Some of my clients & their success stories
Meet Max
I am a single mum with a 14 year old son with ASD, moderate dyslexia, dyspraxia and sensory processing disorder – my son was diagnosed at aged 7 after 3 different assessments, the first being at 3 years old when he was said to display ‘quirky’ behaviour – my son was bullied severely for the first 3 years of school life (he never told me) because of a serious bowel problem he had had since birth
Things got even worse with the transition to secondary, as is normally the case, but to make things a lot harder, Max’s beloved Nan died after a two-year battle with Leukaemia. Max started to self-harm, biting himself severely his arms always covered in bite marks, he would stab himself with pencils and hit his head, he also was on verge of becoming anorexic after losing a stone in 6 months from just not eating and when he did, exercising excessively to burn off what he ate.
During this awful period his statement was refused and I had to apply to go to Tribunal, but luckily my letter contesting it was good enough that it was approved. We must have looked at 30 secondary schools and decided on a mainstream with a Unit as Max had also developed severe phobias, causing him to get off his school bus in the middle of nowhere when someone sat next to him with scabs on their face as he thought he would catch them, and also when someone smoked as he thought he would get cancer> He also thought when he saw children with more severe autism than himself (whilst visiting special needs schools) that he would ‘catch it’ and his autism would get worse. We had to try mainstream but it was a complete disaster. It made Max more ill, even needing to be referred to hospital until eventually, at his annual review, the school admitted they couldn’t meet Max’s needs and that he needed to go to a specialised setting.
Max spent 6 months at home meaning I had to walk out of my good job of 16 years and put even more effort into looking for the right school, looking further afield until we discovered Northease, I knew it was the right school for my son, but I had to convince the authorities this was the right school over their cheaper state ones in areas like Dover and Deal, Wrotham school with such severe behavioural issues that I knew Max wouldn’t be able to cope because of his manic phobias. I rang every other school to convince them that their school was wrong for my son and he wouldn’t even be able to walk into their schools, as after researching them all thoroughly, they were either much more severe than him or had behavioural issues which max would find upsetting, the schools ALL told the Authorities they couldn’t offer Max a place as their schools were not suitable for him because of my phone calls! – I cited Northease as my preferred school and got it!! I was of course over the moon but Max took some convincing because of his phobias and his desperate want to be ‘normal’ and not become more autistic if mixing with these children – I met Sair at my first PTA meeting, I was desperate to meet other mums as I was living so far from the school, I wanted to be involved and do anything I could to help my son settle in and to accept this school was right for him and even to convince the schools Senco, who was convinced Max wouldn’t stay as he said All his children wanted to be there and it was obvious Max didn’t want to be. We went for coffee and Sair introduced me to some other mums and it was lovely to hear all their stories and what they had all gone through. Sair has been by my side for the two years that Max has been at Northease, she is the one true friend I have there and has been on the end of the phone whenever something has happened at school that has upset me or Max – nothing is too much bother and she always finds the time. Max has made good friends with her boys and has now settled in well and truly flourished and become the boy I always knew he could be. There have been hurdles to cross while at Northease and living so far away it’s not always easy but I am so grateful to Sair that she has become my friend and has helped me when things have got tough. We all need help and support and to not feel we are alone, as we all need to fight to get our children the help and care they deserve.
Update from SEN Ninja
This family is really benefiting from their LEA funded specialist school placement. Not only is he making excellent academic progress, but their son has made great friendships and is even taking a school friend on a summer holiday this year, which is great as he is an only child.
Meet Joshua
My very good friend has launched her new SEN Ninja Community page. She has launched her group to help parents of special needs kids, struggling with home & school life. Having 2 amazing boys of her own, with extra needs, she is an oracle of information and wants to help other parents navigate the minefield that many find themselves in. It is a safe space to learn more about special needs and the hurdles faced in having kids with special needs.
Sair is one of the most amazing, resilient, positive people I know and I don’t know anyone who knows as much as she does about all this.
Some of the ways Sair has helped me:
– been available with an ear when I’ve been at the end of my tether.
– helped answer questions about where to start and what to do next.
– provided an example of certain reports
– given me advice on what’s available privately, what to ask for and what to expect from them.
– Advised me what I might need to have in order to get other things ie. a ‘statement’ to get into certain schools and how you get that.
