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AS not coping with school

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Thanks. I am a lawyer. I am aware of the legal process.

 

I know you are trying to help but his needs are very carefully identified in a 14 page, very specific statement. The law does not require labels and certainly does not require labels where they are not appropriate.

 

He has had a very thorough report undertaken. He is not dyslexic and he does not have dyspraxia.

 

You say the law does not require labels. But without a medical diagnosis of AS and hypermobility, you probably would not have got a Statement in the first place. You only get "Sensory Integration Therapy" as the recognised provision/therapy for a Sensory Processing Disorder. If you don't have that diagnosis you 100% will not get the therapy. The NHS does not even fund it. My son has those needs. They are not fabricated. I would be much happier if he did not have all these co-morbid difficulties on top of an ASD. But I had years of all his additional difficulties being ignored. And because of that his years in school were hell for him.

 

You cannot get a diagnosis for something he does not have.

 

"What do you do if despite all this support a child won't go into class and doesn't want to mix with his peers?"

 

You may have to accept that what you want is not what he needs. Not every child can cope in mainstream. Mine couldn't. Some can. Your son sounds like he cannot because despite everything you have fought to get put in place, he still cannot tolerate that environment, or the peers, or the style of teaching - you have to find out what it is that he cannot tolerate and find a placement that provides/delivers what he needs.

 

If he is so capable why can't he go into class and get on with his work? What does the full time 1:1 do in class with him, why does he need that support? Is it to help him understand? If so then in a different placement they maybe able to differentiate his work to such a degree that he can do it independently. Is the TA to help him stay focused? In a different placement the classroom maybe low arousal so he does not need constant prompting to stay on task. The OT could provide equipment for his sensory system to help him stay on track. These are just some ideas.

 

"DS's main problem is that he says he hates the other children, he says he doesn't trust them, (there have been incidents of teasing which were poorly dealt with by his TA), he feels like everyone stares at him. I think he is getting to the stage where he feels very different. He doesn't want to go into the lunch hall or the playground."

 

He knows he is different. You cannot do anything to shield him from this knowledge. In a similar peer group he may shine. He would learn social skills and life skills and might make friends who share the same interests as him. In a mainstream secondary school he is going to stick out. He might get picked on. The fact that he is refusing to mix with his peers shows that he is not coping. That isn't going to get easier, it gets harder as children get older and become more verbally social and form groups.

 

"His previous SLT broke down as he didn't want to be in a group as it made him feel stupid. We have got direct payments for our own SLT now and he works on targets in a charity project and this is the only times in the week he talks to other kids as he loves the project. But he finds it very difficult to generalise what he practising outside the group as he doesn't want to talk to anyone! H has OT for sensory needs as well as fine motor skills. This has only just started after a battle as he was left to without OT by the LA despite his statement. I paid for someone to come in. She also works for the LA who are now instructing her under their block contact."

 

His SALT may have broken down in school because there were no similar peers? If it is working with another SALT/group of kids, then it proves he can engage with therapy in the right environment with the right professional.

 

He has sensory needs. So the mainstream classroom maybe too overwhelming or overloading for him.

 

What does the Statement say about OT that he has not received? Because you have said he was left without OT despite his Statement?

 

As a Lawyer you know a Statement is a legally binding document. So why isn't the OT [and SALT really] being delivered in school? I know you are happy with the SALT arrangements, but it does prove that the NHS SALT and School could not deliver the therapy.

 

So, if things are not working with your child it is because the provision is not being delivered, or the professionals involved are not suitably qualified, or the environment or peer group is not suitable.

 

You are really approaching the end of the road. You either continue mainstream and hope that he goes for as long as possible and have a plan B for when he finally refuses. Or you look for an ASD specific school. Or you HE.

 

No parent likes to see their child fail. But no LA or Tribunal is going to provide anything to "preempt" or be "proactive". Unfortunately, as you must know, the system is a graduated one, where additional resources, therapy, placement are provided as evidence is provided that what is currently being provided at the current placement is not enough or is not working.

 

As long as you keep supporting everything it maybe just prolonging the inevitable.

