Are Primary schools BU with their inability to take in children with disabilities

[shattereddreams]

I was going to post in primary schools but it's full of newbies with appeal questions and this is slightly off topic....

I have over the last few months heard more and more of children with disabilities not being admitted to their local primaries because the schools didn't want them...

I am confused as I thought children with needs got absolute priority over their choice of primary. It seems I was mistaken and actually they are the bottom of the pile.

I've now come across in my small town YR this year (all different schools I may add)
Down's being refused admittance even though the medical people since birth said the child was suitable for mainstream primary education
Autism being refused admittance even with a sibling at the school
Cerebral Palsy because wheelchair was not suitable even though it was used within the school nursery
Diabetes high dependency on insulin being refused admittance even with a sibling at school and again the nursery staff being able to cope with the medical needs.

What gives the primary schools the right to refuse admittance to the examples with siblings?
Surely this is totally unreasonable!

It might not be entirely the schools, in our experience it all started with the Admission team, then the Heads were able to say no because the admissions team said they could.

We didn't have any problem.

They specially adapted our (non catchment) Victorian school with lots of stairs that dd1 and ds1 went to, so that dd2 could go (cerebral palsy - wheelchair and walking frame). Despite the fact that the catchment school was level access.
(so, ramps, rails, changing washrooms, toilet frames, lower soap dispensers etc)

At the same time they made modifications to make the environment suitable for VI for another little girl entering yr r. (there was a child with Down's in y2 but no adaptations necessary to environment)

That year they took two sn children into yr r. The following year there were 10. Out of a 60 PAN.

I see no let-up at all in admissions to ms of children with disabilities.

Indeed, where else would they go? There are certainly no new special schools opening? What is becoming of these children?

Is it just a disagreement between parents and admissions staff as to the most appropriate mainstream? So more of a choice issue, rather than a 'kicked out of ms' issue?

It has made me sad to realise this goes on.
And angry! I do feel there is injustice in my LA.

It's not my child and not my fight so all I can do is have a mini rant here!

Like Madwoman school, some heads are perhaps more inclusive than others

SchoolsNightmare knows what he or she is talking about.

There are a couple of different issues here. One is: does the child have a SEN statement that names the school in question? If so, child goes to top of list.

Second, if the child has a social or medical need, and this is mentioned on the application form, then if the local authority panel agrees that this is a genuine need, they will usually be given priority over and above siblings and people living close to the school. So for example, a child in a wheelchair might apply to a school that is only one storey and has wheelchair ramps etc.

If the first two points don't apply, then the child takes their chances with everybody else, and their application is considered under the normal rules (siblings, distance from school etc).

The admissions process is administered by the local authority. I can't see how the school can be refusing to take a child who has been allocated a place by the authority. If they did so, they would be breaking the law. I think you should be investigating further into what is going on and take it up with the local authority.

By the way, OP, are these children being offered places in other schools, or are they being offered no places at all?

My DCs primary takes children with pretty much any disability. About 3 ASD per year, it's common place. Fewer Downs, but a number over the years, Cerebal Palsey and similar complex disabilities, yes. Diabetes, wouldn't even be a question (any more than numerous kids with Epi pens). Also deaf and partially sighted, and various medical needs.
It's a high achieving, Ofsted Outstanding, but very inclusive. It's sad when a child can't cope with mainstream even there (children and parents have decided to go for special school after a trial sometimes).

yes hackmum they have been given places at other LA schools in town. Just not the ones their siblings are at or their closest school even though they were definitely within admission criteria.

That's what gets me - it must be the heads refusing them entry because there is no reason they wouldn't get a place.

As I said, it's not my fight. Else it would be all over the local rag!!

hackmum, in one case there is a statement but whether that was in place a year ago in admission time, I do not know. But there was a sibling so it shouldn't matter.

SchoolsNightmare is talking a lot of sense.
ShatteredDreams - of course there are some schools that just 'go the extra mile' and some schools that 'do the legal required minimally'. That's human nature, and, in the case of schools, may also be affected by other things the school is having to cope with. It's not a perfect world we live in, but as schoolsnightmare has said, there are policies and admission criteria that have to be followed. Only when you have a Statment do you move up the admissions criteria, not "just" because you have a disability or special educational need. I don't know how well you know these families, but is it possible you're commenting on 2nd hand information without knowing all the facts ?

x posted

shattereddreams schools have to deal with children with all sorts of SN out of their normal budgets (they get a delegated amount for SN support). No amount of money will make a school suitable for a child when it is not. Also, a child may seem completely fine out of school, but the school environment doesn't cater for their needs.

