special needs education

annies_mum

hi, sorry if this is not the right place but not sure where else to ask. my son suffers from aspergers, he has a special needs statement in place at his primary school. we no longer feel his school are meeting his needs, he is in year 4 so still has 2 years there.
There is an excellant special needs school which caters for ages 2 -19 so he would be able to go there now and not have to move again for secondary school. How do i go about starting the application process? i realise i will need his present school to back me up, which will be a bit tricky as they have said without my sons statetment a teaching assistant will have to be made redundant, so i'm not holding my breath on that one. His consultant agrees that a school change may be the best way to go, but where do i start?

Indie_Kid

Have you contacted the school which you want your son to attend? You may get more of an answer on the families and relationships board?

Savvy_Sue

IPSEA and Parenting Partnership - the latter will be local so have a google for that - are both good for getting advice on appropriate education.

The teaching assistant's employment status is not your problem, and IMO it's wrong of the school to mention it. For one thing, if they felt that it was only the funds with the statement which enabled them to employ one, that person could have been put on a fixed term contract, renewed each year. For another, how do they know that as your son leaves, another with special needs won't join the school? And if he stays there, this person faces the same problem in 2 years time anyway.

kingfisherblue

My son was in mainstream education but I knew that he would not cope with mainstream secondary.

As your son has a statement, you should have an annual review. You can request an additional review at any time to discuss your son's progress if you feel that it is necessary. This seems to be an appropriate opportunity. Contact the school SENCO (leave a written message at the office if necessary). Ask for a review with a view to transferring your son to a special school and request that all specialists are invited - ed psych, speech and language therapist, medical professionals, etc. You can also ask that the inclusion officer from the council attends, and that the inclusion officer from the special school is also invited. Those who cannot attend should be invited to send a report.

If you want somebody there to support you, your local Parent Partnership can help - this is especially important if you feel that the current school will not be happy about your request to transfer your son.

The school should not be using emotional blackmail to prevent you doing what is best for your child. If your son's teaching assistant has been employed on the basis of 1:1 support for him, she will be aware that the contract is only for the length of time that your son attends the school. This is because the LEA have provided additional money to the school to pay for an extra employee to work 1:1 with your son. The school should not be threatening to make her redundant if your son leaves - I bet they don't bring this up in front of the inclusion officers! It is just a fact of life that she will be amde redundant - no reason for you to concern yourself with that, as the contract is fixed for the term that your son attends the school. She will be aware that you can move him to another school before secondary age.

You are unlikely to get your son into special school before September 2011. In my area, the special school is oversubscribed. panel meetings to transfer pupils from mainstream to secondary are held in October. There is then a transition period, where the child vsits the school each week with his TA, starting for an hour a week and building up to a full day with his future class by June. It is possible that it is different in your area, but that is what happens here. The Parent Partnership will be able to tell you about how things are dealt with locally. They will also be able to guide you on legal issues, should they arise.

Transport also has to be arranged. My biggest nightmare was that my son would be the first on his bus. He has complex needs and still requires quite a bit of help getting ready. I like to encourage independence, but it is too rushed in the morning, especially if he is going through an unco-operative stage! As it is, my son is the first to be collected and is on the bus at 8.10. The bus company will not alter this. My son has severe feeding difficulties and needs pelnty of time to eat, or he chokes. Most mornings, he takes a sandwich in a foodbag, as he doesn't usually have time to eat. I did discuss my worries with the special school beforehand, so it is ok for him to take his breakfast in.

My son loves being in special school - he has come on so far since starting in September. I am glad that he had the opportunity of mainstream, but feel that I made the right choice to transfer him to special education when he was eleven.

Good luck x

annies_mum

thank you all for your advice. i'm not letting the fact that the teaching assistant will have to leave if my son moves school, i have to put him first. i am very concerned as he gets no where near his 0.6 hours that he was awarded so i feel we are being short changed anyway. i did think there was going to be a waiting period so i thought it was best to start the process sooner than later. why is everything a potential battle ground? i will take your advice on board and get to work (again!!!)

SwitchyChick

Go for it!

We got to the same stage when our son was 7 and in mainstream school. We had a lot of support from the consultant paediatrician who had just diagnosed ASD. In fact, he recommended the Special School concerned.

It was 9 years ago so can't remember the exact process we went through. However, I would suggest you visit the Special School you want your son to go to. They will let you know whether they have places available & will advise how best to apply for that place.

In our area (North Yorkshire) we have to write to a named person at the Access & Inclusion dept of the county council. Tell them you want a place at the school for your son, that you have visited & include as much supporting evidence as possible: copies of Statement, most recent Annual Review, any other medical reports (physio, occupational therapy, speech & language), a letter from your consultant, etc.

Good luck! I have said in other threads it was the best thing we ever did for DS.

sparkleworld

Don't know if I followed the correct procedures but when I was no longer happy with the provision my son was getting at school I approached the headmaster of the preferred school to discuss the possibilty of admission and what timescales etc, and we were welcomed with open arms!
I think it helped that he had a statement in place but I rang on the Friday morning, by Friday afternoon we were talking to his potential new teacher, and looking around their SEN unit and on the Monday morning he started at his new school.
I don't want to get your hopes up but sometimes these things are much easier/ simpler than you think. If you aren't initially successful then at least you have started the ball rolling to get him in there anyway.
Good luck and I hope everything turns out the way you desire for your son.

Regards
Sparkle