bjkmummy Report post Posted February 5, 2009 (edited) hi, ben attends a mainstream school with asd attached. he also has a statement with transport written into it ben gets a mini bus each morning with a driver and escort. the bus has about 8 children on it. ben and another child go to bens school and are dropped off first. the other 6 children are then taken to the special needs nursery in town. so far system works and the council gets to use one bus to take 2 lots of children to different schools problems have started this week. with the bad weather etc the nursery school has ben closed mon and tues but bens school was open. bens transport was cancelled. by who its getting a bit muggy bit it seems to be an unwritten rule that if the nursery school is closed then bens transport to a different schol is as well even though its open!!!!!! on tues i had to arrange for ben to be taken by dh and then dropped off at a friends who lives next to the school. ben very distressed by this as of course it change but if his school is open he should be there as he is so far behind. on wednesday both schools open so for first time the bus ran. today both schools closed so obviously ben at home. i got a call today at 3pm from someone at bens school to say that his transport has been cancelled as the other school have announced they will not be open tomorrow. bens school will decide tomorrow morning but regardless his transport is cancelled!!!! this means that on 3 occasions this week when ben could of gone to school the transport cancelled. im reallly really angry about it and feel that they should get him to school. i have tried to contact the council but of course noone there. im just wondering what is the nest way to argue my case - bens statement doesn't say transport subject to the other school being open!!! im fed up with the other school cancelling my sons transport!!!! Edited February 5, 2009 by bjkmummy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Suze Report post Posted February 5, 2009 My son is in a similar situation to yours he shares a taxi with 3/4 others(depending on days) 2 of the other children are at a different school.We have never had anything like this happen I must say I,m really surprised, this week has been unusual with all the snow however your son should still have transport.I,d get in touch with who ever deals with transport at your local authority and ask them about this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skye Report post Posted February 5, 2009 I would definitely get on someones case about this. It sounds like a lazy driver to me who doesn't feel that collecting and picking up one child is worth the amount of pay that he would normally get for all of the kids together. Unless you are in a dangerous or hard to reach area I see no reason that they should cancel you at all. I was reading up on this transportation services last week because of my daughters really hard times getting to and from school. There must be someone you can ring about this problem. I hope they sort it out for you because that is not right!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bjkmummy Report post Posted February 5, 2009 ive just checked bens statement and cant see anything about transport in it!!!!! i know at his annual review last year i was asked if transport was required and we stated yes and a form was filled out - should transport be on the statement and if so what part? bens review next month so i may well make sure that it is amended to include transport if i can do that Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted February 5, 2009 Transport is not usually written into the statement and will only be recorded in part 6 (non educational needs) anyway. It doesn't need to be in the statement, because the duty to provide transport for all children who need it, is covered by a separate section of the law (section 508). So you don't need to worry about this. See here for detailed information about school transport and who is eligible. http://www.ipsea.org.uk/transport-england.htm Regarding the cancelling of your son's transport, they should be providing alternative transport if his school is open. You may be able to sort it out directly with the transport department, otherwise keep trying the LA, who may not know that this is happening. K x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bjkmummy Report post Posted February 6, 2009 thank you for your help - ben has gone to school - but dad has to drop him off at a friends house who then takes him to school. been so hard today cos ben so upset about the change. the roads are clear today!!!!!! so the bus can run as all the buses in town are running. i am going to contact the council today and protest in the strongest terms!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Suze Report post Posted February 6, 2009 Hi just to say my sons taxi/transport is not mentioned anywhere in his statement either.I,d phone your educational authority and ask to speak to who ever handles transport for statemented kids, I have a feeling they will be shocked when you tell them what has happened and the mini bus firm may well lose its contract.i,VE SPOKEN TO OUR TRANSPORT OFFICER ABOUT ISSUES AND THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN REALLY HELPFUL,best wishes suzex.(sorry about capitals ) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted February 6, 2009 Just a thought...at my DH's special school the transport buses made the decision not to run because of the snow, so if it's for H&S reasons you might not get very far with your complaint? bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pumpkinpie Report post Posted February 6, 2009 Have you thought about writin to your local councillor and asking them to investigate on your behalf. They will then write to the releveant people on your behalf and its drawing attention to hats going wrong in your area Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bjkmummy Report post Posted February 6, 2009 (edited) i dont have a problem with the bus not running if the weather is too bad - but its the fact that the special school close with a flake of snow in the air and every other school in the county is open! by law ben should be in full time education. if we had not taken ben into school ourselves - which was no problem as the roads were clear - he would have missed 4 days worth of education this week. the point is that someone somewhere is saying that if the special school closed then ben should not get transport even if his school is