SEN question but posting here for traffic

[School4ds]

My ds is in year 5 has an EHCP working at year 1 level. He has autism. I think he's ok socially.

I'm going to have a meeting with school senco soon .

But I was just wondering a few things what does reasonable adjustments mean ? I mean what's reasonable? What does that look like etc

If ds gos to a mainstream school which I think he is likely to. ( I don't think he will reach the criteria for a sen school) I'm thinking how would he cope what support would he be given.

An example if I tell ds go and get your shoes and socks from your room. Time he gets to his room he will forget and come down stairs with a pen or something. So im not sure how he would manage getting from 1 lesson to another in different parts of a large building and understanding what he needs to have for each lesson.

I have a child who has autism too, he is in year 6. He is academically fairly able, brilliant at maths but reluctant to write, won't do any work at all without 1-1 encouragement, can't be trusted with scissors and is prone to wandering off. I have been told that he could have a member of staff discreetly follow him between lessons at secondary school to make sure he gets to where he is supposed to be.

So I worked at a secondary school and we had a number of students each year like your son.

So what was available

When they came in in year 7 they had a TA assigned to them for the first few weeks. This was partially to support them but also to get a sense of what they could do and what their challenges were. The TA would know their timetable and help get them to lessons.

We had a SEN hub where students could go at break and lunchtimes. Students that needed physical help with eating would get it. We also had disabled toilets available and some TAs were trained to help students dip needed Assisstance (we also took physically disabled students).

In the SEN hub there were a load of ikea kallax that were named so students who needed it had somewhere to put PE kit, lunch etc if they weren't carrying it round with them.

Most schools will also adapt the curriculum, so it is likely your child will go into a nurture group where they will (for example) not do languages but do extra maths and English in that time. Some secondaries employ primary teachers to teach the nurture group.

We found that most students after a few weeks had made some friends and were able to navigate the school site fairly comfortably. Very very few needed a TA permanently 1:1 after the initial transition period.

You need to look carefully at the provision that your local secondary schools offer in terms of SEND. Talk to the SENCo about your concerns and the adjustments needed to help him move around the school.

I used to allocate a TA temporarily to each year 7 class, to help them find their way round the school. As he has an EHCP that should be straightforward to arrange. He’ll probably need several copies of the timetable and a visual timetable, so he knows what is expected.

I’d suggest having trays at home with things he needs for each day, so he ( with your help) puts them away at night and puts the next day’s in his bag.

When he has a place, I’d ask for extra visits. We used to take photos of key places, like the entrance hall, the canteen, SEN dept and any others that might be important. We had a lunchtime space where pupils who didn’t enjoy the hurly burly of the playground, could come at eat lunch.

As he’s working at year 1 level, are you sure he won’t get a place in a school with a unit, or special school. Something to discuss at the annual review and see what other professionals think.

If your DS is working at year 1 level, he absolutely meets the criteria for special schools. I would think very carefully about your options and make sure you look around some special schools as well as mainstream. Don't forget that you can name a school preference on the EHCP, rather than going through the normal admissions rounds, so you can look for the best school for your DS.

After reading your reply. I just thought he can't really read. If he had a time table saying: period 1 English he won't be able to read that .so he won't know what he's doing /going .

I looked uo 2 sen schools on their site one said they medd to be 5 years behibde academy ti attebd the school. The other said something about working at level 8 ? I think it may have said attainment?

How do I name a school on the EHCP?

Your year 6 annual review has to happen so that any amendments can be made and the secondary setting named by 15th February. So if your DS is in year 5 now, you'll have annual review around December 2025. At the point that you are sent the draft EHCP, you'll be asked to name a setting for section I. The LA has to comply with this request as long as it is:

• a maintained school or nursery (mainstream or special)
• an Academy (mainstream or special)
• an institution in the Further Education sector
• a non-maintained special school
• a section 41 school.

The only grounds they can refuse are that:

• the setting is unsuitable for the age, ability, aptitude or special educational needs (SEN) of your child or young person
• the attendance of your child or young person would be incompatible with the provision of efficient education for others, or
• the attendance of your child or young person would be incompatible with the efficient use of resources.

You can also ask for a wholly independent school, but you'd have to jump through a few more hoops.

You child sounds similar to mine who is in an independent SEN school.
Without even knowing the support available in mainstream I knew he wouldn't cope and started the process with EHCP, tribunal etc to get him moved around year 3. He started at his current school in Year 5 and has now just started Year 9.

Socially, I struggle to understand how a child so far behind can manage to not have difficulties with friendships. As kids get older they get far less tolerant of others' differences and quirks. One of my drivers for specialist was that I could see my child becoming a victim. Quite probably without realising it, but being egged on to misbehave and him doing so for perceived acceptance.

On a practical level, no way would he get from A to B on time with the right equipment and in one piece.
In his school he is in a class of 7. With a form tutor and usually 3 or 4 TAs. He moves from class to class with the group, with the staff and he has a pictorial timetable which he doesn't actually need to refer to. The support is there to develop executive functioning skills and he's come on massively over the years, but it has taken years.

Without the "noise" of social issues and navigating a huge school my son has been able to focus on school work. He went to this school as essentially a non-reader. He is closing the gap between chronological age and expected attainment year on year. The support, the class sizes, the variety of subjects, it all makes a significant difference.

I don't think specialist school is the answer for everyone, but don't discount it. There are places for more socially able autistic children who need additional scaffolding to help them achieve.

I'd suggest having a look at what's available in your LA and neighbouring LAs and see if you can have a look around and get a feel for the place.
Many of the children at my son's school could survive mainstream and wouldn't necessarily stand out as being out of place, but the more tailored education and support enables them to thrive and gives them a better chance at achieving their potential.

The other thing to consider is that ASD is a spectrum, and social capability isn't fixed. DD1 was 'fine' socially, in fact the leader of the playground at her special school in year 4-5. Year 5, she started to find it harder. Year 6 was quite tricky. By secondary school, even at a special school, she was finding the social side of school really difficult.

The provision DS reasonably requires should be detailed, specified and quantified in F of his EHCP. Then it must be provided regardless of what the school wants to do or what they normally do or what is typically available in your LA. If it isn’t provided, it can be enforced because EHCPs are legal documents. It isn’t optional.

The reasonable in reasonable adjustments varies depending on the circumstances. It isn’t set in stone. This doesn’t override the LA’s duty under section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to ensure the provision in F is provided.

If you want to pursue a special school, you have the right to state this as part of the transition review process. If the LA does not name your preferred school, you can appeal.

Yes ds has Been ok socially. But he's known the same chikdren since he was 3. I think secondary may be very different.