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The last day of term. I mean, it is not, and it is very important to go to school on all the days, if you can. But, we are sick, and we need the holiday which is booked.

I have been meeting with the head teacher several times today. At 3pm and then, following emergency phone call (his not mine) at 4:30 too. All for a very confused, and unfinished plan.

The plan has to be unfinished, because of the nature of the bureaucracy surrounding the decision. So, acceleration IS something that the county has done, and MIGHT do. BUT, they have a strict set of criteria, which no one but them is aware of. They cannot make a decision like that now. So, *I* have to meet with the person at county level who makes these decisions in September. He will then meet Jamie too.

However, since we don’t know what the outcome of this will be (and they rarely accelerate anyone) the school, and I are involved in making a flexible 2 year plan for Jamie.

A plan that can take into account any of the possibilities.

He will, since he has to without the say so of the county, be registered with yr 5. NOT that he has to go to registration with them, he will spend his MORNINGS with yr 6. That’s the minimum initial plan. However, there is much room in this, AND it needs to be a two year plan, otherwise we have a bigger problem at the end of yr 5.

The middle way, and the way we are imagining will happen, is that Jamie will do yr 6. All of  yr 6. Then, if not accelerated, can do yr 7 work in his second go at yr 6. County has approved this before. But, in that one instance, they THEN accelerated from yr 7-8. Which I think is more of a problem than accelerating 5-6.

We will have another conversation in the middle of the holiday. I feel that, whatever the outcome, the school is absolutely putting in a LOT of the and care to make sure that Jamie gets an education that works for HIM. I can’t fault them for that.

It is, of course, possible that when we meet with the MAT (more able and talented) guy from county, Jamie WILL meet the criteria, and then, he will continue to do yr 6, and then go into yr 7. It turns out that it is NOT the going into yr 6 that is the problem. But the going into yr 7 early. This taxes the powers that be enormously.

This means that we need a 2 year plan, and not just to look at the year ahead.

It feels like getting Jamie educated is SO much more complicated than just sending him to school. it’s a full time job for me, and currently SEVERAL teachers and a part time job for some paper pusher too.

On the other hand, I DO have the feeling that we are all pulling in the same direction at the moment, which is reassuring and positive. Even as we wade through the swamp.