Is Distance a good reason to refuse LA's approach to an SN School?

Dainty1976

My son has been approved to attend Independant SN School as no suitable schooling options exist in our borough. I have found a school that I think is perfect for him but due to cost, the LA are referring to what seems like every other school under the sun. Each school so far has said that they cannot meet his needs and we are now on school no 9!!!!!

I am not convinced that school no 9 is suitable for him however, I'm happy to reserve judgement until Monday when I will be visiting it myself.

My question is: This school is 12 miles away!!! is distance alone good enough grounds to appeal/dismiss it as a viable option!

By the way, the school I think is ideal for him is only 4 miles away!

[Deleted User]

is distance an issue for you/your son,if it is can you justify turning it down on that basis?

D&DD

Sadly where we are Dainty theres not a lot of what I'd call Autism specific schooling so we had to compromise or send our son to Brighton :eek:
Some of the specials around here won't take kids with behaviour issues,does he have these listed on his statement as that can sometimes lead to schools rejecting their papers.

Which schools are you looking at? I've probably been to most lol you can PM me if you want further info
I know what a nightmare it is, been there, done that and still wearing the tatty tshirt lol
X

Dainty1976

woodbine wrote: »

is distance an issue for you/your son,if it is can you justify turning it down on that basis?

In my own car with just me him and my daughter no - but he used to freak out on a 10 minute drive on the after school bus, its all about the noise and hustle and bustle of other people around him!

nlj1520

I had to send my son to a Special School 11 miles away and for the first couple of years I took him and picked him up, but he was my only child so i didn't have any problems sorting out a school run for any other children.
Then (with school's support) the LEA funded a taxi for him with an escort as well as the driver.
Is that still possible?

sheeps68

So has the school you consider suitable been approached or turned him down or simply full? If not ask for this to be considered.
So how long would the 12 mile journey take? Are we talking 12 miles on a motorway that would be half an hour journey or 12 miles in London that could take 2 hours?

Dainty1976

D&DD wrote: »

Sadly where we are Dainty theres not a lot of what I'd call Autism specific schooling so we had to compromise or send our son to Brighton :eek:
Some of the specials around here won't take kids with behaviour issues,does he have these listed on his statement as that can sometimes lead to schools rejecting their papers.

Which schools are you looking at? I've probably been to most lol you can PM me if you want further info
I know what a nightmare it is, been there, done that and still wearing the tatty tshirt lol
X

It is an Absolute nightmare! The school I want for him is Eagle House Primary and it is out and out Autism Specific! They offered his place back in July but they have so the LA have ignored that little fact. They even have a copy of the offer letter and the confirmation of support/recommendation of this placement by his psychologist at CAMHS. The LA have ignored all recommendations from Ed Psych, CAMHS, docs etc re: ASD in mainstream and spent 6 weeks farting around trying to find him place at one in our borough as naturally all of those that they approached said no after looking at his papers.

He does have behavioural issues and the last school were concerned about the effect on the other pupils but ultimately it came down to the space they had being in a class that was lower functioning than my son, and no spaces in the higher functioning class of the same peer group. That school was The Link Primary. The school the LA are now looking at is called The Browns School.

My worry there is that not only is it 12 miles away, but they originally opened to cater for kids with Dyspraxia and Dyslexia (both of which, my son does have). It is only this month that they are now catering for the higher end of the spectrum, namely Aspergers whereas my son is a Classic Autist, with a chromosome disorder that is only serves to exasperate and be exasperated by his Autism. OK, so he has normal intelligence and is extremely verbal and so is very much at the high functioning end of Classic Autism, but its still Classic Autism at the end of the day and the differences in some areas between him and an Aspie are cavernous.

On speaking with the LA today, the SEN Caseworker stated that they dont follow diagnosis as a guide for placement, they follow performance which is fair enough but as my son is a bit of a conundrum when it comes to defining his difficulties, mainly due to the fact that he is so verbal (never shuts up really lol) and is by a couple of points, in the normal intelligence range, so far they have been getting it very wrong.

I am going to keep an open mind (well.... at least try to lol) when I visit this Browns School on Monday but having spoken to a lady there on the phone, I'm just not sure its going to be right for him even if they say they can cater for his needs. She also said, that whilst they have 40 spaces, there are only 32 kids on roll - great you say HOWEVER... ALL of these children are in years 3 & 4 and my son is in year 2 so there is no peer group for him to learn with academically or social skills wise!

Its all turning into a bit of a car crash really (pardon the pun).

Dainty1976

nlj1520 wrote: »

I had to send my son to a Special School 11 miles away and for the first couple of years I took him and picked him up, but he was my only child so i didn't have any problems sorting out a school run for any other children.
Then (with school's support) the LEA funded a taxi for him with an escort as well as the driver.
Is that still possible?

I dont know if the taxi ride is an option however I cannot do the drop off and pick up every day due to the fact that I have a 3 year old who has only last week started going to nursery in the afternoons. I'm a single parent and so I wont be able to get to his school in time from where I live.

Dainty1976

sheeps68 wrote: »

So has the school you consider suitable been approached or turned him down or simply full? If not ask for this to be considered.
So how long would the 12 mile journey take? Are we talking 12 miles on a motorway that would be half an hour journey or 12 miles in London that could take 2 hours?

Its a 12 mile journey from London into Kent borders so yes, I've looked the journey options on google maps and no matter which way you go, its through traffic hotspots and so I reckon the journey will definitely take around an hour (maybe more)! I used to work and go to college in that directions but about 5 miles closer to home from where this is and it would take me well over 45mins on the very best days even on the sneaky back road short cuts that I know(and a lot of that was sitting in traffic - which he really does have problems with, always gets overly anxious at red lights and shouts/screams at the cars in front of mine if we are stopped in traffic!) !

Dainty1976

woodbine wrote: »

is distance an issue for you/your son,if it is can you justify turning it down on that basis?

That is the question I am posing really in the title - Can I???

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Hell's Bells - driving through Croydon, West Wickham, Coney Hall, Bromley, Farnborough and all the way to the arz end of Orpington? That's hours driving. Entirely inappropriate for a child who has difficulty in travelling long distances.



To give you an idea, Selsdon to Addington Roundabout can be solid in the mornings. Addington roundabout down the mad mile to Coney Hill is solid. Coney Hill onwards to Farnborough is generally solid. Farnborough to the M25 is solid. Bromley is solid and a complete nightmare to drive through at the best of times, even if you come in from north east of Croydon, Orpington - guess what? solid.

I'd allow several hours if I had an appointment I couldn't miss that far away. Never mind trying to get there for 9am every morning.