end up excluded from the mainstream school with no adequate education. These children are tomorrow's big problems.

If anyone got to the end of this - well done.