If your child goes to SEN high school, how do you manage before and after school?

[ThisMustBeMyDream]

My son is yr5 in mainstream primary. He won't cope in secondary so we have decided he will go to specialist provision. I work 3 days a week 9-5. Currently have a childminder. There is a possibility she will keep him on for 2 years (his younger brother goes there too). But we need to try and figure out what to do if she can't.
We don't know if he will be capable of walking too and from the bus stops for the school transport. He has autism and adhd.
I'm just so stressed out thinking about it all 🥴.

Two of my sons went to sen schools and they were picked up and dropped off in taxi's that the county paid for (they had a statement and ehcp respectively)

Our county picks up from home for SEN transport.

My son gets a taxi provided by the LA to get home but I got a job at his school so I take him in with me. He wouldn’t get up and get himself ready for the morning taxi if I didn’t take him with me.

My son has a taxi but it is quite limiting in that it has to be to and from the home address and the same address everyday an adult has to be there. So he cant be dropped at a childminders for instance.

My son is picked up by specialist transport at 7.30 am (by which time he's pacing waiting for them) and come back at 4.20 half day on Friday. I work remotely from home and have another child in mainstream so apart from school runs I'm here .. and very much need to be. Just wouldn't work with a CM / after school care.

Did you leave your children home awaiting transport, or getting back off transport? I have to get 1 to primary and me to work (community midwife). I think the morning transport would be early enough unless I was called out to a homebirth, in which case he'd be home alone for around 30 mins or so approx. (I've been called out 5 times in 4 years, and only 1 of those have I not been home in the morning, so yes, it isn't likely to happen, but I do need to plan for it).
The other end of the day is definitely problematic. I can finish at 4.30, but would have to collect brother from childminder and get home which might not be until 5-5.30traffic dependent. I think the transport would get him home around 3.45-4.

Mine got a taxi to and from school from the door. Pick up / drop off times vary greatly depending on distance and how many others were in the taxi. My county has been consulting on making all pickups from bus stops but it hasn’t happened yet. Very little flexibility on timings (eg for staying to after school clubs) and no flexibility on location, could not drop to eg childminder or grandparent. It is very difficult if you work, sorry.

I mean DS’s times didn’t vary much, but others who lived much further from or closer to the school had very different times.

Our transport has to hand over from and to an adult.
It is problematic. Luckily DH works from home.

We get transport but pre covid
I had to arrange to go into work a bit later.

Also pre covid he was able to go to an afterschool club and the transport dropped him there.

WFH is a frankly a godsend as I don't have to worry about that all now.

My son is 11 and attends a specialist school. He gets picked up and dropped off by a taxi with an escort. Just be aware that many taxi companies won’t allow them to be picked up or dropped off without an adult aged over 18 there at home. Every taxi company / specialist school / council has different ways of operating and different rules so it’s something you would need to enquire about. Some specialist schools provide wrap around care and also if your child goes on a route / taxi route that a lot of other children also gets picked up on they might leave and get back later or earlier than you expect anyway. For years my son was collected at 7.30am and dropped off at 4.45pm because his specialist school was 23 miles away and he had 4 other children in his taxi / mini bus. Sounds awful but he actually used to love it and sat there playing games and stuff on his iPad. Was better than being at a nearer more unsuitable school. He’s now at a school 7 miles away so his journey is only 15 mins or so each way.

Agreed, he will have taxi provision but there will need to be an adult present at pick up and drop off.

Yes, mine had to have an adult present but the taxi driver just waited and saw they had got in the door, whether that was letting himself in or knocking at the door. But although DS was fine home alone by the he wasn't great at remembering his key so I didn't dare not be there till he was quite a bit older. I was lucky in that my employer allowed me to work short days, no WFH in my job (or DH's).

Mine had to have an adult present also. Luckily they picked up early and dropped late.

My wonderful childminder does morning care for a child who is picked up by the school transport taxi from her house. He is usually only there for 20 mins or so but it enables his parents to work. Yours might be willing to do the same?

our local SEN provision is the same. Mainly taxis/mini bus, but an adult needs to be there.
my friend has a new job, so that she is there in the morning and her husband in the afternoon.

Has he got EHCP?

Yes he has EHCP.

I've spent all day stressing. I think we have some potential plans now. I will do all morning drop offs and pay for younger to go to breakfast club each day, and my DP (teacher) will cover me if I get called out. He will drop one at breakfast club at 7.30 and take DS to his work, then get him in a regular taxi from there but he will possibly be late for school as no other option. DP can't be late for work (not his child). DP can't get from DS school in time for his own class. And the expectations are he is in by 8 (he currently goes in at 6am!).

I will have him on the transport for each day for collection at the childminders. I will go there and wait for him after picking littler one from primary. Childminder is very close to primary. Then my work days he is obviously at childminder so long as she keeps him on (she says she will).
And then hope by Yr 9 he can go too and from bus alone. I would expect he probably can. He just needs a bit longer than other kids to get there.

Worst case scenario I think we will have to find an after school nanny to do the above. Costly, but we can get a bit of help from UC if ofsted registered.

Fuck me. It is all a bloody drama trying to be a mother and a professional. It shouldn't be so difficult. I just want to maintain my career. Their fucking useless father ran off when I was pregnant with the younger. Times like this reminds me why I hate the bastard so much. He just gets to carry on his life without consequence whilst I pick up the pieces.

How far is the school from your, home?
because some LEA,s will only pay transport from a, at least a minimum distance
my son is year 8 and has always gone to a special school,he has,severe autism and learning disabilities and he gets transport in the form of a mini,bus to and from school.,he ,if it's a private specialist school there might be different arrangements but,you need to speak to the lea about it.

5 miles from current home, but we may move further away up to 9 miles total travel. It's not a private or independent school.

My DD goes to specialist high school in August so I’m having to figure this out too. Mornings aren’t too bad because I can adjust my work day to be here when school transport picks her up but after school is an issue because I’m not always home for 4.00 which is when she’ll be dropped home. The transport escort needs to hand her over to an adult, and she isn’t ready to be home alone in any event. No formal childcare will have her because she’ll be 12, it’s a nightmare tbh.

If it's in the same LEA that shouldn't be a problem is it an LEA school?
I had to apply for transport for my son when he went up.from special needs primary school to special needs high school but I think it was just protocol they asked why he needed it even in view of him moving up to high school for children with severe and profound learning disabilities,but he did get it without a fight

Yes, LEA school.
I know he will be eligible from their criteria, but I can't be sure what he will be offered, how it works, whether he can take himself too and from said transport (he should be able to at some point!), or how we make that work as a mother with a career to maintain. I've had a headache all day ruminating it all.

Might be worth you getting on the schools Facebook group and asking how other people are managing and whether SEN transport will pick up and drop off to your childminders.
Also worth asking school what after school clubs are available.
Also ask your SEN transport team for their terms of use to help you plan.

I now work from home which isn't my ideal but the best we could make things function.

Unfortunately they do.Seem to expect at least one parent won't be working ,in my child's case it was virtually impossible to have both parents working due,to his needs but I realise this will cause a lot of issues for many families 😥