 

I too have another child, and my son went to the same school as his sister for a few years. Then he moved to another Enhanced Resource mainstream LA school. He attended there for 2 years, then had a year at home refusing to go in. He's been at his new school since December 2011. He will remain there until 19.

 

Independent schools doesn't automatically mean 'behavioural problems'. There are some children that get upset and they have 1:1. My son stays overnight residential at school one night a week and has a fantastic time with the other boys. No school is perfect. But my son had more 'incidents' in mainstream school than he has ever had in his new one. He is vulnerable and his other schools simply did not acknowledge that and did not protect him when he needed it. And his mainstream schools were good ones. But they don't have the expertise or staffing levels to oversee it all. Breaktimes and dinnertimes are very difficult for our children because they can get singled out or cornered and you are relying on a dinnerlady to see these things and intervene in an appropriate way.

 

I'm really sorry you are at this stage because I've been through it. You feel like you are having to lower the 'expectations' you have for your son yet again.

 

I decided that I wanted my son to be happy to go to school and to learn and to retain that learning. He achieves that where he is placed. If he is capable of taking GCSEs he can take them. They also have other examinations he could take - but we are years away from this type of decision.

 

But I wanted my child to enjoy learning. Because learning is lifelong. It isn't just about reaching 17 and getting out of a system that is close to torture for our kids. It is about preparing them for adult life.

 

You know how long the SEN process takes. If you are going to seek a different placement now, or for secondary, you need to start working towards that now.

 

"I know you are trying to help but his needs are very carefully identified in a 14 page, very specific statement. The law does not require labels and certainly does not require labels where they are not appropriate."

 

And yet that 14 page very specific Statement is not meeting his needs is it.

 

And I am not trying to give labels where they are not appropriate. I am spending my time on this forum because I want to. I could be doing things with my family, so please respect that.

 

If he is saying that he cannot tolerate 5 minutes in school, even with you there, then you have to accept that that is how bad it is for him.

 

I remember the night my son came to me in tears, really upset and apologetic and said "I know you've tried very hard to make things better for me, but I just can't do it anymore."

 

The final decision obviously comes down to you.

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Thank you Sally. I really appreciate your help and the time you have spent posting, it is very helpful to hear from those who have been down this path before.

 

I agree I can't keep propping him up and I have stopped as he cannot tolerate being in class or in school for long, We are staying for an hour in school but the only way to get him in is to tell him he can come home in an hour and doesn't have to go to class. But at least school see the extent of the problem this way and are in agreement with me and this just isn't me talking.

 

I know it is a long hard road ahead and I am trying to fix up times to look at schools while this is going on.

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It's awful for you to watch him suffering like this. It's probably worse for you because you are going into school with him and seeing his suffering first-hand, if you were dropping him off and hearing about it later at least you could have that small amount of detachment rather than witnessing it yourself.

 

I hope you can find a solution that suits you all soon.

 

All the best.

 

~ Mel ~

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School are interviewing for a new TA next week but I have warned them that this might not make things better and that we may have gone beyond that now and they may be recruiting someone for a child who leaves the school.

 

They feel they have to give this a go and I suppose from a LA point of view, it has to be shown that this is not just about a problem with one TA.

 

Fortunately school are wholly supportive of whatever we want to do as they feel supporting him is the only thing that matters. This is very rare in my experience as I have spent time battling the LA while fighting a rearguard action against school!

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Yes, it's very positive that the school are so supportive. I hope things go well with the new TA, you never know, things might still work out well. Hopefully they'll introduce the new TA gradually so that trust is built up.

 

Does the school have any 'buddy' systems in place for your lad? When my lad was little the school employed a group of willing girls, who would take it in turns to help him with shoes or take him inside after playtime before the rush, etc. Is there a child or a couple of responsible children that could work in a small social group with your lad each day outside of the classroom to build up relationships with him perhaps? It could be seen as a treat for the other children, perhaps they could play board games together or drawing or something light that could make it easier for your lad to feel accepted and included? Or is it too late for this kind of thing now, do you think?

