Zara N

I am feeling proud of the challenges my son has overcome, he is almost 11 and is autistic. He was diagnosed with a fatal rare blood and immune condition called Wiskott Aldrich when he was a baby, he underwent two bone marrow transplants and chemotherapy over a four year period. We are very blessed that he is cured now. My son has also had to deal with his Dad dying when he was 9. As a single parent, who works full time with a child with SEND I experience a lot of challenges, I do not find anything difficult about being a parent to my son he is an absolute dream and I love being his mum. What I find challenging is navigating the complex, one size fits all, arbitrary rules enforced by the SEND departments at the council. The approach adopted by SEND departments at councils, does not take into account the parent’s views or the views of the child’s primary school, instead they wholly rely on paid professionals who never meet the child or briefly meet the child to have the ultimate decision about a SEND child’s education. I think this incessant approach of adopting a managerial approach is a waste of resources, why are they not including the parent’s views and the child’s teacher's views. I quite frankly am fed up with the amount of reports the SEND department requests for my son, it is unnecessary my son has a formal diagnosis of autism, yet in order for him to be offered a place at an autism base in a mainstream high school the SEND at the council have requested all this to be completed. I have found the SEND department to be unsympathetic, my son’s primary school have recommended he goes to an autism base at the feeder high school where all his friends from primary school are going . A placement manager at the council have told me they can send my son anywhere they deem fit, this is absolute discrimination to children with SEND and just an example of how the current SEND approach is not flexible and does not use an individual holistic approach.

On a plus note I am looking forward to the Easter bank holidays and spending more time with my son, we have our Easter tree up at home now. Whatever challenges I face from outside things, I refuse to let it disturb my peace and happiness.