We had a meeting at Frodo's school yesterday to help determine whether or not Frodo will be going to a new school.
It looks like he might be attending a school that has a Language Unit, but that can also address any social and behavioural problems.
We think that at this stage he needs the intensive help that such a school can provide.
As always the schools with specialised resource units are located in the scummiest areas in the city, because that's how they can get the funding - although the kids attending the units can come from anywhere else in the city.
If we live far enough away from the school then the council will provide daily transport for him - probably a taxi.
It's taken us three months to get the finalised report from his last assessment sorted out i.e. so that it's accurate.
We're still left a bit in the air, since the final decision as to whether this is right for him lies with someone who is in charge of special needs admissions.
If the decision is "No" then he'll stay at his current school and have a further assessment at a later date.
Hopefully we'll find out soon.
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Thursday, 5 July 2007
Friday, 23 March 2007
Haven't blogged for a bit.
I really must get back to blogging again. Further updates on our trip to Rome also to follow soon - hopefully before we head off on the first of this year's two trips to Snowdonia.
Not been up to much over the past couple of weeks. Wished a couple of old friends (who are getting older) Happy Birthday - which was cool as we got down to some text and email chat. Found out where they were and what they're up to now.
Red Nose Day came and went. As always, we stayed up for the comedy, got upset by the pictures of people much worse off than ourselves, and bunged off a donation to pay for 10 lifesaving mosquito nets. A few days later I recieved an email to say that our donation had bounced. Being wary of a possible phishing scam I've carefully checked this out, and it looks like they genuinely didn't get my donation, so I'll have to send it off again.
Had the car MOT'd yesterday. I've yet to drop a vehicle off at the garage and have it pass first time, even when I've also requested a full service. Needed a new track rod/bearing joint this time. Went to Nationwide at the top of Penny Lane/Smithdown Place who have been OK in the past. The car is out of warranty now, so there's no point in going back to VW who would charge the same price just for the oil change, without doing any work, say they've taken the wheels off and had a look - without even taking the hubcaps off and then try to charge me for a bottle of "top-up" screenwash fluid - even though the screenwash is full.
Frodo had a major joint assessment yesterday - i.e. he was examined, tested and discussed by his teacher, headmistress, educational psychologist, speech therapist and school doctor and parents. He's making progress, and looks like he will continue to make progress, but really needs to have a boost to assist his language difficulties, which are probably holding back his progress in other areas.
Had to fob off the idiot doctor chairing the meeting who was suggesting the use of drugs to increase his attention - Frodo is not hyperactive so they wouldn't be appropriate. Apparently the drugs have similar effects to cocaine - hmmmm maybe I need to sort out my attention difficulties...
Net result is that it's recommended that Frodo attends a school next year that has a dedicated language unit to help him, with a view to bringing him back to his current school when it's appropriate to do so. The school's that have these resources tend to be in the most deprived areas, so that they can get the funding (the more "free school dinners" you have, the more money you get!). He could go into the mainstream of the school with the language unit, but that would be a school that is 97th in the league tables, whereas his current school is about 4th.
Next we've got to visit a school or two, and have another meeting with teachers, advisory teachers etc - to make sure that we think this decision is OK and see if a place can be sorted for him for next year.
Not been up to much over the past couple of weeks. Wished a couple of old friends (who are getting older) Happy Birthday - which was cool as we got down to some text and email chat. Found out where they were and what they're up to now.
Red Nose Day came and went. As always, we stayed up for the comedy, got upset by the pictures of people much worse off than ourselves, and bunged off a donation to pay for 10 lifesaving mosquito nets. A few days later I recieved an email to say that our donation had bounced. Being wary of a possible phishing scam I've carefully checked this out, and it looks like they genuinely didn't get my donation, so I'll have to send it off again.
Had the car MOT'd yesterday. I've yet to drop a vehicle off at the garage and have it pass first time, even when I've also requested a full service. Needed a new track rod/bearing joint this time. Went to Nationwide at the top of Penny Lane/Smithdown Place who have been OK in the past. The car is out of warranty now, so there's no point in going back to VW who would charge the same price just for the oil change, without doing any work, say they've taken the wheels off and had a look - without even taking the hubcaps off and then try to charge me for a bottle of "top-up" screenwash fluid - even though the screenwash is full.
