given 20hrs support

[lin1223]

Hi there, Can any one help me. i ahve just got the proposed statement giving 20 hours a week, is this enough to get my 12 yr old in to a special needs school. As some one how i have talk to have said this is not engough.

[JsMum]

you have to prove that a mainstream setting with 1-1 support is not meeting his needs, if you feel a special school is the only way your sons needs can be met, then request a special school.

 

Are you asking for a special school, if so you need the LEA to put that school in part 4 of his statement.

 

My son was going to recieve 23hrs in a mainstream school, but we fighted on for a special residential school.

 

He has been at his resi school for nearly 2 yr now, and still has full tim 1-1 support.

 

For my son it was about the enviroment he was learning in, he required a specialist learning enviroment.

 

JsMumx

[Karen A]

Hi.

In order to obtain a place in Specialist Provision there usually needs to be a very strong case that that is what is required.

Most LAs will only look at Specialist Provision as an option if it is clearly impossible to provide what is documented in the Statement within a mainstream school.

Twenty hours support does not specify and quantify exactly what is required.

If that is what the proposed Statement says without providing much more detail then I think it is much too vague.

Before even talking about options for Specialist Provision or agreeing to the Proposed Statement please think about getting the Statement tightened up.

Ben has a Statement for around about twenty hours I think.

He is at a mainstream secondary school where he is currently doing well.

However at primary school it appeared that his twenty hours was used for everything and anything.

It is very difficult to challenge later if the Statement is not very clear and specific regarding what should be provided.

 

Afasic used to have excellent information available that I used to give people a link for.However I looked for it this morning and it appears that it is no longer free.If you are interested and find Afasic then find information on checking the proposed statement

 

 

 

http://www.ace-ed.org.uk/advice-about-education-for-parents/Special_Educational_Needs/getting-the-statement-right-a-practical-guide-to-parents-legal-rights

ACE also have a very good download available on the page on the link above.

 

http://www.autism.org.uk/Living-with-autism/Education/Primary-and-secondary-school/Extra-help-for-your-child-in-school/Extra-help-in-school-England-and-wales/Statements-of-special-educational-needs-England-Wales.aspx

 

NAS also provide information on the page on the link above and others following on from it.

Karen.

Edited August 26, 2010 by Karen A

[Sally44]

Follow this link to the ISEA website http://www.ipsea.org.uk/apps/content/html/?fid=50

Statements should quantify and specify provision in terms of hours of support and staffing provision.

If your Proposed Statement says 20 hours you need the LEA to set out in the Statement how that will be used in termly figures from professionals.

So if your child needs speech and language therapy (which may also include social communication and interaction skills), then the Statement should detail how many hours per term the SALT will see your child in school eg. 15 hours per term which equates to weekly sessions of 30 mins.

It should also detail if this therapy is going to be practiced daily and should be built into his daily timetable and should say who will deliver it eg. the SALT programme will be delivered daily in school by xxxx's dedicated TA or LSA.

Statements can list the areas of difficulty the child has eg.

Comprehension (7:4 years), inference (5:3 years), narratives (6:4 years), formulating sentences (4:2 years) etc and those areas should be assessed so that you have baseline results by which you can measure if your child is making progress. Those levels should also give you an indicator of what type of school your child needs.

 

Within a Statement section 2 should identify each and every need/difficulty the child has. Section 3 should quantify and specify how each of those needs will be met in school in terms of hours of support and staffing arrangements both within school and from outside professionals coming in (eg. SALT, OT, EP etc). That then gives you a good indication of whether the school the LEA has named (or which you have requested) can actually meet that Statement.

 

Do you have an organisation in your area called Umbrella? You may find an advocate via an organisation like that who is suitably experienced to help you argue for the provision your son needs to be quantified and specified in the Statement. Then they can come with you into school to sit down with the Head or SENCO and go through each individual need to ensure that the school can provide what the Statement contains. If they cannot, or if you feel the Statement is not comprehensive enough you can go to appeal to SEND the Educational Tribunal.

