March 2007
Well, March has been a bit quiet. After the last decision by the placement panel we decided to be open minded about it all and go and look at the school they suggested. It actually looked like a good school and would have been I ideal for Sunbeam had he been transferring from primary school to secondary school. However, it’s much too late now and he wouldn’t be able to cope with the travel apart from anything else. We called the school and asked to visit but they needed to see Sunbeam’s Statement and assessment by the Ed Psych. They decided that they couldn’t offer him a place, which is excellent news for us because we really want him to go to a specialistAS school. So, all the paperwork has gone back into the LEA and the placement panel is meeting again today (20.03.07) and we are keeping our fingers and everything else crossed that they make a good decision. I have even sent in a grovelling letter as a direct plea to the panel! I’m not proud! I’ll beg! Meanwhile Sunbeam has reached a plateau as regards his mental health and apart from plying him with more drugs, which we obviously don’t want to do, the only thing is for him to go to a school that can help him recover from severe depression. The only thing we are doing now is waiting for the phone to ring. I’m on tender hooks!
Well they said “No”! Utterly speechless!
Sorry! I’ve been very lazy this month (as I write this it’s April!!) Not an awful lot happened in March apart from the LEA rejecting our request for Sunbeam to attend an Asperger specific school where all the professionals say he should go. So now we are going to tribunal. We’ve had all the paperwork and the tribunal will take place in the fortnight beginning 11th June. I now have to photocopy all our evidence and whatever else might be helpful to present to the board by the 9th May. I have also contacted the LEA because they haven’t actually given us a reason for the decision not to send Sunbeam to the school. Seems a bit one sided to me. Needless to say most of the people in the department are now on holiday but I won’t let it drop!Â
Meanwhile success in the steam engine stakes! We went to Burseldon Brick works on Mothering Sunday (so thrilling!) and met the secretary of the Steam Apprentice Club who was lovely and she is thinking of allowing Sunbeam to borrow a minature steam engine for a couple of years! I haven’t actually heard from her yet so she might have regretted making the offer but fingers crossed. But a colleague has contacted a friend who is rebuilding a steam engine and says he would be delighted to take Sunbeam on as an “apprentice”! Turns out his wife was my boss about 15 years ago in the NHS!!! What a small world.
 Life was certainly put in prospective a couple of weeks ago when I heard the devastating news that a Indian friend of 30 years was murdered in February. We kept in contact with each other via e-mail, letters and the ocassional phone call but she was always there and not many days would go past without me thinking of her and her husband said the same of her re me. She was a warm, funny generous person who will be very sadly missed by all those who knew her. Such a waste of life. It rather makes me want to sell up, buy a boat and sail off around the world and not bother with education!
I’ll try and keep up the blog even tough I’m not sure if anyone reads it!Â