 

~ Mel ~

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As a parent you have to let the school/LA try. But don't do anything to prop it up. So by letting them have a go, they will have to concede that it has not worked.

 

The LA arranged for someone to come and visit from the hospital school. She came and saw myself and my son and wrote a letter to her superior saying that my son was not suitable for the hospital school because that school is for mainstream children who are medically ill. She said that in her professional opinion my son needed to be placed in a fully resourced dedicated school where he received OT and SALT from a therapy team on site.

 

I submitted that letter as part of my evidence.

 

The LA submitted a letter saying that this person was not qualified to give that opinion [eventhough they had been the ones asking for it - they just didn't like what she said].

 

So we had a meeting in school [about 15 adults in all SENCO/professionals/school/parents etc]. They decided that they would find a special teacher to take him out into the community for 2 x 1.5 hour sessions a week.

 

In actual fact what happened was that she picked him up and took him into his former school. He refused to go into any class, so she took him into the store cupboard where they played some games/painted etc. He refused to go into the playground or meet any other child. He often demanded to be bought home before the session was completed.

 

Clinical Psychology had told me to teach him a hand sign that he could use and if he used it, the special teacher had to bring him home. She did this a couple of times, and them tried to make him stay for the duration. He lost his trust and did not agree to go with her again.

 

I wrote down when he refused to go. What he said about the sessions. What the teacher said about the sessions.

 

At Tribunal the LA tried to lie and say that he had attended each session with no problems. However on one occasion he came home after about 35 minutes and I was on the phone with my advocate at the time. So she could state that on xxxxx, she had heard him come home whilst on the phone with me. So it proved the LA were trying to lie.

 

Both the school and LA kept saying that he had made progress, even at Tribunal. When the Panel said "Our understanding is that xxxx has been out of school for xxx months. He is refusing to return. He will not socialise with other children. He is self harming and has attempted suicide. And we have a letter from Clinical Psychology stating that he has developed an Anxiety Disorder and OCD. Can you please detail to us exactly where you think he has made progress?"

 

The SENCO and EP could not respond. The EP hadn't seen him for over a year because the school said they had no concerns.

 

But the point is. You let them do what they want to try to do. You just have to teach your son a way of communicating that he cannot take it, and you let whoever know that that is the signal that they stop. They don't try to push for more. If he outright refuses, then he is not forced to go.

 

And you need to keep a daily diary of what he says and does and whether he goes. And if he does go was he in the classroom, or in a room on his own. Did he go out into the playground etc.

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Thanks Sally. Mentally, he is ok as long as he is not in school! He is able to write things down so he has explained how much he hates it all and we have sent it to the EP. As you say, I can only let them try and see if it works or fails.

 

The problem with m/stream is that so much rests on the quality of support given by and the trust placed in the TA.

 

His old TA actually said to me today 'what's the matter with him, why won't he go in to class?' I just said sarcastically 'he has Asperger's Syndrome, that means school is very difficult for him'. She shut up

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I think that at the very least you should approach the LA and ask them to increase the budget for the TA so that you can get someone who is appropriately skilled.

 

No matter what other provision is in place, it is the TA who is most involved on the day-to-day basis and so the success of the placement is critically dependent on them. A basic TA is really just "someone else's mum" so is not going to have the skills or experience either to handle the anxiety and emotional side or lead any differentiation in the curriculum that he almost certainly needs.

 

One thing that worked quite well for us, when we only had the 1 full time TA in the statement, was to divide that role between two individuals.

 

As Sally says you need to be careful about getting too involved yourself within school hours, that is the school's /LAs job and by helping out too much you may only be delaying getting a long term solution.

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Thanks. I know me being involved is not a sustainable solution but faced with a choice of in school or out, I hoped I might be able to give them help he needed to stay in.

 

At least no one can say I haven't tried!

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My son had the very best of help in his junior school. It was an outstanding unit in an outstanding school, with TAs who went well beyond the call of duty and still he could not manage to cope within the mainstream classroom. There was no doubt that he woudl not cope in a mainstream secondary (even the LA did not suggest it).