Update from SEN Ninja
This family now have a mainstream Early Support Plan and have been referred to ‘My Space’ for support using play therapy at his school. They are delighted with their sons progress.
Meet Sam
I meet Sair through the specialist school where both our boys attend. At that time, I was paying fees for my son to go there. My son was diagnosed with Asperger’s when he was 5 years old in 2011, and he has recently been diagnosed with ADHD as well.
Sairs help and support was invaluable during our second tribunal which we won! I only wish I’d known her three years before during our first tribunal. The advice she gave me was always informative she is a font of excellent ideas. Having someone who listens and totally understands the daily struggle is absolutely priceless.
Update from SEN Ninja
This family won their tribunal and now have a LEA funded place at the specialist school of their choice. Their son is doing really well there, and he regularly features in their weekly Newsletter with his sporting success!
Meet Tyler
Sarah is a phenomenon. She is determined, resilient but also perceptive and supportive. We have struggled for the last 5 years to obtain the right support for our son who has special educational needs, firstly to secure him an EHCP and presently we are ‘fighting’ with our LEA to place him in the school which best meets his needs. I was introduced to Sarah by another mother at school and she has guided me through the minefield that is SEN legislation and the gathering of evidence to fully support our case. It’s hard and emotionally draining but Sarah renewed my dwindling spirit and encouraged me to fight on. She talks honestly and openly and provided me with a list of objectives in order to feel fully prepared to face tribunal. Sarah has a wealth of experience in dealing with Local Authority Special Education Needs Departments and understands how the ‘system’ works. She is a true asset.
(Addition) – I cannot seem to say it often enough – you are a complete Trojan! Thank you for offering to continue to offer us your support and guidance. It means a lot and it is so helpful I have such admiration for your passion and drive and its certainly needed dealing with all the obstacles that the LEA put in front of us. It’s so easy to become demoralised – you are Godsend in terms of knowledge but also encouragement and resilience.
Update from SEN Ninja
This family won a LEA funded place for their child in the specialist school of their choice, 5 days before their tribunal. He won his schools Persistence award this year, despite all the uncertainty of his tribunal. What a superstar!
Meet Max
I am a single mum with a 14 year old son with ASD, moderate dyslexia, dyspraxia and sensory processing disorder – my son was diagnosed at aged 7 after 3 different assessments, the first being at 3 years old when he was said to display ‘quirky’ behaviour – my son was bullied severely for the first 3 years of school life (he never told me) because of a serious bowel problem he had had since birth
Things got even worse with the transition to secondary, as is normally the case, but to make things a lot harder, Max’s beloved Nan died after a two-year battle with Leukaemia. Max started to self-harm, biting himself severely his arms always covered in bite marks, he would stab himself with pencils and hit his head, he also was on verge of becoming anorexic after losing a stone in 6 months from just not eating and when he did, exercising excessively to burn off what he ate.
During this awful period his statement was refused and I had to apply to go to Tribunal, but luckily my letter contesting it was good enough that it was approved. We must have looked at 30 secondary schools and decided on a mainstream with a Unit as Max had also developed severe phobias, causing him to get off his school bus in the middle of nowhere when someone sat next to him with scabs on their face as he thought he would catch them, and also when someone smoked as he thought he would get cancer> He also thought when he saw children with more severe autism than himself (whilst visiting special needs schools) that he would ‘catch it’ and his autism would get worse. We had to try mainstream but it was a complete disaster. It made Max more ill, even needing to be referred to hospital until eventually, at his annual review, the school admitted they couldn’t meet Max’s needs and that he needed to go to a specialised setting.
