Clarkie Report post Posted November 17, 2005 (edited) Hi Guys, Went and saw a special res. school on Tuesday which is great. Our child is currently in mainstream - though hasn't been in since 20/10/05. We think we have enough evidence to prove his needs are not being met - apart from all the incidents that have occurred they have not been in contact with us once since half term to find out how or where he is etc. Nor has the EWO. Anyway - sent a pooey letter in today - copied to every agency you can imagine. Have a big meeting on 22nd which the statementing manager is attending and where the experts who know him are going to say he must be placed in special residential HOWEVER This school is out of county and the res. school have told us we will have a huge fight on our hands with ourn LEA who don't believe in sending out of county. We have researched all the special schools in county and there are none SPECIFICALLY for Aspergers to our knowledge. SO the question is - anyone on the forum whose children go to a special residential - HOW did you manage to secure provision/funding? What evidence? How do you put it across to them? How do you get them to agree? If anyone can get back to me a.s.a.p. I am trying to put all the evidence together before this meeting. We also have the statementing manager coming back to the house on Tuesday to discuss the proposed statement. Thanking you muchly Clarkie Edited March 18, 2006 by Clarkie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted November 17, 2005 GO CLARKIE!!!!!! <'> <'> Just a quick post - I have to go out now but will pm you later love K Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bevalee Report post Posted November 17, 2005 Hi Clarkie I had to go to Tribunal to get my son into the school. Armed with reports from the Ed Psych, Psychiatrist and O/T to prove than any other school in our county could not meet his needs. I would contact www.ipsea.org.uk for advice. Or talk to a soliciter that deals with SEN education which can be costly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted November 17, 2005 Hi Clarkie Down at the school today for Auriel's Annual Review...saw your name in the visitors' book! Like you we had expert medical evidence stating in very strong language that my son needed a residential special school for mental health reasons. I do wonder whether our LEA knew that by ignoring this evidence they would lay themselves wide open to legal action if anything worse had happened to him...and we made it plain that we were quite prepared to go that far In my parental evidence I did ask which professional within a mainstream placement would take responsibility for his mental health problems, in particular his self-harm issues I also set out all the ways his mainstream school had mismanaged his special needs (helped by the fact that the EP actually stated this in her report!), and I tried to show that no mainstream school could provide the specialist 24 hour curriculum that he needed because of his severe and complex special needs and mental health problems. Good luck...from my experience, you are in a strong position if you have expert evidence stating clearly that your child needs a residential placement. I also made up my mind that I would go all the way to Tribunal if I had to...at least that way I would know that I had done everything I could... Good luck Bid <'> Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kazzen161 Report post Posted November 17, 2005 I had to prove each school the LEA suggested could not meet ALL T's needs (educational. social and behavioural). The LEA special schools could not meet his educational (mainstream level) needs - proved by his KS2 SAT's results vs their entry level and KS3 results and lack of GCSE's. The (unsuitable) independent schools were easier to convince to turn him down, and the LEA cannot override their decisions. I only had an EP report that said he needed small classes and staff with a good understanding of AS. Karen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
call me jaded Report post Posted November 18, 2005 (edited) I basically told them that the alternative package I would be demanding included dedicated one to one support within a special school environment, SLT quantified and in the education section of his statement (he has a communication aid, so this would be VERY expensive to support). I made an extremely good case so that the ASD specific school sounded like a bargain in comparison. It worked. Can I draw your attention to the SEN Code of Practice which states that statements naming the new school in Y7 should be finalied by 15 February. Edited November 18, 2005 by call me jaded Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canopus Report post Posted November 18, 2005 I attended a special needs residential school that was out of the county and nearly 200 miles away from home. Most kids that attended the school also came from outside the county that the school was based. There was one kid from Devon so Devon LEA was willing at one time to send kids to schools out of the county. My EP recommended a residential school at the start of Y7 and the LEA was willing to send me there. I left mainstream school at the end of Y7. My LEA informed my parents about the residential school after 2 terms of Y8 at home. I don't know why things took so long but I assume they didn't know of the existence of the school and had to search the country for it. It seems very strange to recommend a residential school when you don't know if a suitable one even exists or not. I started at the school towards the end of Y8. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Clarkie Report post Posted November 18, 2005 (edited) Thanks Canopus We believe that the best education our child can get would be in a residential specifically for Asperger's Syndrome. We love him so much and really believe this would be the right decision for him, however, we believe the LEA will say he has to attend a special school they have recently bought. This school is for severe emotional and behavioural difficulties. Their website says the following: X School prides itself on providing an 'all round education'. We are committed to the idea that everyone can 'start again' and make a success of their lives regardless of their past difficulties or failures. Behaviour Policy What the School Expects from you: - Get your act together. Get to places on time, properly dressed and ready to start e.g trainers for yard activities, homework if set, waterproof coat if raining. Behave as you should ? indoors in and out. Don?t rush around the building bumping into people or play games near windows. Learn to be polite to people. Talk to staff and others as you wish to be spoken to yourself ? even when you don?t like them. Look after everyone?s property. This includes your own. It all costs money and we don?t have money to burn. In school time work hard. Let your classmates work hard too, this may be their last chance at getting an education. Leave valuable things at home. Make sure you leave ?risky? things at home too so that everyone can relax. Listen to all the rules of safety. Stop and listen, then wherever you are you?ll stay safe. What you can expect from the school: - We will help everyone to live peacefully together by dealing with agro and bad temper