 

Let them employ a new TA and see what happens, but in the meantime look at other schools. If the TA works, then you can consider mainstream secondary (with the knowledge of what is offered in specialist schools). If it does not work, then you will be prepared for getting a specialist secondary placement and you may even be able to get him into one in Year 6.

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You have tried your best.

 

Now you need the school and LA to do as much as they can. Because you don't want to end up at a Tribunal with the LA or school suggesting other things they could try to get him back in. You need the placement to have broken down and for them to have tried and failed. That is a horrible process to go through. But if you have another placement in mind that you know could meet his needs, and where he has tried a couple of days, then you can see some light at the end of the tunnel.

 

I was trying for a couple of years to get my son into a specific independent school. On three occasions he went and spent 3 days with them over that period. They could detail his deterioration over that time too. On his last visit he was out of school and highly anxious. He agreed to go into the school, and I had to promise him that I would not leave until he was okay with that. On each day I sat at the back of the class for about an hour before he said I could go.

 

He started that school on just two afternoons a week and they gradually increased that over time.

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Hi I really sympathise where you are right now. My eldest daughter struggled with education from the start, we didn't realise right off how many sensory issues she had.

She had transition review before she went to high school, but to be honest, having had this done with her, my middle autistic daughter and am going through one presently with my son, I often feel they are grossly inadequate.

 

Changing to secondary is a huge change even for a neurotypical child, for someone with autism it is massive.

 

When my eldest was in primary, I was appalled at the thought of sending her away for specialist provision, we too had page upon page of needs identified by psychiatrists, psychologists and education experts. We were told by the LEA that she would be better off in main stream, that we would make her worse if we sent her away, we were told she would never experience 'normaility' if we sent her away.

 

Whilst she was at main stream (she last till year 9 before she became a school refuser) they did try but for many children it just doesnt work! Every day they would come up with a new scheme to try to help her, every week we would have a meeting to address new and on going problems and meanwhile she was becoming more and more unhappy.

 

In the end, we went to tribunal and requested residential specialist provision and she has never ever looked back. For us and for many I know, the she which is main stream just doesn't work. And the 'add on' units which are supposed to be the perfect answer, are just a cheap half way house.

I know specialist provision isn't for every child but it is for some.

 

As for a way back in to main stream following specialist provision... it does happen!

 

My eldest daughter started at an asperger school where the classes were all on site. About 5 children to a classroom, a teacher and a few TA's. She also had support outside of class time. After her GCSE's she stayed with the same provider but moved into college residential education in a different area. Here, the education is given within main stream provision. The students being supported to varying degrees in the college. The stufdents are also supported utside class time.

My daughter is ready to go to University as are 4 out of 5 people who live in her unit, ALL of them now at main stream college having come from a failed mainstream experience then into full residential Specialist schooling before their current placements.

 

The whole purpose of this type of school, is that it aims to prepare the young person to cope with life. I am 99% sure that life would have been very different now for my daughter if she had not been able to access where she is now. Of course, we have had issues, it has not all been plain sailing. But when she was 10-13 yrs I was spending as much time in school as she was, and things were getting worse. As soon as she started school, things got better for her.

 

This is just what worked for us... but certainly not the horror story many people told us that specialist schooling would be.

 

As for home schooling, we looked in to it. But realised we would get very little support and also we knew my daughter would need to learn to be able to cope with school or college or a work environment at some point so it wasn't for us. Also because I am ill I can never be sure I would be able to provide her with what she needed at any given time. Home schooling is really hard, its very interactive and If you are working full time at home, could you manage to teach your son and do your work justice? )

 

I really hope things get sorted for you, it is so painful.

 

x

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/SquigglePigDesigns/videos

(a personal video blog of aspects of family life with children with ASD's)

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Thanks for that positive post.

 

Sometimes LA's scare parents with stories of how a specialist placement will hold their child back. Obviously you have to find the right school with the right peer group. No point sending a child with Aspergers to a MLD school. And it is hard to find a suitable placement. But there are some out there.

