@AlienOnEarth is DS attending school full time? If not, have you requested an expedited hearing on the basis DS is out of full-time school? Do that if you haven’t. And if DS can’t attend full-time, separately to the EHCP process, have you requested alternative provision?
Unfortunately, the live appeal will only deal with the refusal to issue. It won’t deal with the content of any subsequent EHCP.
As difficult as it is, try not to borrow worries from tomorrow about a secondary placement. When the time comes, if you need to appeal, phase transfer appeals are prioritised and although there isn’t the court time to hear them all before the start of September if you submit an appeal ASAP after the 15th Feb deadline for LAs issuing amended EHCPs in Y6, you will get a date prior to the start of September.
I thought as much about the SSCs.
Obviously, I only know what you have written here, but I’m not sure an independent mainstream is going to work. If you want to look at them, I would start with an email asking to speak to the SENCO (some independent schools don’t call their SENCO a SENCO, but there will be someone responsible for DC with SENCO/SEN provision). You could look at* *Brambletye and Cumnor House. As I said, not sure they will work for DS, but if you want to look they would be worth investigating. From your further description, I’m not sure the SS I suggested would meet needs either, I’m afraid. Some of the schools I mentioned would be way too far for a day place.
EOTAS/EOTIS packages are completely bespoke. It can provide whatever provision DC require. The possibilities are endless. Different packages look very different. There isn’t one way of doing them. For example, some DC have formal tuition, yet others don’t have any formal tuition. Some don’t attend any formal alternative provisions, yet others attend multiple APs. Some have online provision. Others don’t have any online. Some have all their provision at home. Others don’t have any provision at home. Some have a structured timetable. Others don’t… you get the idea.
Some examples of things it can cover things are tuition (group or 1:1. F2F or online. Academic or not academic. Can be child led…), therapies (more well known one such as SALT and OT, including sensory integration OT, but also less frequently discussed ones such as rebound therapy, animal-assisted therapy, hippotherapy, music therapy…), sport/exercise (this can be anything from swimming to dance to horse riding to skiing to climbing…), music/drama/cookery/pottery… lessons, mentoring, socialising/accessing the community (this can be related to whatever DS’s interests are and can be structured or unstructured), alternative provisions (e.g. care farms, forest schools or gaming APs…). Then not forgetting other things such as equipment/resources/memberships/subscriptions, travel and professional time. Happy to post more about EOTAS/EOTIS if you want me too.
In case you aren’t aware, there are SN and SEN boards on MN. There is a Goose and Carrot Pub thread if you want to join us (don’t feel you have to read in all. Feel free to just jump in.) on SN Chat.