Advice re special school funding from LEA, sorry long post!

Carrera74

Hi All

My 11 yr old DS was diagnosed with ASD back in March just at the same time as he was permanently excluded from mainstream. He had been to a short stay school last year and was integrated back to mainstream in October but the anxiety and bad behaviour came back as he was struggling. He has been back at short stay since his permanent exclusion and the LEA have agreed to change his statement to name a special school and also changed his statement from BESD to ASD. This has only happened in the last week or so and we have been to see 2 special schools. Both are BESD schools but one is a community school (25 mins away on motorway) and another one more local to us which is independant (5 min car journey max). When my OH and me went to see the Community School I was so dissapointed with what we saw. The Headteacher seemed very disinterested in us. He didn't even know my DS's name. I had a list of questions to ask him and when I asked about if there are other children at the school with ASD he said he thought perhaps 1 or 2. When I asked if there were any teachers with experience and expertise of working with ASD children his answer was no and then he went off on one saying that he would need to apply for funding for an ASD child and he definately wouldn't get any money until April!!! He really didn't seem that interested in taking in another child especially not a ASD one. He also commented that a school for BESD/ASD children should be built nearer to where we live for children in our area and leave that school for children who live in the vicinity. Anyway we then had the visit round the school and it was awful. A real dark and dingy depressing building and from what I saw in the 10/15 mins we went round there was not much structure in the secondary unit. Not much respect for the teachers and not the nuturing environment my DS thrives in. I could see my DS lasting a week or two there and then going back to how he was at mainstream. He needs a nurturing highly structured environment and from what I saw that school isn't the right one for him. Our lovely parent partnership chap made another appointment for us yesterday to view a new local independant school. I have had a fair few meetings with the short stay, Camhs etc and was warned that I wouldn't find a perfect school but I'd have to find a school that the good points outway the bad. Well yesterday I couldn't believe what I was seeing or hearing from the Head as the local school seems perfect. At least a 1000x better than the other school we went to see. We have got another appointment next week to let my DS have a look round too.

Now my worry. I know that the LEA aren't going to say, oh yes it's a lovely school please let us pay.... (if only!). So I am trying to prepare myself for what will happen next. I am going to ring the LEA on Monday and say under no circumstances do I want that first school naming on my son's amended proposed statement (not sure i can say that?) but what chance to I have of getting them to fund this fab school? The only positive thing I came away from the community school with was that the classes are small (6-8 to a class) but that was literally it.

Has anyone got any experience of getting funding that they would be happy to share with me?

My son and the family have been through hell over these last 3 years or so and I just want to get my DS's secondary placement right first time for his sake and the sanity of everyone else at home! He is a lovely little boy and so settled at the moment. His confidence is growing because of the environment he is in. I would hate for all the hard work to be undone because he is put in a school which seemed not fit for purpose

shazrobo

hi carrera, big hugs my heart goes out to you, as i was in a similar position 2 years back, but was trying to find two suitable schools, as i have twins who are on the autistic spectrum, along with severe ADHD. i would say yes you can refuse to have a school named on a statement if you dont think its suitable, and as far as i am aware the lea should pay for the most suitable school.
good luck

Carrera74

Thanks for that. My head's in a tizz already and I've not started the fight yet!

poet123

if the school is mainstream you can legally choose(3 criteria need satisfying) which school,if it is a special school,you do not have that right unfortunately. So my advice would be to try to find a mainstream school with a good reputation for helping children like your son.

Carrera74

We've just recently requested that his statement be changed to state a special school provision as he really doesn't cope in mainstream school. We've tried but it just doesn't work for him. He is a different child when in a smaller nurturing structured setting.

tilly's_mum

Hi

I live in Lancashire too and having loads of problems with the LEA securing a independant asd school place for my daughter (she is 11 and leaving school in a week and a half with nowhere to go!) I managed to get a verbal yes then they changed their minds a few days ago at a panel meeting so off to tribunal we go!!

However, I know quite a few children who have secured funding for independant school places and some out of county.

Having a parent partnership officer is really useful - the LEA will like you to look at lots of schools so you can give an informed choice - take the officer with you so he can confirm you visited the schools and can feed back what your thoughts were of the schools. You need to focus on the good things about the school you want (structured setting especially important with his ASD) and what they can offer you son and focus on the travelling as the good school is very close - does he have any problems waiting in traffic? would the motorway upset him? is it a busy motorway with lot of accidents? would this uncertainity distress him? my daughter gets upset in traffic and current journey to school is 30 mins down the M6 which isn't good! and many of the schools I visited where across Preston which was no good - the school I want is less than 5 mins from home too!

Personally, I would object to the community school as the head was so obviously uninterested and with the lack of ASD support (a similar thing happened to me at one school - I took my daughter for a visit as I had been promised a place at this particular SLD school and we had to wait so she got upset and lay down on the floor (they were warned she hates waiting!) and the head looked at her and asked why she was doing that then told me that there was no places at the school for my daughter - I must admit I was pleased when she said that!)

Does the school you want have available places? I found a lot of schools were full and that might work in your favour.

Talking to the LEA officers and senior SEN manager helps - we have a new manager in my area who very understanding and helpful. Please feel free to PM me and Good Luck.

Savvy_Sue

As well as Parent Partnership you may find some help from IPSEA.

Carrera74

Just been on to my parent partnership chap and he informed me that the LEA have written the school I don’t like asking for them to take my DS in from September, ARGH! He advised me to put into writing why I don’t think this school is suitable and why the other is. He also said it would be a good idea to take DS to both schools as this would help when and if it comes to tribunal.

Surfbabe

Just thought I'd pen my experience on this. Mu nephew is on the lowest end of the Autistic spectrum - so even now at 14 he has no language skills etc etc. My SIL wanted him to go to a local independent school run my Autistic society - the school named on the statement was another one. She visited the named school - they didn;t know how many children they had on the Autistic spectrum, how many were having speech therapy etc. She appealed to LEA and won BUT they then have (I think) 6 weeks to reissue the statement or appeal. They left it to the last minute and so then went to tribunal in London - again SIL and my DH went along with all the reports about nephenw they could lay there hands on, plus doctors letter etc. Again SIL won and again LEA waited to last day to deliver by hand a letter advising they were taking it to the High Court to get the ruling overturned. At this point my other SIL wrote to every local newspaper, radio station, television station, MP, chair of the Education commiittee at county council,and local councillors. The fun then started as the local radio station and newspaper then rang the LEA for their comments and so LEA then rang and told my DH & SIL that they were not allowed to talk about the case to anyone as it was "Sub Judice" to which they told them that they hadn't - it was other members of the family.!!! Unbeliveably it turned out that the Education Committee knew nothing about the case as it had been dealt with by a minion in the department. A week later the LEA "Changed" their minds and my nephew has now been at the school of his mothers choice since he was 4.

So don;t give up, keep badgering and write to everyone and anyone about it. The last thing the LEA wants is bad publicity.

Hope thats some help

tilly's_mum

Thanks for the information Surfbabe - I didn't realise that the LEA could appeal against the tribunal and even take it as far as the High Court!

silvercar

If it is a private school it may be worth enquiring if they have any bursaries; some schools also offer places on a means tested basis so if your earnings were low the fees would be less.