 

We have been lucky to find one close enough to home that my son could be a day student. We have now managed to get him one night residential. And just had a meeting where it will be recommended that is extended to two nights. Those residential nights are so beneficial for him. He plays with the other kids. They do fun stuff. They go out to the cinema etc. At home he would be in his bedroom and would refuse to leave the house.

 

And even if your child does not manage to get great exam results, I am trying to look at the longer goal. I want him to enjoy learning. I am hoping that at some stage he may have the opportunity for college or other training and even working.

 

In mainstream the experience just crushed him and really made him mentally ill. If he had just stayed at home I dont think I could have home educated for the same reasons as yourself. I now have to work, and I am also disabled. I simply would not have the time or energy to do it. And I would also feel he was missing out on the social side and life skills he now gets.

 

But the period before you finally feel you got it right is so stressful, so upsetting for your child, yourself and the whole family. I just wish there were a better system in place where children and families did not have to go through this very dark time.

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Thanks for your posts.

 

DS had a really good session with his SLT in school today and was able to explain some of the difficulties. He described his loathing for school, the classroom and the children and how different he felt having AS.

 

Seeing the EP tomorrow and we have to let it take its course. We are looking at a variety of placements in the meantime.

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I should add that I was particularly annoyed to hear from DS today that another child had told him that his former TA and the former class teacher were discussing him and had called him 'spoilt and selfish'. I can see no reason for him or any other child to make this up. Making things up is not his style anyway so he must certainly have been told this by another child.

 

I really feel his former TA does not have the skills to work with children with complex needs and I am minded to say so to school as she is still working there.

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This is completely off topic. But one evening in our local pub, my husband got talking to a TA from a special secondary school. This same person was with a friend, and my husband witnessed them both teasing and making fun of a young man who has learning disabilities, who was also in the pub with his friends.

 

My husband, being who he is, stepped in and told her to her face that she was in the wrong job if she felt it was okay to make fun of someone in the way she was doing. This reduced her to tears. And my husband was not sure he said the right thing or not. But he said he was just so angry, obviously thinking that this could be our son being made fun of, by someone whose job is in SEN!

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Disgraceful. DS's TA is a qualified teacher too. Do you think I should mention it to the SENCO? There is a girl with very complicated needs who has just started and they were talking about assigning this TA!

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Your son needs consistency. The school will want flexibility. But whatever the Statement says must happen. So if it says a dedicated TA with xx qualifications, then that is what your son must get.

 

What do you want to achieve by talking to the SENCO. Do you want to ensure that this is the TA for your son and that they are not moved to look after this girl?

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No. Sorry I'm not being clear. The school are not looking for flexibility.

 

This TA has already been moved from my son because their relationship broke down which is why they are recruiting for a new TA. However, there was talk of her being assigned to a new arrival with similarly complex needs.

 

Obviously, that is a matter for school but I felt obliged to mention what my son has said as this woman seems wholly unsuitable to work with children with high level needs.I don't want anyone else to go through our experience.

 

That is not within my control but I felt that they should know about her attitude.

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Spoke to the EP yesterday. She thinks everyone will have to forget even suggesting he goes back in to class and that if we get him in to school working outside class (this means away from class in reception etc) by end of academic year this would be success. But there isn't even a space for him to work.

 

I made the point that we can only do that because I am bringing him in and staying with him. interviews for new TA happen Minday but we only have one interviewee. I have said this is unlikely to change the fact that, even if in school, he is not accessing the curriculum or his peer group.

 

I said we would be looking at independent provision too. The EP was not surprised but said that the placement would have to completely fail. I pointed out at the moment, it is.

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As I suggested earlier, instead of him sitting outside on his own, the school could bring a couple of children out to sit with him and work with him if he could tolerate this. They could do a relaxing activity together aimed at getting them talking to each other and cooperating. At least he would be having some interaction with his peers this way and could gradually increase his trust in the other children rather than him having a face them all as a big crowd of faces en masse.