quickly and fairly. This means everyone following the same rules. We will help you to start again. Put the past behind you and start the rest of your life. We will make sure you get a chance to take part in the fun activities as well as giving you an opportunity to do well in class. We will support you in and out of school so you can grow up and make the best of yourself. We will listen to your worries and to help you to sort them out when we can. We will show you when you are doing well by giving good points on the Merit System. We will let you know by talking to you or taking points away when you are not. It?s your school. Put a lot of effort in and get a lot of good things out. This is the last place on earth our child needs to be. He hasn't done anything wrong, he doesn't need to get his act together, he hasn't failed at anything, he doesn't need to start again and put his past behind him etc. Certainly not the place where I would want to send him. You never know I may be pleasantly surprised by the LEA - but I doubt it. Cheers Clarkie Edited March 18, 2006 by Clarkie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smallworld Report post Posted November 18, 2005 thanks Clarkie, this example sums up why I don't think EBD schools are suitable placements for asd children, and connects to Carole's thread 'another one bites the dust' If I as parent can see how the above 'ethos' doesn't fit, then how come the so-called professionals can't see it ? Thinking about it, it's cos these decisions are taken by politicians maybe ? wac Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canopus Report post Posted November 19, 2005 Behaviour Policy What the School Expects from you: - Get your act together. Get to places on time, properly dressed and ready to start e.g trainers for yard activities, homework if set, waterproof coat if raining. Behave as you should – indoors in and out. Don’t rush around the building bumping into people or play games near windows. Learn to be polite to people. Talk to staff and others as you wish to be spoken to yourself – even when you don’t like them. Look after everyone’s property. This includes your own. It all costs money and we don’t have money to burn. In school time work hard. Let your classmates work hard too, this may be their last chance at getting an education. Leave valuable things at home. Make sure you leave ‘risky’ things at home too so that everyone can relax. Listen to all the rules of safety. Stop and listen, then wherever you are you’ll stay safe. What you can expect from the school: - We will help everyone to live peacefully together by dealing with agro and bad temper quickly and fairly. This means everyone following the same rules. We will help you to start again. Put the past behind you and start the rest of your life. We will make sure you get a chance to take part in the fun activities as well as giving you an opportunity to do well in class. We will support you in and out of school so you can grow up and make the best of yourself. We will listen to your worries and to help you to sort them out when we can. We will show you when you are doing well by giving good points on the Merit System. We will let you know by talking to you or taking points away when you are not. It’s your school. Put a lot of effort in and get a lot of good things out. This is the last place on earth R needs to be. He hasn't done anything wrong, he doesn't need to get his act together, he hasn't failed at anything, he doesn't need to start again and put his past behind him etc. And as for having "money to burn" - well R would respond with "you can put your money on the fire and burn it". Certainly not the place where I would want to send him. ######. I almost had another flashback. This list is depressingly similar to the policy of my special needs school. It certainly isn't what a kid with AS wants or needs. My school seemed to delight to trying to isolate kids from their past by severely restricting letters and phone calls to anyone but parents. The prep (homework) list had a picture of a clock on it with a message "get to prep on time". The school also operated a pointscore system that was so ineffective it was eventually abandoned. Your problem seems to be the complete opposite of mine. You have found a suitable residential school but your LEA is reluctant to approve of attending the school. My LEA was determined to send me to a residential school but didn't know where to send me and the place I attended was unsuitable anyway. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Clarkie Report post Posted November 19, 2005 (edited) It's not right Canopus - I can't imagine being in place that treats you as sub-human - at the end of the day these are our children. I have just typed up 8 A4 pages of changes/discrepancies etc to the proposed statement. I've quoted the Code of Practice and Children's Act so many times. Tyring to drown them in paperwork!!!!! If the LEA think they know best then I'll just have to prove them wrong. Just keep your fingers crossed. I'll be a mess on Monday night. Will keep you posted about the meeting on the 22nd. G'night. Clarkie Edited March 18, 2006 by Clarkie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted November 19, 2005 Hi Clarkie, The head of the school you went to visit used to be the head of an EBD school and made this point very strongly when we met him - that this kind of setting was not right for children with ASD. K Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
minerva Report post Posted November 19, 2005 Will keep you posted about the meeting on the 22nd. good luck, will be thinking of you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Canopus Report post Posted November 19, 2005 It's not right Canopus - I can't imagine being in place that treats you as sub-human - at the end of the day these are our children. That was the way things were back in the 1980s and early 90s. Nobody in the educational community could see any difference between kids with AS and ASD, and kids with EBD. Conventional wisdom back then dictated that harsh discipline in a tense old fashioned environment was the solution to "problem kids". My school sent me a brochure before I had an interview with the head. After reading the brochure I concluded that the place wasn't suitable for me or acted in my interests. After the interview I decided I did not like or trust the head. His attitude was pompous and arrogant. All that interested him was team sports and Shakespeare. He took no interest in computers and the school didn't even have any computers for the kids to use. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hectorshouse Report post Posted November 20, 2005 Hi Clarkie, I read that behaviour policy on the site of that EBD school as well, and it was my first thought that the LEA might consider sending R there due to location etc ... this is a blag that they might try and use, suggesting that there is some specialist autistic provision also at the school. They tried this with T as well with a similar school where we are, but we resisted very strongly to this because of obvious reasons. Your doing fine, and from what I've read you really are on top of things, I'll have some stuff for you down the email soon as well. Thinking of you, HHxx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