 

Remember that you need evidence to back up your case. You can push the LEA EP or the NHS SALT to quantify and specify how your child needs should be met in school (as they will have produced a report towards the Statement). Does their reports quantify or specify. They should do.

 

However it is hard to get them to quantify and specify. So you may negotiate with the LEA/and their professionals for a few weeks to see if they are willing to quantify and specify. If they don't, then ask them to finalise the Statement so that you can appeal to SEND. If the Statement does not contain all the information you think it should in section 2 and 3 and has an inappropriate school named in section 4. Then that is what you argue at tribunal.

 

You can submit all the reports you have from the EP and SALT and IEPs and School reports as well as any private reports or letters from club leaders etc that know your child (eg. cubs or scouts etc). Anything that backs up your argument for certain levels of support or certain provision or a certain school.

 

If you feel your child needs a certain LEA maintained special school then you can ask for a placement there. You can go and visit that school and speak with the Head/SENCO. You can ask the SENCO to go to your sons current school to observe him and to say if they think he is suitable for their school. Look also at academic achievement in the school and your son's academic level. Are they similar? If that school then says they do not think he is suitable, ask them on what grounds. That will inform you on what grounds the LEA may argue the special school is inappropriate.

 

If it is a case of there are no places available. Then you can go to tribunal and tribunal can force the school to make a further placement available. Or they can place your son in another special school which would meet his needs.

 

But it is important to get the Statement right because sections 2 and 3 add up to the kind of placement in section 4 that the child needs. So sections 2 and 3 should be making it very clear that a special school is the type of placement your child requires.

 

Look especially at academic attainment. Can your child access whole class learning or does he need small group work. Does he need LSA or TA support throughout the day (lessons and during breaktimes). Is he vulnerable. Does he have a speech and communication disorder meaning he needs support during lessons. Does he have a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia which does not necessarily affect cognitive ability, but affects performance or a global delay which is an overall lower cognitive ability than his peers.

 

If you are not happy it is always worth going to appeal. If you lose, you have lost nothing and have gained an insight into how the system works and what evidence you need next time. You don't have to have private reports and a solicitor with you.

 

Is this his transition year moving from junior to secondary school? If so what kind of junior school did he attend. What support did he have and what progress did he make and is that demonstrated in his IEPs. Can the secondary school provide the same level of support as his previous school?

 

If he has already been in secondary school in year 7, then how has that gone (academically, socially, emotionally, behaviourally etc) compared with junior school.

[JsMum]

 

If it is a case of there are no places available. Then you can go to tribunal and tribunal can force the school to make a further placement available. Or they can place your son in another special school which would meet his needs.

 

 

My LEA was going to squeeze J into a moderate learning difficulties special school but I objected because the special school was already over capacity, I felt that the sheer numbers of children would comprimise the time, support and attention the pupils recieve, not only effectng J but the children already placed there so I dont agree that LEA/Tribunal should be forced to place a child in a special school when clearly there isnt the room for them as it effects the quality of education they are ultamatley going to recieve.

 

My sons statement includes the Full tome 1-1 LSA plus the extra provisions and extra support he will recieve such as SALT, SpLD support and social and communication support, all specified and quantified.

 

It would be a good idea to get someone from Ipsea to have a look throw it just to make sure that there is quantifications, and specifications and the right amount of provision included.

 

Oh and it was 29hrs LSA the LEA gave my son in mainstream secondary school, though now he has full time LSA.

 

JsMumx

Edited August 26, 2010 by JsMum

[JsMum]

You reminded me of a guide to statement that I have been meaning to post, so directing you to the new post as Im sure other parents here will find useful.

 

http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/Index.php?/topic/25055-what-a-statement-should-look-like/

 

 

JsMumx

Edited August 26, 2010 by JsMum