SEN FUNDS

[millyz]

Hi - can anyone answer this question?

 

If a child has a statement of 20 hours per week but has been in hospital for 8 weeks for behaviour and associated mental health issues, would the funds that were allocated that child be carried over? If funds are worked out on a per hour system, would that child now be 'owed' 160 hours of special education (or equipment) or more useful, training for staff to learn about childs needs? Or would the school have spent that money elsewhere and the child continues to be supported by untrained?

This one has me thinking (obviously it is my child we are talking about)She has complex needs and the TA's and LSA's have no formal training specifically aimed at her needs, so she does not have consistency in education and management.

[oracle]

I do not really know this answer to this one but I can find out if you like? Well at least try?

 

My understanding is that funding is issued for a statement on an annual basis? Also unless your child has one to one support, and even if she does, then that person is not just in school for that child. Because if they were then that would mean that if a child was off for any reason that person would have to be sent home and would not receive any wages. So I do not think it could work like you are suggesting? But I do not know.

 

The school will not necessarily have spent the money else where but it will be built into the SEN budget for the year and will be on a rolling scale. Does that make sense? They will budget for the staff that needs to cover the statements but they will do this from one financial year to the next. So it's not really about reclaiming hours owed.

 

I think the key issue here is who is being given the duty of care for your child and how much they actually know about her and her condition. If they have no training can they possibily know what they are doing? The money for training comes from the budget - ask how much of the budget is spent on training? Ask if there is any in-house training (as in provided by LEA) Do they have an outreach team who delivers training. Schools do not have to have this training unless they ask! So ask if they have?

 

Carole

[lorryw]

Hi Milly,

As far as Im aware the funding would not be carried over. The LSA may be reassigned for the time the child is away, or as with many schools simply sent home. The vast majority of LSAs are only paid for the actual hours they work, not for breaks, school holidays, lunch breaks or inset days. They also only earn between �5.50 and �7.00 an hour.

Yes, Im an LSA and as far as Im concerned the whole system is inconsistent and full of holes. I would stick my neck out here and say like teachers LSAs have no training in helping AS children. Most SENCOs are completely out of their depth as well. The LSA will be the person who deals with your child on a daily basis and the vast majority will work hard to help your child. My sister works one to one with a child and has helped him in so many ways because of her knowledge of my son and the ways we have dealt with him. The lads mother has a great relationship with my sister and finds it amusing that the school have taken all credit for her sons improvements!!

I dont really know the answer to all of this. Most schools do not feel the need to spend funds on AS training for staff and to be honest a one size fits all type of course (which I have been on and was truly dreadful) is useless because all AS children are different.

From my own experience all I can suggest is that you are as involved as much as you possibly can be and cultivate a good relationship with your childs LSA.

Good luck, my own son is now 19 and Im afraid the whole education process he had to endure drove me crazy and sadly little has changed.

[mossgrove]

I would very much doubt if the provosion can be carried over in this way. The LSA would still have to be paid while the child is off, so the money will have been spent.

 

 

Simon

[oracle]

The person in our local group who really knows about these things has told me that a Statement and the hours given only applies when a child is in school. If the child is not in school then the hours are not carried over in any way. She says I am correct that it will also depend very much on what is in the Statement. Is one to one provision specified or does it just say support? Most support assistants support more than one child. It may look like a con but I know that the LSA's and NTA at the school where I was Chair of Governors - were over worked underpaid and also under trained. I agree try and strike up a relationship with the LSA's and see if they really want to know about your child.

 

If the Statement is very non-specific then maybe it needs reviewing so provision can at least be specified and quantified.

 

I would also ask the Head questions about Training. Let him know that you are not going to sit back and watch while your child is supported by people who have no understanding of her.

 

Carole