~ Mel ~


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To be honest if you want him in independent provision then it might not be in your interest to try too hard to get him back into school. I think if you went to tribunal tomorrow you would get an independent placement. The question really is whether whatever school you prefer for him post Yr 7 will take him at this age. If so then there is a lot to be said for getting to tribunal as quickly as possible, if he survives in mainstream until the end of Yr 6 then it may be harder to get him to independent until you have tried say an ASD unit in mainstream.

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Thanks. Bed I think the problem is we have to locate an appropriate school. We are seeing some this week.

 

Also, at present, the LA are likely to say this has not yet failed and that this is happening as he hasn't got a TA and will say that we need to try it again once we have one. I think we might have to see what happens on Monday as I suspect with only one applicant, it is unlikely that we will be able to make a choice.

 

The other issue is that if he isn't in school, they will blame me for this and will try the old EWO tactic. It is not like they will suddenly say, he needs an independent placement.

 

Don't get me wrong. I have no agenda to get him into an independent specialist placement . I suspect that is what he needs but I have had mixed reports of a variety of schools and I am trying to visit them asap to see what they offer.They may or may not be right for him.

 

At the moment, we have everyone trying and working together but it still isn't working because even if he is in school, he is not part of school. Sat in the staffroom away for a portion of the day away from his peers and not accessing the curriculum is not managing.

 

If we identify a school we could consider pursuing this now so that he can properly access education.

 

Mel - we are going to try being with another child. But I think the feeling is that he will probably not now get back into the classroom

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I know how difficult finding the right school can be - there are some good schools that will take them from 8-9, and some that won't.

 

Ultimately it won't be for the LA to decide that the placement has broken down, but for a tribunal. The LA is highly unlikely to agree to your choice of school without going to tribunal! From what you describe it is hard to see how a tribunal would order him to remain where he is.

 

You say you had your annual review in March? If so you probably still have the right to appeal following that. If so I would consider getting an appeal in - at this stage you don't need to say much just get a placeholder in (if you are a lawyer that is rather like teaching my grandmother to suck eggs). Then if you want to pursue the independent route you will have a tribunal date booked, I would guess for about Sept/Oct and could have him in your choice of school by Christmas. You can always drop it later if you decide you don't want to go through with it.

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Thanks Bed. Yes the statement is still open as we asked for amendments to SLT at the AR. I'm not sure whether the LA will agree to those but if it does, presumably you don't have the right to take the matter to Tribunal as there is no decision to appeal.

 

Will check that one.

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You always have the right to go to tribunal following the annual review, either to appeal any changes they make, or to appeal the fact that they won't change it. So if you are within 2 months of the annual review you will be able to appeal. You should have got a letter from the LA following the review and the right to appeal is 2 months from the date of that letter.

 

Once you have the appeal in of course you can appeal anything and everything - including part 4. In an appeal now you would state that you are not certain that they current placement is the right one and that you are looking for alternatives. That buys you a lot of time (at least until the end of this term) to make up your mind if you do find an independent school.

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Thanks. They haven't issued the amended statement yet so no letter etc.

 

His placement only works at present only in the sense that we are propping it up by taking him in but he still outside the class, no peers etc

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I think there is a flaw the system in that I don't know how you can force the LA to complete the Annual Review and so trigger your right of appeal - the best way would probably be a Pre-Action Protocol letter threatening Judicial Review - that is a bit heavy weight. Probably worth a phone call to SOSSEN or IPSEA for their advice on that.

 

(BTW the right to appeal an unchanged statement was only introduced a couple of years ago - some advice you may find on line says that this is not possible but the rules have been changed).

 

I think you are very generous saying that this placement is working at all, if he won't go into class the he is clearly not being educated

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Thanks. They are supposed to have a Panel meeting next week for the AR so it may get issued after that. We have no alternative placement at the moment so a slight delay is not necessarily a problem.

 

I agree it is not working and I have told school that my view is that this is not likely to change with another TA as he will still be working outside the class etc.

 

School are pragmatic and will go through the interview on Monday and we will see. They would support a move.

