We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum. This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
Question about college
Comments
-
I did have a thought about this, would your son cope better if you took him in on at least some days, and is there any day you could do both journeys?
I know it's both the concentration and the journeys, and that the journeys are important for socialising, just giving you some thoughts in case they won't countenance reducing his hours.
That's a possibility that I've considered Sue. It's awkward though for parking. The college is in the centre of town, with a very busy and crowded ringway round it. Staff will come out of the college to meet the students if they arrive within a specific time period, so that parents can drop their child and go. The reason for this is that you can only be on the car park for ten minutes - after that, you get an £80 fine. There wouldn't be time to park up and take him in myself - it's a reasonable distance for someone who cannot walk far, and who has a great deal of pain and breathlessness. It would take ten minutes just to walk him from the car, without allowing any time for parking up, or for me returning.
Because of the traffic, there's no guarantee to get him into the car park within the ten minute window when the staff are there to collect. There is no possibility of the college allowing extra time on the car park - another parent was asking on the first day.
Taking my son in may be the only way, though. It will mean parking in another car park (ten minutes walk at my speed), and taking him across town in his wheelchair. At least I wouldn't be worried about a fine though.
It's definitely something to consider. Thank you.0 -
Is this a "Special Needs" college or a college with a Special Needs facility?
They sound very inflexible to me given the issues your son obviously has.
Does he have 1.1 support in college? Does he have an EHCP in place?
It is a sad fact that some colleges don't fulfil the criteria in those plans unless they are forced to do so by parental input. Often, this is due to staffing issues, but if they are being paid by the LEA for 1.1 support then that is what OFSTED would expect to be given. I think you may have to be firm with them re contact and "reasonable adjustment".0 -
It's an ordinary college with a small SEN section. There is no 1:1 available for this age group. If they are deemed to need 1:1, they are shipped out of borough to the place I mentioned above in post 7 (the place that was disgusting when I visited). My son has an EHCP.
I live in a large town, but SEN provision isn't very good beyond age 19. The other route is to have social care, but we have had bad experiences with disability team social workers, and you can't access the social care without a socail worker. Others have also had poor experiences as well, not just me, and one friend has had dreadful problems. It's not a route that I want to go down.
On the two days a week that my son isn't in college, I had planned to take him to a disability cycling session in the next town. It's only ten minutes drive, and we have been during school holidyas several times over the last few years. He enjoys the large tricycles and I sit with a take away coffee and watch him cycle round a bandstand, or walk alongside him as we go round the parks' perimeter. So far he has been too tired to do this.
I've just thought of another option that might work sometimes - my daughter works shifts. I could ask her to come with us while I drop him off, so that she could take him in while I circle round in the car. It would only work on the mornings that she isn't working though, and her shifts are variable, so probably not a valid option.
Sorry for moaning everyone, it's just a bit tough at the moment. My mum's health has deteriorated as well, and I am slowly becoming her carer in many ways (although my daughter is a massive help). Life is just going through a difficult patch for me.0 -
It might be worth waiting another couple of weeks. It might be that he just needs to reacclimatise to the routine - bit like when you've been out of work for a while and hten go back, the exhaustion is a real issue.0
-
I hope you can get something sorted
Perhaps it is a matter of adjusting to the new time-table, as suggested, but you would know your son best. Is he likely to feel less exhausted the more he gets used to these hours?There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they'll take you - Beatrix Potter0 -
Sometimes after enjoying a holiday, you feel that you need another to recover, as you feel tired, so he may be enjoying the new experience ,so it's tiring him out.0
-
How much time would you cut down on him being on the bus if you were to collect him each day instead? You'd have the same issues with car parking if you collect him at 2pm as you'd have collecting him at finish time.0
-
It may be that he settles down and feels less exhausted, so maybe I should wait until half term and revisit the situation.
Spendless, if I picked my son up instead of him being on the bus, it would mean that he's home within fifteen minutes maximum, but I was actually thinking of collecting him a couple of hours earlier. If he finished at 2pm, even with wheeling him to a further away car park, we would be home before 2.30. At the moment, it's any time between 4.40 and 4.55 (he finishes at 4pm). I can't use the college car park unless it is at the specified times, so would have to use one five minutes walk away (my speed - he wouldn't make it that far). Realistically, it's about ten minutes when you take into account the fact that I will have to take his wheelchair and then put it back into the car afterwards. We live a ten minute drive away from the college.0 -
I would think about picking him up/collecting him at normal finish/start time. This way you don't disturb his lessons but his day is shorter.
Re the parking situation I would question this, to see if they will make allowances regarding your sons additional needs. Just because someone else was refused doesn't mean you will be, maybe their childs needs aren't as much or their child is last one on/first off the bus, or maybe they didn't fight for it hard enough.
If the college offer SEN places then they need to have available resources to support this, that includes depending on the childs disability available drop/off collection points allowing enough time in the car park. Or a teacher coming out to collect when needed. Stick to the facts that your son can't use the bus everyday as its effecting his health and welbeing, the college have a duty to help you resolve that issue.0 -
Do they have an email they can be contacted via?
I have recently found that I am having much more joy with getting the SENCO to listen to my concerns about my son at school now I have given up phoning and send everything in writing via email0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 348.2K Banking & Borrowing
- 252.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 452.3K Spending & Discounts
- 240.7K Work, Benefits & Business
- 617K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 175.6K Life & Family
- 253.9K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards