school advice funding

[allsetuk]

Hey I just wondered if anyone can guide me, My son 6 has severe ASD , as we know they are all individuals and he is a real rule follower and only social with the 14 children he goes to school with if Im lucky, more like they have grown up with him and are used to his individuality !

 

He is in a very structured independant music school (as he is very musical )that I have strived and struggled to pay for putting everything else to one side, but now the fees are going up , not so much but enough to mean I simply cannot do it.

 

I have no clue where to start to see if I can get any help to meet the cost, He would not respond well to a change and I have been advised by everyone that is involved with him that the change could be reallly detrimental , and even the autism inclusion officer cannot suggest an alternative.

 

Has anyone a clue about these things, id be so grateful if someone knows of anywhere you can go for help

 

Thanks

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[cmuir]

Hi

 

Just a thought, but are you in receipt of DLA for him? If not, you could be entitled to something - this may go some way to assisting.

 

Other than that because he is in a fee-paying school, I don't know of any other means of assistance.

 

Best wishes.

 

Caroline.

[Kazzen161]

And if he gets dla, you can get extra tax credits.

 

Make sure you are getting all the benefits you should be.

 

Ask the school if they do any bursaries.

 

You could approach your parish council to see if they could help.

 

You could ask your LA (or Parent Partnership), but if it was your choice to send him there, then it is unlikely they will help. You would have to go down the Statementing route, and get them to name the school, and therefore fund it.

[JsMum]

 

 

Hi, I got this website from the author of How to be a velvet bulldozer so do have a look on her website too,

 

http://www.special-educational-needs.co.uk/

 

But this it the website I wanted to let you know about for burseries.

 

http://www.jetcharity.org/

 

JsMumxx

Edited March 25, 2009 by JsMum

[Sally44]

My advice would be to contact the National Autistic Society as they have educational helplines and also now have a Tribunal Service.

In the UK, if the local educational authority cannot provide a school suitable for your son's needs, you can find a private school, and the LEA has to fund that place. It isn't easy to get this as you have to prove that the school your son is at is the ONLY one that can meet his needs. It will also require you to get professional reports as evidence and these need to be independent professionals who do not work for the health or education service and who are experienced as expert witnesses at Tribunals. You would also be advised to get some legal advice. On the NAS website, follow the links through to resources and information and you will find a list of solicitors that specialise in special educational needs.

 

[Sally44]

I also presume that as he has been going to independent school that he does not have a Statement of Special Educational Needs put together by the LEA. This is VERY important to get because it is a legal document and everything that is in the Statement has to be done by your son's school, and you cannot get access to a special educational needs place in an Enhanced Resource school (mixed mainstream and ASD), or a special needs only school without one.

Again you want advise from the NAS or a solicitor that specialises in special educational needs to help you get the evidence of your son's needs so that they are all included in the Statement and that recommendations made by professionals on how to meet those needs are also quantified and specified in terms of hours and staffing arrangements.

The LEA will try to put together a very unspecific and general Statement which is illegal and unenforceable. By law, the Statement should be specific so that a parent can go to tribunal because the school has not fulfilled the requirements of the Statement. It also needs to be specific as a baseline of support levels. If, in one academic year your child has not made average improvements in all areas (ie. the gap between your child and his peers is widening), then more specialist input has to be made to the child eg. specialist dyslexia teacher etc.

A Statement that reads "XXX will receive regular input from a Speech and Language Therapist" is illegal. What is 'regular', is that weekly, monthly, twice a year? And who is going to be doing the therapy? Will it be a Speech Therapist, a trained TA, a parent helper? It should read something like this "XXX will receive a termly amount of 6 hours direct one to one therapy from a qualified Speech Therapist who also has experience of autistic spectrum disorders. This equates to around 30 minutes per week in school. This session will be observed by a dedicated teaching assistant who will practice the SALT programme on a XXXX basis during school. The SALT will also spend an additional amount of 9 hours per term for liaising with staff and parents, observing, altering the programme, taking notes, input/advice into Social Skills Group, assessing and making recommendations regarding social interaction strategies and supports, writing of reports, attending IEP meetings. The areas of difficulty the SALT will be working on are (a), (, © etc."

That is specific. From that you can see exactly who is supposed to be doing what and how often.

So, you need a Statement to prove that this independent school is the ONLY one that can fulfill his needs. Many times it comes down to cost. Can you get evidence from private professionals that the level of support your son needs to meet his complex needs are going to be over and above the fees paid for the independent school (and the independent school would have to be meeting that level of need as well). Or if that isn't a viable option because the LEA does have other suitable schools in your area, you need a Statement to ensure your son is getting the right level of support in that school. And if he does show an adverse reaction to the change in school that also needs to be kept as evidence eg. letters to school, letters from school (always ask them to put verbal telephone conversations into a letter), any visits to his GP because of behavioural problems or anxiety or stress etc.

 

[allsetuk]

thank you for your advice, ive contacted the JET people, got some forms.

 

and the parents partnership who actually just reduced me to tears, they were rude and hostile and seemed annoyed with me for having my son in an independant school. Juat said they cant help me and theres ABSOLUTLY no reason he would crumble in a state school....she wouldnt even listen to me. Said they cant help. She didnt want to hear that the only reason he is managing is because of the school he is in.

 

the Autism inclusion officer replied to say he cant have a statement because his behavior is excellent and academic ability high. The same one who told me that this week nearly all her Aspergers children are facing exclusion.....if the system is working so well how come children are being excluded left right and centre, that is if they even go to school at all.

 

Thanks everyone

[Sally44]

Sorry you had such a negative response from the parent partnership.

Contact the National Autistic Society and get advice from them. Their website also has details of solicitors who specialise in special educational law. The NAS also has a tribunal service (ie. you go to tribunal to ask for a placement where he is and the LEA pay the fees). You would need to get private evidence that that school is the only one that can meet his needs and that would probably involve a SALT and Ed Psych report minimum.

[Karen A]

thank you for your advice, ive contacted the JET people, got some forms.

 

and the parents partnership who actually just reduced me to tears, they were rude and hostile and seemed annoyed with me for having my son in an independant school. Juat said they cant help me and theres ABSOLUTLY no reason he would crumble in a state school....she wouldnt even listen to me. Said they cant help. She didnt want to hear that the only reason he is managing is because of the school he is in.

 

the Autism inclusion officer replied to say he cant have a statement because his behavior is excellent and academic ability high. The same one who told me that this week nearly all her Aspergers children are facing exclusion.....if the system is working so well how come children are being excluded left right and centre, that is if they even go to school at all.

 

Thanks everyone

 

Hi.I just wanted to say that being academically able should not be an automatic reason to rule out Statementing.Ben is very bright but still has a Statement and full time support.I admit Ben's behaviour can be challenging however he is much less challenging when he is not anxious and has appropriate support.Karen.

 

[Kathryn]

Hi allsetuk

 

A tricky situation and it's not surprising yoou're being fobbed off - as far as the LA is concerned your son is not in the state system and they don't want to accept responsibility for him. The attitude of PPS is appalling though - they should be giving you impartial advice about your options, not passing judgement on your decisions.

 

Going down the statementing route is a possibility if no other funding options materialise, but you will have to be very persistent and be prepared for a long hard fight with several appeals. Unfortunately the system usually requires evidence that children have failed in mainstream, or very likely to, before the process begins. This is evidence you don't have as your son is already being well supported and is doing well. If you did get a statement the LA would almost certainly name a mainstream school, and it would be difficult to prove that he wouldn't be able to cope there, or in any other maintained school. The LA is only obliged to provide an adequate education, not the best possible education.

 

However, never say die, and it's worth a try. As Sally says, if you can get enough professional evidence to show that your son would need a lot of extra support in mainstream and therefore the cost would compare favourably with the independent school fees, you would have a stronger case.

 

I hope you find a way to keep your son at the school

 

K x