Year end celebrations
Please indulge me this time around. I want to share some of the great results that I've been privileged to help facilitate over the last 12 months.
You see, we have to celebrate successes. No matter how small. If we don't take the time to say "yay" every now and again when things go well, we get lost in the overwhelming despair of everything that doesn't go well. We all have times when life is tough - I know, we've had our fair share. And in amongst it are moments of "yay". We have to remember to celebrate those when they happen.
This year some of my moments of yay include:
A was struggling to attend school. Year 4 had completely got the better of her, and she was falling behind. Her self image was being eradicated and school was unable to provide the right level of support. Her art and behaviour indicated she was exhibiting signs of significant mental health problems. The Local authority completed an assessment for an EHCP and decided not to write one, as, they said, the support required could be met by the school's resources. I was delighted to be able to help, and within three months, A had an EHCP containing all the support she needed. Now in Year 5 she is back in school every day. She doesn't love it, however, she is able to cope, and is once again learning. Most importantly her mental health is in a much better place.
L, also in Year 4 was struggling to keep up at school. Approximately 2 years behind her peers she was beginning to recognise that she was different and it was having a negative effect on her self image. LA said she would not meet the criteria for an EHCP. I walked alongside her parents, as they have successfully navigated the process, and 19 weeks after making the request, an EHCP was issued providing much of the needed support. An appeal was lodged to challenge the decision not to include OT and Speech and Language provision and was resolved to the family's satisfaction (at the 11th hour) without having to attend a hearing. L, now in Year 5 has a plan in place which provides a significant level of input to support her mainstream placement, giving her the best chance to catch up, and importantly making the secondary school transition much more straightforward.
H, also in Year 4 (see any pattern here?) has been out of school since last December. Mum had applied for an EHCP assessment and been turned down. Her tribunal appeal for a refusal to undertake an assessment was delayed by the tribunal, and finally, after many weeks they heard that the LA had been directed to conduct a needs assessment. After a thorough assessment process, a final EHCP was issued which named the existing mainstream school that H was unable to attend. In the process of looking at alternatives, the family visited a school they thought would be unattainable without a tribunal. H relaxed, and for the first time in many months appeared happy on his visit there. Supporting from the sidelines, I've seen mum navigate an incredibly difficult situation, with the result that a day before we were due to lodge an appeal with the tribunal she received a call to say the LA would fund the independent school of her choice. We now await the final signed EHCP to confirm this.
I'm sure there is no coincidence that all three of these children are in Year 4. Year 4 is the year when the learning really kicks in, the children mature and suddenly any gaps become painfully obvious if they weren't already.
With the successful conclusion of these cases, I have the capacity to provide mentoring support to other families who want to navigate the right support for their children. Please feel free to share if you know somebody that might benefit.
And in the meantime, remember to say "yay" when those little successes occur. Celebrate and acknowledge them. Pop them in a notebook - "reasons to be cheerful" and look back at them from time to time when life is going the wrong way.
We all have life storms, and when we get the rough times and we recover from them, we should celebrate that we got through it. No matter how bad it may seem, there’s always something beautiful that you can find.
— MATTIE STEPANEK