open which i think is sooooo wrong. the special school announced yesterday at 3pm they would be closed today butthe weather has been okay here today and all the staff from the special school are in work!!!!! they only have 20 pupils in the whole school - i dont see why ben should not be in school Edited February 6, 2009 by bjkmummy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lisac Report post Posted February 6, 2009 it is because special schools provide a second rate service, because they can , because they can get away with it, it has always been this way, and this is sad Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted February 6, 2009 it is because special schools provide a second rate service, because they can , because they can get away with it, it has always been this way, and this is sad I don't know what your personal experience of special schools may be, but I don't think such a sweeping generalisation is fair at all! Bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lisac Report post Posted February 7, 2009 I don't know what your personal experience of special schools may be, but I don't think such a sweeping generalisation is fair at all! Bid Who said anything about being fair?? After reading many posts on this site, the majority of us have experience of poor and inadequate education/services. If this is not your experience then you are lucky. There is nothing wrong with speaking as you find . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted February 7, 2009 (edited) Who said anything about being fair?? After reading many posts on this site, the majority of us have experience of poor and inadequate education/services. If this is not your experience then you are lucky. There is nothing wrong with speaking as you find . Because on this forum we try not to make sweeping comments about services/professionals...there are members here who are teachers, SWs, etc. There is a difference between talking about your own personal experience with a special school, and saying that all special schools provide a second rate service. I am really sorry if you have had a negative experience with a special school, but there are also members here who have had overwhelmingly positive experiences with special schools, including myself as a parent. I also work in a special school, as does my DH. And neither of our schools provide a second rate service. Bid Edited February 7, 2009 by bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted February 7, 2009 There are some poor special schools around, just as there are some poor mainstream schools. There are children in special schools who aren't getting the right kind of education and their parents are battling the system, coping with hostility and ignorance just as there are in mainstream schools. And even in those schools there will be staff who are working hard with the best interests of the children at heart. It's impossible to generalise one way or the other. K x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lisac Report post Posted February 7, 2009 lucky you Bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted February 7, 2009 Well, I know we were lucky to have a brilliant special school, but not so lucky to have a child that needed a residential special school in the first place, I guess I'm sorry you have had a bad experience Bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kazzen161 Report post Posted February 7, 2009 lucky you Bid In my son's case luck did not come into it - but a lot of hard work (researching and visiting schools, fighting the LA) by me did! I visited lots of special schools and though most were not right for my child, all bar one were good schools. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted February 7, 2009 In my son's case luck did not come into it - but a lot of hard work (researching and visiting schools, fighting the LA) by me did! I know that was the case for Bid too, because I benefited from all her hard work and research! To win an out of county independent special school place in one of the worst LA's in the country, takes more than just luck. K x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted February 7, 2009 (edited) Thank you, Kathryn <'> It's sobering too, though...when you don't have to go to tribunal for anything it's a huge relief, but it also highlights the severity of your child's problems Bid Edited February 7, 2009 by bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rach04 Report post Posted February 8, 2009 Our school was shut this week too and transport was stopped not just for the travelling bus but the h and s of children getting on and off the buses. I live in a back street that is still under 3 inches of snow and considering 70%of the pupils have some sort of mobility problems ie dyspraxia wheelchairs. If they just picked up the ones that they could there would have been 10 pupils in school for the staff that struggled to get into school cause they dont know how many are going, teacher /pupil ratios have to be high in a sn school and surelly its far better to close than risk anyones safety they dont take the decision lightly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lisac Report post Posted February 8, 2009 how much are you paying them bid ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bjkmummy Report post Posted February 8, 2009 but my argunent is that ben does not go to a speical school - hes in a mainstream school which has stayed open all week. we managed to get him into school ourselves. the special school was cancelling transport at 3pm the day before and then the weather was okay - fair enough the transport doesnt pick up the children to the special needs school but that doesnt mean that they couldnt have collected ben or made alternative arrangements for him Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lisac Report post Posted February 8, 2009 but my argunent is that ben does not go to a speical school - hes in a mainstream school which has stayed open all week. we managed to get him into school ourselves. the special school was cancelling transport at 3pm the day before and then the weather was okay - fair enough the transport doesnt pick up the children to the special needs school but that doesnt mean that they couldnt have collected ben or made alternative arrangements for him that is so wrong bjk, it is because they have taken the easy option, as services always do, it is not until someone complains, that things may change, go for it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