Max spent 6 months at home meaning I had to walk out of my good job of 16 years and put even more effort into looking for the right school, looking further afield until we discovered Northease, I knew it was the right school for my son, but I had to convince the authorities this was the right school over their cheaper state ones in areas like Dover and Deal, Wrotham school with such severe behavioural issues that I knew Max wouldn’t be able to cope because of his manic phobias. I rang every other school to convince them that their school was wrong for my son and he wouldn’t even be able to walk into their schools, as after researching them all thoroughly, they were either much more severe than him or had behavioural issues which max would find upsetting, the schools ALL told the Authorities they couldn’t offer Max a place as their schools were not suitable for him because of my phone calls! – I cited Northease as my preferred school and got it!! I was of course over the moon but Max took some convincing because of his phobias and his desperate want to be ‘normal’ and not become more autistic if mixing with these children – I met Sair at my first PTA meeting, I was desperate to meet other mums as I was living so far from the school, I wanted to be involved and do anything I could to help my son settle in and to accept this school was right for him and even to convince the schools Senco, who was convinced Max wouldn’t stay as he said All his children wanted to be there and it was obvious Max didn’t want to be. We went for coffee and Sair introduced me to some other mums and it was lovely to hear all their stories and what they had all gone through. Sair has been by my side for the two years that Max has been at Northease, she is the one true friend I have there and has been on the end of the phone whenever something has happened at school that has upset me or Max – nothing is too much bother and she always finds the time. Max has made good friends with her boys and has now settled in well and truly flourished and become the boy I always knew he could be. There have been hurdles to cross while at Northease and living so far away it’s not always easy but I am so grateful to Sair that she has become my friend and has helped me when things have got tough. We all need help and support and to not feel we are alone, as we all need to fight to get our children the help and care they deserve.
Update from SEN Ninja
This family is really benefiting from their LEA funded specialist school placement. Not only is he making excellent academic progress, but their son has made great friendships and is even taking a school friend on a summer holiday this year, which is great as he is an only child.
Meet Joshua
My very good friend has launched her new SEN Ninja Community page. She has launched her group to help parents of special needs kids, struggling with home & school life. Having 2 amazing boys of her own, with extra needs, she is an oracle of information and wants to help other parents navigate the minefield that many find themselves in. It is a safe space to learn more about special needs and the hurdles faced in having kids with special needs.
Sair is one of the most amazing, resilient, positive people I know and I don’t know anyone who knows as much as she does about all this.
Some of the ways Sair has helped me:
– been available with an ear when I’ve been at the end of my tether.
– helped answer questions about where to start and what to do next.
– provided an example of certain reports
– given me advice on what’s available privately, what to ask for and what to expect from them.
– Advised me what I might need to have in order to get other things ie. a ‘statement’ to get into certain schools and how you get that.
Update from SEN Ninja
This family now have a mainstream Early Support Plan and have been referred to ‘My Space’ for support using play therapy at his school. They are delighted with their sons progress.
Meet Tyler
Sarah is a phenomenon. She is determined, resilient but also perceptive and supportive. We have struggled for the last 5 years to obtain the right support for our son who has special educational needs, firstly to secure him an EHCP and presently we are ‘fighting’ with our LEA to place him in the school which best meets his needs. I was introduced to Sarah by another mother at school and she has guided me through the minefield that is SEN legislation and the gathering of evidence to fully support our case. It’s hard and emotionally draining but Sarah renewed my dwindling spirit and encouraged me to fight on. She talks honestly and openly and provided me with a list of objectives in order to feel fully prepared to face tribunal. Sarah has a wealth of experience in dealing with Local Authority Special Education Needs Departments and understands how the ‘system’ works. She is a true asset.
(Addition) – I cannot seem to say it often enough – you are a complete Trojan! Thank you for offering to continue to offer us your support and guidance. It means a lot and it is so helpful I have such admiration for your passion and drive and its certainly needed dealing with all the obstacles that the LEA put in front of us. It’s so easy to become demoralised – you are Godsend in terms of knowledge but also encouragement and resilience.
Update from SEN Ninja
This family won a LEA funded place for their child in the specialist school of their choice, 5 days before their tribunal. He won his schools Persistence award this year, despite all the uncertainty of his tribunal. What a superstar!
Meet Sam
I meet Sair through the specialist school where both our boys attend. At that time, I was paying fees for my son to go there. My son was diagnosed with Asperger’s when he was 5 years old in 2011, and he has recently been diagnosed with ADHD as well.
Sairs help and support was invaluable during our second tribunal which we won! I only wish I’d known her three years before during our first tribunal. The advice she gave me was always informative she is a font of excellent ideas. Having someone who listens and totally understands the daily struggle is absolutely priceless.
Update from SEN Ninja
This family won their tribunal and now have a LEA funded place at the specialist school of their choice. Their son is doing really well there, and he regularly features in their weekly Newsletter with his sporting success!