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Statement and timetabled support

4 replies

8etty8lue · 27/09/2011 17:45

My DS has Aspergers and a statement for 15 hours support a week. The school has taken on a new TA 'for him' this term and she works each morning as TA for the whole class, supporting him (and others) when he needs it. His statement says that he should have a structured programme of social skills support which he had last term (although it was not carried out brilliantly - each subject / topic lasted a whole term which was much too long for him). When I asked for his support timetable for this term I was told it was the same as last term, although it quite clearly isn't as last term he had support from 4 different TA's throughout the day. Can I insist that they timetable SS lessons in again? I can't understand why they haven't done it in line with the statement automatically.

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StarlightMcKenzie · 27/09/2011 17:49

It depends how the statement is worded really.

If it says he has access to 15 hours of support, then access is what he will have, same as all the other children in the class.

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lifesamerrygoround · 27/09/2011 19:50

my god, they really have a way round things starlight!
I would have automatically presumed 1:1!

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bialystockandbloom · 27/09/2011 20:00

If his statement specifies that he should have a structured programme of ss support, then that is what he should have. So, yes you can insist on this. I have no idea how supportive the school is generally, but they're probably not spending their time and money implementing it and hoping you won't notice until you pick them up on it.

As starlight says, if the statement is vaguely worded, and doesn't specify 1:1, then there is nothing forcing the school to provide it.

(This is why we are appealing our statement!)

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8etty8lue · 28/09/2011 14:59

Hi all, thanks for replies. His statement says a mixture of 1:1, group, class general support, and to be honest, this is what suits him as he doesn't like to be singled out. However, it does a specify a planned, structured programme of social skills delivered individually and in small groups, so I suspect bialystockandbloom is right and, like many times before, they are waiting for me to pick them up on it. Why, oh why is it always down to me to do it? Are they trying to make be feel like an obsessive, meddling mum?! Probably....