Exceptional medical need

[hibbledibble]

We are thinking about submitting reports to the council detailing dd's exceptional medical need for a certain primary based on psychological need. I have a psychologist who is happy to support this.

This will be for the waiting list for reception

Any advice?

As far as I know we should get the professional to include 'in my professional opinion only x school would meet child's needs due to x reason'. Anything else to include?

[hibbledibble]

Also I assume, if granted, that exceptional need would just put her above the other categories on the waiting list?

How hard is it to get exceptional need?

[AtomicDog]

Does your child not have a statement, if she has such additional needs?

[AtomicDog]

Have you namechanged to post? I just think people would find it easier to offer advice or share their experience if they had a little more detail, and I appreciate this is highly specific and identifying.

[PatriciaHolm]

You need to look at the admissions criteria for the school you are interested in. They don't have to have exceptional medical need as a higher admissions category; most do, in practise, but there is no guarantee.

[hibbledibble]

No she doesn't have a statement, we are waiting assessments with NHS, but have seen a psychologist privately.

I haven't name changed for this but haven't been posting under this username for a long time so can give additional detail. Like you say I'm worried that it is very identifying.

[hibbledibble]

Patricia they do have exceptional medical or social need as a category. I'm just wondering how it works for the waiting list. Its probably a stupid question.

[Floggingmolly]

She has a psychological need for this particular school; or the school is best placed to help with whatever her needs are? Big difference.

[admission]

For the waiting list it would mean that they would have a higher priority then before. However different LAs have very different levels of requirement to be considered under this category. Certainly in LAs that I do appeals for the bar for meeting this requirement is very high and very few pupils meet it. It is more than just simply having a letter from a tame medical person. The LA will have a committee set up to consider all such requests and this may take a good few weeks to meet and consider your request.
I would make sure that you are definitely on the waiting list now before you start this. I think you need to understand that there is a significant chance that for a psychological reason the LA will struggle to accept that only one school will be possible.

[AtomicDog]

There is a poster named something like prhbridge47 on education boards who will know the appeal criteria for your LA, perhaps pm them?

[newbieman1978]

A report from a private practitioner won't hold a lot of weight to be honest.
I assume you've been allocated a place at another school (one of your choices)?
Why didn't you have this medical information ready for your original application?
Can we also assume this particular school is very popular, perhaps ofsted outstanding, the best school in the area??

[hibbledibble]

flogging need for this particular school.

newbie I have posted limited information because I was worried about critical posts such as yours. We have seen a medical professional on the advice of her nursery. The school we are talking about is also only Ofsted satisfactory, and our nearest school, not that that should make a difference. According to popular opinion there are lots of 'better' schools in the area.

[newbieman1978]

Ok any chance of a bit more info?

Child is in nursery, been allocated a school for this sept?

You want to go on a waiting list for a school that would best suit your child's needs?

That school happens to be your local catchment school?

Why weren't you allocated that school then ? Give your location.

[Floggingmolly]

Why didn't you submit the details of her exceptional need when you applied for the place? If you did and it didn't get your child a place; I can't see what weight it would carry at an appeal?
(I'm agog at how you could have a psychological need for a particular school, as opposed to realising that one school in particular would most meet your needs)

[Heels99]

How does the psychologist know that only that one school will meet your child's psychological needs, especially as no statement?
Was the medical info included with the original application?

[hibbledibble]

We have only had her assessed now, because the nursery recommended this. Issues have been ongoing, but have become more apparent. (Deliberately vague). Once again dd does not have a statement as she is awaiting NHS assessment. I do not know whether her needs would meet the threshold.

We are already on the waiting list for school.

We didn't get a place, despite it being our local school, due to an increasing population in the area. We live in London. Obviously this school is oversubscribed as it has a waiting list, but most schools in the area are, due to the population and the council's inability to plan ahead

I'm not looking for criticism, just advice. If I wanted to be judged I would have posted in aibu

[Floggingmolly]

Is it a specialist school, op? If she's still "awaiting assessment" I can't see why a psychologist would stick their neck out and claim she has a need to jump the waiting list because no other school will do?

[hibbledibble]

In case its not clear: we did not submit evidence of exceptional medical need at the time of the original application, as it is only since them that her nursery have recommended an assessment.

[hibbledibble]

This professional is only commenting on her psychological need. She is awaiting a more comprehensive assessment on the NHS, but will probably be waiting some time.

[Heels99]

In what way does this school meet her needs better than other schools?
Is it a special,school for example?

[titchy]

I don't think anyone has been critical OP - just trying to clarify why you didn't apply under this category in the first place and pointing out that the bar is very high in the case of a psychological need for a particular school - I think that's why people are struggling to understand your situation.

Admission is one of the MN appeal and school admission experts so follow her advice - and be patient, and have a plan b.

[Floggingmolly]

So according to this professional; your child "needs" this school above all others, and they're prepared to document this, even though an assessment of her actual needs hasn't yet been carried out?
Most unusual. Is this person strictly impartial, or do you know them socially?

[madwomanbackintheattic]

dd2 has named school on her statement because of a psychological need (it was familiar as both her siblings had attended). However, the statement in and of itself was not for psych reasons - she has cerebral palsy and the statement was for physical and communication requirements. The school was not set up to cater for either, but the panel accepted our reasons for the placement (psychological as transition to a familiar environment would be easier for her than transition to a more suitably equipped school that could already meet her physical needs).

That said, all of this was in place for application, it wasn't done at appeal.

I can't imagine what the psychological need might be in this instance, if it wasn't obvious six months ago, so am struggling to comment on likelihood of appeal being upheld.

In our case, they then adapted the school for dd2 to attend to meet her Statemented needs. The following year it had become something of an SN hub as a result. I suspect they only considered the psych need because she was a Statemented child, rather than anything else, even though not Statemented for psych.

In order to bolster our request, we visited the other schools that they could have placed her, discussed her needs with the HTs of those schools, and commented accordingly in our supplementary material.

Dd2 was very well known to the authority though, as she was transitioning from a ms nursery, and so was going through the standard transition process for kids with sn. We had a good relationship with the Area IncO.

[Alanna1]

OP, there are solicitors who specialise in educational appeals. Sounds like you need some pricate and specialist advice. I think a good pysch report could amount to a medical need, more weight is placed on an NHS one often because they can less easily be "bought". Good luck.

[newbieman1978]

I have a great deal of sympathy for you OP now you mention being in London, I'm guessing you didn't get your catchment school on the distance rule? Too many children closer even though it's your catchment?

Still it remains I think you'll struggle on appeal unless you get some strong evidence and preferably some LEA support.