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Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

SN children

Indy SS - is this normal practice?

15 replies

racetothebottom · 13/09/2013 17:36

Local indy SS (very expensive fees - 50-60k) is one possible option for DS's schooling.

Despite the fact that they advertise themselves as taking children from Y6, they refuse to accept them until Y7, assessing them at the end of Y6 which means you have to name the school before you even know if it is right for your child.

They have told me today that they could move to early assessment for DS (early Y6) but need to let the LA know.

Why? Is this normal practice? I am far from certain I would want DS to go to a SS and we are in enough conflict with the LA if you see my other thread.

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KOKOagainandagain · 13/09/2013 17:53

DS1 is at Indi ss (weekly boarding fee around £30K). They had no contact with the LA until arranging for them to pay fees and transport following placement.

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claw2 · 13/09/2013 18:05

Ds is at indi SS. LA paid for the assessment. Could it be for LA to pay assessments fees?

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racetothebottom · 13/09/2013 18:19

I wonder Claw, that might be it but they have not said. I have asked them to explain.

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claw2 · 13/09/2013 18:27

Well indi school actually asked me to pay assessment fees, without contacting the LA and I then passed this onto the LA and agreed it with LA. The school didn't contact LA, I did.

Maybe the assessment fee is very expensive and they are just expecting the LA to pay and going directly to them.

Ds also took home tutor with him for assessment, which again I arranged/agreed with LA directly.

So really first time school contacted LA directly was to offer ds a place after assessment.

Im sure they will clarify for you.

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nennypops · 13/09/2013 20:53

I don't think there really is any normal practice with indie schools; they can do more or less what they want and seem to vary quite a bit.

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uggerthebugger · 13/09/2013 21:37

What nenny said. They all do their own thing. Our experience has been assessment in winter term of Y6, offer of a place a month later, school covering cost of assessment.

I can't for the life of me see how anyone gains from scheduling assessment at the end of Y6 when a school has to be named on the transition statement in mid Feb. Don't you have to demonstrate to Tribunal that the school has offered a place if you go down the indi SS route?

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racetothebottom · 13/09/2013 21:40

Thanks - yes, exactly ugger. I don't know why they do that and it made me think this might be a local agreement with the LA not to offer places so as to avoid Tribunals with the,.

This suggestion that they know speak to the LA compounds my concern.

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racetothebottom · 16/09/2013 20:06

Their explanation - it creates a dialogue with the LA and helps positive relationships if the child goes to the school.

I find this difficult to believe when most parents have to fight their LAs at Tribunal to get into this place.

Sounds like an early warning system for LAs. Not sure I trust a school that does this.

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cansu · 16/09/2013 21:30

I think that as most independent ss will want to assess before they commit to accepting dc, the LA will know because the school will want to visit them in their current school. I think you might need to be open and say you are considering this school. My ds school was very fussy about assessing ds in his LEA ss without any input from us before they offered a place. We of course ended up going to tribunal to get him in. I think it's just part of the process.

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racetothebottom · 16/09/2013 21:42

He is out of school. There is no need to tell LA. It's not like they have said - we need to ask if we can visit the school etc.

I have my suspicions about the school working too closely with the LA. over assessment timings - it puts me off even more

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claw2 · 16/09/2013 22:08

Could it be for a reintegration programme because he has been out of school? Although admittedly this wouldn't be necessary until after assessment, maybe they are trying to plan ahead.

Ds had his assessment, then reintegration started immediately.

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racetothebottom · 16/09/2013 22:10

Why would you need to involve the LA at this stage? We don't even know if we want him to go there.

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claw2 · 17/09/2013 07:23

Im not sure Race, im just guessing, maybe just that you want them to assess your ds implies to them that you would want a place if assessment is successful?

As I said I went to look around ds's school, had a meeting with HT. I was being asked to name a school, as I didn't want a return to old school. So I wrote and told LA that I had found a school and assessment could take place as soon as they agreed to fund it.

My position was different to yours, ds didn't even have a statement at this time, but they had agreed to issue one and wanted this school named. Ds began his assessment, before statement was finalised.

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KOKOagainandagain · 17/09/2013 09:46

DS1's statement named local m/s. In order to name indi ss as part of tribunal appeal he did an assessment (weekly boarder year 7) so that we could submit the required offer forms to tribunal.

The school has DC who are funded by over 12 different LAs at present (30 over the last ten years). The school had no contact with our LA pre-tribunal and contact is now formally limited to funding/review. The LA case at tribunal was not just 'unreasonable public expenditure' but also inability to meet needs. Unless the LA names the school (as in Claw's case) the school and the LA are on opposing sides at tribunal.

Are the DC that are funded at this school placed their following tribunal from multiple LAs? They sound as if they are functioning more like an LEA ss with a specific relationship with a single LA - ie that the LA and the school decide between themselves whether the placement would be suitable. Besides which placement is about your individual child and their unique needs - it is not an opportunity to network and build 'positive relations'.

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racetothebottom · 17/09/2013 09:56

That is the feeling I got Keeping but then I am well suspicious these days!

They get children from all over the country. They are supposed to take children from age 9 but refuse to do so saying there is no peer group - well here wouldn't be if you don't take such children.

But then they are the nearest Indy SS for our county and I wondered whether that approach, articulated to us, was because they know this county has no suitable primary provision and don't want to get into wrangling about it.

Also, I understand the new rules about funding will eventually include Indy SS so that they will get a contracted sum to take x children from a county. It is in their interests to keep on the LA's side.