Frodo had a major joint assessment yesterday - i.e. he was examined, tested and discussed by his teacher, headmistress, educational psychologist, speech therapist and school doctor and parents. He's making progress, and looks like he will continue to make progress, but really needs to have a boost to assist his language difficulties, which are probably holding back his progress in other areas.
Had to fob off the idiot doctor chairing the meeting who was suggesting the use of drugs to increase his attention - Frodo is not hyperactive so they wouldn't be appropriate. Apparently the drugs have similar effects to cocaine - hmmmm maybe I need to sort out my attention difficulties...
Net result is that it's recommended that Frodo attends a school next year that has a dedicated language unit to help him, with a view to bringing him back to his current school when it's appropriate to do so. The school's that have these resources tend to be in the most deprived areas, so that they can get the funding (the more "free school dinners" you have, the more money you get!). He could go into the mainstream of the school with the language unit, but that would be a school that is 97th in the league tables, whereas his current school is about 4th.
Next we've got to visit a school or two, and have another meeting with teachers, advisory teachers etc - to make sure that we think this decision is OK and see if a place can be sorted for him for next year.
Tuesday, 6 February 2007
Reading Trauma
Frodo got a new reading book from school yesterday, but he was in tears when he came home with it.
It's only his fourth book, but they'd given him one with all new words in, and none that he recognised or knew from his previous books. Poor lad must have gone from thinking that he could read, to realising that he couldn't.
Managed to calm him down, print and cut out the 8 new words and go through the book with him, talking about the pictures and playing word matching games.
By the end of this he was recognising and reading 3 of the words, and having help with the others. He then went upstairs to draw and colour for a bit, so I dropped the new book onto his bed.
I little while later I was writing a note to the school to let them know that he'd lost his confidence because of the sudden jump to the new words. Frodo trotted down the stairs with the new book and read all of it to us - only stumbling over one of the words! I think he'd been reading it to himself upstairs on his own.
I saw his teacher this morning and told her what had happened i.e. that he may need a more gradual introduction to new words so that he isn't put off trying to read.
It's only his fourth book, but they'd given him one with all new words in, and none that he recognised or knew from his previous books. Poor lad must have gone from thinking that he could read, to realising that he couldn't.
Managed to calm him down, print and cut out the 8 new words and go through the book with him, talking about the pictures and playing word matching games.
By the end of this he was recognising and reading 3 of the words, and having help with the others. He then went upstairs to draw and colour for a bit, so I dropped the new book onto his bed.
I little while later I was writing a note to the school to let them know that he'd lost his confidence because of the sudden jump to the new words. Frodo trotted down the stairs with the new book and read all of it to us - only stumbling over one of the words! I think he'd been reading it to himself upstairs on his own.
I saw his teacher this morning and told her what had happened i.e. that he may need a more gradual introduction to new words so that he isn't put off trying to read.
Thursday, 1 February 2007
Frodo Reads His First Book!
Yesterday Frodo read all of the words in his first reading book - an Oxford Reading Tree Stage 1 First Words Story Book with the somewhat dubious sounding title of "Six in a Bed".
Spoiler Warning! Don't read on if you don't want to know the plot of the whole book! ;-)
Mum and Dad.
Mum, Dad and Chip.
Mum, Dad, Chip, and Biff
Mum, Dad, Chip, Biff, Kipper
and Floppy.
(note the sneaky trick of moving the last "and" to the last beach to catch out any kid who's spotted a pattern).
Fantastic! Today he's got a follow up book titled "Fun at the Beach".
Is it just my perverse mind, or is somebody having a Captain Pugwash Urban Myth style laugh with the titles? The others in the series are:
"The Pancake"
"A Good Trick"
"Floppy Floppy"
Spoiler Warning! Don't read on if you don't want to know the plot of the whole book! ;-)
Mum and Dad.
Mum, Dad and Chip.
Mum, Dad, Chip, and Biff
Mum, Dad, Chip, Biff, Kipper
and Floppy.
(note the sneaky trick of moving the last "and" to the last beach to catch out any kid who's spotted a pattern).
Fantastic! Today he's got a follow up book titled "Fun at the Beach".
Is it just my perverse mind, or is somebody having a Captain Pugwash Urban Myth style laugh with the titles? The others in the series are:
"The Pancake"
"A Good Trick"
"Floppy Floppy"
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