Private school fees - act now for SEND!

For anyone interested, a FT 1/1 costs £25k when you include pension and all the other things that aren't the NET salary.

A 1/1 can help other kids if it benefits their named child (e.g. child has to practise working on their own so TA goes to other child for 5 mins or holds a grouo session to help named child work in a group). Obvs not if it's 1/1 for safety reasons

This is horseshit. The SEND blackhole is estimated at £1.25 to £2bn. The govt spends more than £1000bn a year. Sunak proposed spending that amount on National Service. It's priorities - if we prioritised disabled kids and education we could do this decently.

Very few EHCPs will say 121 all the time with no group work/activities/ socialisation with/alongside other children or independent time ever.

I genuinely do not believe that a child who actually needs a full time 1 to 1, can manage with no support at all other than going to a private mainstream school. If you actually need 30 hours 1 to 1 every week, you will need sen support in a private school too.

Have you got any suggestions for those of us who couldn’t possibly afford private school fees if their kids have SEN, ECHP or not?

This.

Not to mention that if your child's needs are not being met in your local state school it will cost you far, far less to get some advice and apply for an ECHP, than to pay for private school fees.

How can they? The rates of children applying for EHCPs and having assessment for various SEN conditions is rising so dramatically, it’s no exaggeration to say they have absolutely no hope of affording excellent provision for all of those children. I’m not being negative, I’m being honest - Angela Rayner has basically admitted this.

If full time 1:1 is detailed, specified and quantified in F they should not be supporting other pupils at the same time or doing other things at the same time. That would be unlawful and leave the LA and school open to legal action.

For some, it is cheaper to pay an independent mainstream than either state mainstream or state specialist. It is how some parents win tribunals for independent MS because they prove it isn’t unreasonable public expenditure.

For many, full-time 1:1 would cost more than £12k.

Non pretentious private school with very low fees, all out into additional adult support rather than shiny facilities. The local authority pays every mainstream school a sum greater than £6000 for every child, SEND or not. A full support IEP pays the school another £14-15000 on top of this money, not even counting the notional £6000 that comes out of the school’s delegated budget for SEND. Transport on top can be several more thousand. Compared to fees of less than £15,000? The numbers speak for themselves.

You’re presuming they’d get an EHCP. Parents saying their child needs a private education isn’t an instant qualifier for an EHCP.

How?

See my post above. By paying a private school fees for my son rather than capitation plus full support plus transport, the local authority saves about £8000.

I think it would be better if labour provided provision for all children, regardless of need and ability to pay???

I agree with you; I am talking about a child in special school from 3 who is able to attend a local “mainstream” independent without needing 1:1 because the low arousal environment and small class size works for him. we need state schools like this, but they will never be agreed to as not cost effective. Except they are in the context of needs they cope with.

And for the children who don’t need EHCP because they go there, the money saved to the local authority is massive: first £6000 plus up to £14,000 or more EHCP funding. It doesn’t take many of those children to have to come out to mainstream schools and get the EHCP support to knock out an awful lot of VAT from paying children. One child could essentially cost the VAT from seven…

Well yes if rich parents can pay for lawyers to get a result that isn’t good for state education and state SEN provision as a whole.

It needs to be more scrutinised than going the the LA scrutiny process and very often a tribunal. Seriously?

What makes you think people who disagree with you are bitter? Is it not possible that they just have another opinion?

So if in small numbers really not worth the hoo ha.

It needs to be scrutinised more as paying private school fees for an entire education is not a good use of resources.A 121TA will work with other children too in groups at times and do other jobs which is good for the child and state funding.

And re the moving argument EHCPs are reviewed every year, SEN need can change. It’s not a given that a privately educated child would need to have its fees funded every year.

A child attracts about 6k funding which is for the class teacher/head/offuce/senco Then a TA costs more than 12k because the school also pays national insurance and pension contributions. So that's over 18k for 1 child in state. Although it comes via different mechanisms.

I am well aware that not all ehcps require a 1 to 1. It was one example of how it can be cost effective. It's not always cost effective.

If someone has been awarded an ehcp naming a normal private school, it will have been thoroughly considered, evidenced and costed. They are in small numbers.

Many children with SEN find drastic change extremely difficult.

And I'm not sure how you know that they won't remove their children?

I have no evidence (as far as I'm aware, there isn't any), but I do know of two sets of parents who have removed their children with additional needs due to VAT. One is home-schooling now (interestingly, there's never a backlash to this even though home-schooling typically requires more money as only one parent works or works fewer hours), and the other has put their child into a state school. This child does have extra support which I'm assuming is costing the school more money.

Also, how do you steal grammar places? I was confused about that one.

Genuine questions by the way.

But state can provide for all children’s needs and it is more cost effective to ensure that only state provision is provided with EHCPs. SEN funding going to the non special school private sector needs to be stopped. I hope the onslaught of parents trying to save money on private fees by proclaiming SEN will highlight how ridiculous and a waste of money this practise is.

Most families work their bollocks and no thanks I for one won’t be scrolling on. The op posted on AIBU and I think she’s being unreasonable so will post to my hearts content thanks.

Because in some instances there is not a state alternative that can meet a child's needs. So the state sends the child to a private school. It's not a case of state or private, it private or no provision.

Then some parents feel that the state could not meet their child's needs but they couldn't wait for the ehcp process to conclude (and yes it can be slow and yes it can destroy children whilst waiting/fighting) so rather than go through that they pay because they can but the fact is still the same thaf it was private or nothing. However, I.imagine this is very hard to evidence.

Petitions not periods!!

Here come the bitter brigade, bitching about those of us who have worked our bollocks off in order to get our child a decent education. Bore off. If you don't agree just scroll on and start your own periods fgs