LSA

[jen]

When your child transfers to secoundary school did their LSA transfere up to the new school.

Was you told by the secondary school that your childs LSA was not allowed to transfere up to senior school.

 

My childs LSA is trained in ASD and sensory which is essential to support my child. The school we have just visited does not like SEN children to have one LSA but have several. This is so the child does not become dependent on one person. I can understand this because if the LSA is off sick the child will not be dependent on just one person. However, my childs integration as always been dependent on him building up a relationship with a key person. Taking away this key person at the time of transfer to secondary school can only cause additional problems.

 

Jen

[CarerQuie]

Most LSA'a are employees of the school that they are working at,so it would be unusual for an LSA to move from primary to secondary school.xx

[phasmid]

It can happen, but rarely does I'm afraid. Even if the TA is employed directly via a statement (and therefore could be classed as an employee of the LEA and not the school).

[Zemanski]

Com's LSA was asked if he wanted to transfer with Com but he wanted to stay in primary (don't blame him personally). However, the high school did initially provide one LSA and he came to the primary school and did a home visit an managed to build a pretty good relationship with Com and us during the transition period so it worked really well

 

I would be very, very wary of a school that is saying that he should have more than 1 LSA from the outset - how many? if it is more than 3 it will not be suitable to maintain stability and communication across the school day - consistency is essential for ASC kids

 

Zemanski

[jen]

After looking at our first senior school for transfering up from secondary school I have decided not to keep quiet and question the senior schools that we visit that are not ASD friendly.

 

The people on this forum are very good at checking information and giving advice. Is there anything that is missing from my letter. My aim is to get the headteacher and senco thinking ASD friendly.

 

I have found out that if an LSA is employed to work with your child by the the LEA they can transfer up to senior school. However, if the LSA contract is with the school than they do not transfer up with the child.

 

 

 

 

This is the letter I am planning on sending:-

 

We would like to thank Mrs???.. and some of your pupils for recently showing us round your school.

 

 

We were looking at your school to assess if it is a suitable school for our son who has a diagnosis of ASD and Sensory Integration Dysfunction with Sensory Modulation Difficulties.

 

We were please to see and hear how successful you have been at integrating children with special needs. However, we were very disappointed to learn that the school has a policy that does not allow the Childs current LSA to transfer up to senior school. The school encourages special needs pupils to work with a variety of LSA due to various reasons.

 

We understand that if a child works with one LSA than when this person is off sick long term than this can cause difficulties for the child and the school.

 

However, our son?s successful integration has always been dependent upon him building up a relationship with a key worker. Our sons Sensory Integration Dysfunction further complicate his problems.

 

From our child past experience September always brings many difficulties for our son, moving to a new school with a new layout, new teachers new class routine only complicate this further.

 

 

 

Having an LSA trained and experienced to handle our sons difficulties actually promote him being included in mainstream school. Change for children with ASD causes them so many problems. Removing our sons LSA on transfer to secondary school can only be detrimental to his well-being. This will jeopardise his chance of being included in a mainstream secondary school. This school policy of not allowing LSA to transfer up with the child (if the LSA wants to) is not ASD friendly.

 

 

Jen

[cb1303]

Hi Jen

 

I saw something on teachers tv channel on sky this morning and it reminded me of your situation. It was a programme about primary support staff - I think it was called "unsung heroes" or something like that. One of the TA's said she worked with a girl with CP from reception to the end of primary and then went to her secondary school for the first term to help her settle in. Not sure where the school was but it was somewhere in England perhaps Yorkshire, by the accents. So it shows that in some cases the LSA can transfer up to secondary for a term anyway. Teachers TV has a website so perhaps you could have a look on there. The programme was on today at 9.30am. Hope this helps.

 

CeeBee