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Don't forget that there is about a 5 month delay between sending in the appeal and the hearing, and you also have the 2 month window from when the FINAL statement is issued - that in itself could be a few weeks away IF they decide to amend, as you have the right to comment on the draft form (quicker of course if they refuse to change it). In fact given where they are now it is likely that the deadline for you to appeal will be 1st Sept this year (August doesn't happen) and then you could have a hearing about Feb 2014.

 

Of course if you don't want to move him yet then you don't have to appeal now - you will automatically get the right to appeal their choice at transition - which would mean a tribunal in about a year's time.

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Remember that if your child is working "outside" the class - that proves something is not right and he cannot access learning in the class.

 

And he has a "right" to be taught "in class", in an environment where he learns and thrives, and in a peer group he feels he fits into and where there are other children for any group therapy.

 

It is the same as a child that is wheelchair bound, not being able to get into the class and having to be taught in the corridor. It is not meeting his SEN. It is disability discrimination. BUT it is better to argue it along the SEN lines, rather than DD. But you can say he has a right to be taught ....... as I have stated above.

 

When I did a Freedom of Information Act Search [which I advise you do about a month after you have lodged an appeal with SEND]. I found a comment in the SALT notes which read:

 

"Note to class teacher: Today xxxxx became very agitated in class and got upset. He took himself out into the corridor and when asked why he said "so I can do my work in piece and quiet - all this noise is making my head explode." XXXXX then went on to complete the best work he has done so far. Do you think this is relevant?"

 

Of course it was relevent. My son was 'trying' to get into an environment he could cope in. He still finds it hard in a class of 8. His specialist literacy teacher has said he is now engaging with her for 1.5 hours at a time in 1:1 sessions. Obviously she has to change what they are doing as his focus does wander after about 20 mins, but if the sessions are kept interesting, and change about every 20 mins, he engages for the whole session. That is a huge improvement.

 

He is also being taught IT software for reading and writing, which he is enjoying and is saying that he can now "read" the books he is given to read. This has a huge impact on his confidence and self esteem after years and years of failure.

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After your last AR, how long did it take your LA to send out the Decision Letter on whether to amend or not. If the LA think you maybe going to appeal, they may delay issuing this Decision. There are timescales by which the school MUST have sent the paperwork to the LA and parents. But I don't think there is a timescale within which the LA must have issued their Decision letter.

 

If you find them dragging their heels, write to them asking them to let you know within the next 14 days 'when' they will send your their Decision letter. If they don't reply, or you don't receive a letter, lodge a complaint with the Local Government's Ombudsman.

 

Once your appeal is lodged the appeal date is usually about 4 months away. From where we are now, you would get an appeal date sometime in the autism term of the new school year.

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"Remember that if your child is working "outside" the class - that proves something is not right and he cannot access learning in the class."

 

I agree totally Sally. I think that this is evidence that he is not able to cope with mainstream and that he is missing out on an appropriate education because of this.

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Thanks. It took them months to issue a new statement last time but I have complained since and I think that is why we have a 'Panel' relatively quickly. I will keep an eye on it but you're right there is no deadline on them issuing a statement post AR.

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If you have made your mind up and are going to seek a different placement, I would not rock the boat too much at the AR. Get the decision letter and then appeal. Start looking now for a placement.

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We sought an immediate move to an independent school whilst my son was in year 5. By the time of the appeal [October] he would have just started year 6 primary if he had been in school.

 

We also limited our tribunal to look just at primary [as we knew the LA had no other options]. As the Tribunal was in October, the transition review to secondary should take place no later than end Feb the following year. The Tribunal agreed to limit to just Primary, with the LA having the time to hold a further 'review' before end Feb. But in reality this decision by SEND tied the LA's hands, because once they had Ordered he moved immediately to our parental choice of school [Order arrived early November]. It made it impossible for the LA to amend, as the Statement stands for a year. And they could not have named a different school for secondary just 4 months after the Tribunal Decision.

 

So that might work for you too.

 

But in reality I am thinking it could take some time for you to get the appeal in. You have an AR. You don't know how many months the LA will sit on the Decision. When you get the Decision and lodge an appeal the Tribunal date is usually about 3-4 months away.

 

Is your son in year 5 or 6 now?

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