Can't find a suitable school for dd - what am I supposed to do?

[hopefulgal]

Dd is statemented and due to be converted to an ehcp. She is in year 5 and I need to name a secondary school by October.
She has a range of difficulties including severe dyslexia, dyspraxia, spd, phonological disorder, global developmental delay. She is most effected by the dyslexia and can't independently read. She takes a long time to process things and needs information repeated and simplified. She also has eye tracking difficulties.
She is really behind in school and at a year 1-2 level for reading and writing and a year 3 level for maths. This is despite full time 1:1, specialist dyslexia teaching, slt and ot.
Ep and la are saying her needs can be met at ms however I don't agree. The ms schools around here are huge (1500+ kids) and only have 8 TAs for the whole school. She won't have 1:1 and I'm worried she won't be able to cope if she can't read the work. I have looked at the local special school for children with moderate learning difficulties but the head agreed she would not have a suitable peer group as she has an average iq. So far our experience has been really negative.
What an earth shall I do now? I feel like I have ran out of options!

[AppleAndBlackberry]

Is there anything a bit further away that would be suitable? I had an hour commute to secondary school and that was fine, and if it was a special school she would probably get transport.

[Stradbroke]

Where abouts are you? To be honest it is unlikely Her needs will be met within the state sector. That is my experience anyway and I have looked outside for specialist mainstream. My DD is in yr 2 and is one that falls in a gap in provision.

[coffeemachine]

can you push for MS with 1:1 support? if she had 1:1 at primary and and is working so far behind, why wouldn't she get 1:1 at secondary?

do you have any units in secondaries around which are worth looking at?

[hopefulgal]

Thanks for all the replies :)
There are no other suitable schools near. There seems to be either ms or special schools tailored for children with autism or behavioural difficulties.
There is an independent ms secondary about an hour away but I know it would be a huge battle to get her in and it still wouldn't be able to provide all her therapy.
LA are insisting that 1:1 in secondary is out of the question as they want her to be independent and not draw attention to herself.
Emotionally and socially she is a bit immature but tends to mask alot at school and then let it all out when she gets home. She can go from laughing to crying in seconds. I think some of this is linked to her spd.

[hopefulgal]

Sorry to drip feed...
There are ms with units in our LA but again you need an autism diagnosis to access these.

[youarenotkiddingme]

I'd probably start with evidence she needs the 1:1 in MS. It's not a case of la personal opinion but of what did needs. If she's still not bridged the gao with peers academically with 1:1 then it needs to continue.

It might be some of the subjects she has 1:1 (eg core subjects), some she has small group LSA support (humanities etc) and some she accesses independently if she can (PE, arts subjects etc).

The best thing to do is ask for EP assessment to be carried out before transfer. Then ask them what her outcomes are. You should easily be able to evidence that she needs 1:1 to meet those outcomes.

But the simple fact of the matter is if she needs 1:1 she should get it - iys doesn't hinder independence - it will help her develop the skills she needs for independence.

[JudyCoolibar]

You actually have till around the end of the year to find a school, as the deadline for producing an EHCP is mid February next year. The LA is supposed to do a full EHC needs assessment for transition and I would suggest you insist on them doing it - lots of LAs are doing their best to get away with not doing one. That means they need to start the transition process around late October.

It sounds to me utterly ridiculous to say she wouldn't have a 1-1; how can she possibly be independent if she can't read independently? Anyway the LA can't possibly say that when her current statement presumably provides for 1:1 and they haven't done an up to date assessment - it sounds like what they're talking about is an illegal blanket policy, whereas what they must do by law is to provide for your child's needs whatever they are.

Have you checked independent special schools? If there's anything specialising in dyslexia near you that could be the way to go.

[coffeemachine]

has she been recently assessed by an EP? do you have a report? you said EP things needs can be met without 1:1. where is the evidence?

it is about her needs and you need good hard evidence for it. how is she going to access the curriculum if her reading is on par with the typical Y1/2 child?

[coffeemachine]

thinks not things

[hopefulgal]

Her current statement is very good and specifies 26 hours of 1:1 a week (previous tribunal appeal to get this.)
I really don't think they have any evidence to take this away. Her most recent slt ot and dyslexia specialist reports all suggest that she is progressing slowly and struggles to work independently. However the EP has been against her having any 1:1 from the start and is already claiming in her report that she is over dependant on her 1:1 etc. so I guess that evidence is still to come.
Also the ms secondaries that I have been considering are academies. They have all stated they don't offer 1:1. What would happen if the LA did specify 1:1 in the statement could they then reject her?

[youarenotkiddingme]

No, the echo is a legal document. They have to follow the terms on it.

I'm appealing refusal to assess ATM for my DS who is also at an academy. The senco there told me if he gets X number of hours they only provide it 1:3. I just said they couldn't.