8 week statement review

[av16]

Hi, our son (9, AS) had an 8 week review meeting to see how the statement is working. We live in a different LA to the school and although invited no-one from our home LA turned up. The statement said he should have 2 hours weekly support by a specialist asd teacher. The school has tried to get an outreach worker to come in- no luck as yet and have been told that they'll be lucky to get 1 hr a fortnight. The asd outreach workers in our home LA wont travel so the school are suggesting that the adult 1 to 1 support is increased from 16hrs - using the funding from the asd outreach provision. Currently he has support full time and can't manage without it, the school are finding it hard to fund this.

I feel bad for our son that the specialist teaching hasn't been provided- the LA will blame his school but I don't believ it's their fault- I have spoken to someone from the asd outreach team who confirmed the story. I don't know whether to pressure the LA to provide the outreach support or go along with using the funding to keep full-time 1-1. Any ideas?

 

Thanks

AV

[JsMum]

A statement is legally binding, however, why did the LEA agree to 2 hours a weeks specialist support if they knew it was highly likely they wouldnt get someone specialised for a short period as 2 hours, why didnt they admit he needed say ten hours a week ASD Specialist support and garanteed some interest in the position.

 

In some respects they are saying that they cant meet his needs and so you could fight them on this.

 

IPSEA are a good resource to visit, they have a website.

 

In the articale on the discrimination success today it said if a LEA knowingly put a child throw a process knowing its going to fail they are neglegent, and you could also have a case on that too, from what I see they knew they wouldnt get someone for such rediculous ammount of time, also its going to be very much impossible for your ASD child to form a relationship up with such limited time as well.

 

I wouldnt go along with what they want you to do, go with what is inside your gut instincts, does he need a ASD Specialist? does it need to be 2 hours or does it need to be more/

 

if the answer is yes then that is what it should be, there giving him second best, but what he needs is someone experienced and specialised over a period of time to establish a grounded relationship.

 

its in his statement, a big shame of the time period though, but I would insist they go with what is said or go back to assessment and see if the specialist time can be increased.

 

Money shouldnt be the overal desiding bideing, the childs needs should, and the school can approach other services within education for funding, and his statement will bring in extra funding too.

 

JsMum

[phasmid]

The school your son is in should be arranging the out-reach support. It would make perfect sense (to me anyway) that they get this from within their LEA area (are they a privately run school or run by the neighbouring LEA?) and pass on the cost to the LEA you live in - THEY are the LEA who have to provide for his education. The fact that they feel that they have had to send him out of their area in order to provide the best education available is no excuse for failing to fund the provision laid down in his statement, they still have the same obligation to ensure his statement is met as if he was in one of their own schools. They are taking the pee here! If they won't send one of their own then they should pay for a different specialist teacher. If his current school are finding he needs full-time 1-1 then I would suggest the statement provision is not in line with his current needs. As part of the review they should be making the case for the hours of support to be extended...all this in ADDITION to any support from an ASD specialit teacher not instead of!

 

As suggested , get onto IPSEA!