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Mistake by Local Authority in allocation for SEN High School... help needed.

57 replies

ThisMustBeMyDream · 23/02/2024 16:06

My child has an EHCP. The annual review was completed in September with local sen high school A as parental preference named.
End of January I recieved the EHCP draft copy which named sen high school B. I immediately contacted the local authority to enquire as to the reasons for offering school B. It has taken until this week to get the answer.
The answer was that the parental preference school had been listed as school B. They knew this was an error, as they could see from the EHCP review that school A was named as parental preference.
As a result my child has not had a fair consideration for this school and is disadvantaged as a result. School B is wholly unsuitable (I visited, it was awful, current school senco agrees unsuitable, as does the LA person who attended the review and apoke to me a couple of weeks ago after the news of the placement arrived). The local authority manager who spoke to me to explain the above has told me she is attending a meeting at school A next week where she will explain the situation and ask them to go over numbers to admit him.

Is this good enough? What should I be expecting them to do to fix their mistake? I'm not sure if there is anything I can do beyond taking it to appeal - which in itself is highly unfair as it was someone else's error who has caused this. I'm so bloody angry right now, it's hard to think straight. I'd appreciate if anyone has any advice, I know it's probably quite niche from the usual high school appeal questions.

OP posts:
ThisMustBeMyDream · 23/02/2024 18:27

No one from the special schools have been out to see my child.

OP posts:
ThisMustBeMyDream · 23/02/2024 18:26

The final hasn't been recieved due to them investigating the issue.
All the draft copies here named the high school provision (I've spoken with multiple other local parents). The LA confirmed that school B is the one offered.

OP posts:
ThisMustBeMyDream · 23/02/2024 18:24

LA is Wigan. The process was to attend the EHCP and name the preference. LA officer attended.
I was told only to fill in the regular secondary admission form with mainstream option as a back up in case they didn't get a special school. Don't name specialist provision on there.

OP posts:
SearchingForSolitude · 23/02/2024 18:20

Do you have a finalised EHCP? You should have. Secondary phase transfer EHCPs must be finalised by 15th Feb. If you do, appeal.

I recieved the EHCP draft copy which named sen high school B.

The draft should not have named a placement or type.

This may not be ‘a mistake’. It may be intentional and a mistake is the excuse.

ThisMustBeMyDream · 23/02/2024 18:16

School A not consulted. School B wasn't on there at all.
Only School A was named as parental preference.

OP posts:
Soontobe60 · 23/02/2024 16:45

What LA are you in?
I had four Year 6 Annual reviews (all children with complex ASD) to complete in September in preparation for secondary school. The SEN officer attended as I notified them that all parents were going to request special school at the reviews. The parents all completed the secondary school admissions forms naming their choice of special school - they all named two plus a mainstream school if their application to SS were to be unsuccessful. In my LA, the SSs hold a panel meeting in December to look at parental choices on the secondary application schools. A week prior to that, the Heads of both SSs visited my Y6 children to ascertain which school would best suit their needs. (One of the SSs takes children with more complex needs). The SEN officer also phoned all the parents to confirm that they still wanted their named school from the Annual review. I have been told unofficially that all 4 children have been allocated a place at their first choice school.

What school did you put down on the secondary school admission form?

RollOnSpringDays · 23/02/2024 16:20

It sounds like they’ll put it right. You have clear written evidence of your parental preference. But if there was a school A and school B preference in that order, both schools should have been consulted anyway. Was school A not consulted ? I’d write to the SEN team manager. and say you want it rectified as it’s their error.