DD1 is (relatively) able, in that all of her needs are 'moderate' and not many 'severe'. But, when you layer them on top of each other, you have a child who is Special School material.

Backforgood: but what the OP seems to be saying is that these children would have got into the school under the normal admissions rules had they not been disabled.

OP, when parents get the allocation letter from the local authority, they normally get a report telling them how close they were to getting the school they wanted (e.g. showing they were 100 metres further away than the last person admitted etc). If these parents really were turned down because of their child's disability, then that should have been communicated to them in writing. Was it, do you know? Because if so I'd have thought they'd have a pretty good case under the DDA.

That's what I was trying to say hackmum - does the OP know this, - as you say, the information will be on the latter - or is it one of those stories that someone tells someone who tells someone else with their own bit of speculation added on, and people are missing crucial bits of information.

Then what happens, is this thread title will get lodged in the dusty backrooms of all our memories, and someone will say "Oh, yes, there was a tale of this happening on MN a while back" etc., when actually, we don't know for sure the children "haven't been admitted bacause the schools don't want them".

Don't get me wrong, I work with children with SEN and disabilities in Early Years, and my heart sinks if I'm told the parents are expecting them to go to one particular school in my area - I know full well some schools are just hopeless at inclusion and others are just brilliant, and the vast majority are somewhere in between. However 'friend of a friend' snippets of information can often leave out crucial details.

There is also a financial aspect to this.

I have had quite a good income for the past few years working on disability access adaption schemes to schools (I am an architect).

Some projects have cost the LA many thousands of pounds to accommodate a child with 'over and above' special needs - hoists, extensions, conversion works etc. Nearly every project was a rush because the choice wasn't confirmed often until after easter and yet the work had to be completed by start of autumn term.

In more than a few cases the parents then either moved away or changed their minds at the last moment and did not send their child to the chosen school...

I can only speak of secondary schools but in my experience then some buildings are completely unsuitable for someone with a disability.

In my previous school, someone with a physical disability would not be able to attend due to the amount of classrooms/science labs/ICT rooms etc that could only be accessed by narrow stairs or a lift. Obviously, the lift was not the answer in case of fire and the stairs were too narrow to accommodate an evac chair.

My current school however can due to its design.

Therefore no matter how many siblings etc, the LA would never agree to a child whose needs we could not meet being on roll at my first school as it is not suitable for them.

I think in the case of my town, the children would have definitely gotten a place under all normal admission criteria.
The reason they haven't got a place has been due to the disabilities.

As far as snippets of info go, two parents I have spoken with directly.
Two parents I haven't. One of these I gleaned my info from the childminder a friend so probably accurate.

I was under the impression all schools were inclusive. My story seem to indicate this is not true.
If it continues whirring in my head maybe I'll post in the disability section.

but shattered - as many have pointed out, the LA (not the school) would place the child in the school which could best meet their particular needs. If there is a school which has experience/trained staff/buildings etc in a particular area then this is the preferred option for not only the child but also their family.

Whilst I understand the difficulties faced when you have DC in different schools (I have had to deal with this for the past 9 years!) convenience can not overrule suitability

SchoolsNightmare is absolutely correct (and I'm sorry about your son btw)

Shattered you can't possibly know that those children would have got places, because you don't know the situations of the 30 children ahead of them who did.

This thread is frustrating me.
OP, as many have already said : Headteachers and schools do not have the authority to block any application, disability or not.
Your argument and appeal should be addressed to the LA who call the shots. You are blaming the school and Headteacher. What do you want them to do when they play no part in the application process.
Any funding for adaptations and/or support comes from the LA.
(Also agree with schools )

my last post was in response to OP saying this : I was under the impression all schools were inclusive. My story seem to indicate this is not true.

We were told DD could only go to our local school if she could manage a flight of stairs unaided - not sure what would have happened if not She has CP but school have been great - very supportive. However, they did turn a child away a few years ago because the school isn't wheelchair accessible.

YANBU - I expect there is a great deal of variation in the rules depending on the nature of the disability, size, age and layout of the school and most importantly, the attitude of the Head!

Lol, dd2 is in her third school, and in y3 still gets escorted on stairs.

I do mention that she took out a TA in year 2 on the stairs by falling, though.

I repeat
I know for a fact that 3 of the four examples given were denied a place.
They were within admission criteria.
With siblings. In schools that had space to admit the next category after sibling.
Within distance of the last admitted child.
Fact, they were refused admittance.
By either LA or head, both who likely blame the other.
Yes, I'm sure discrimination charges could be bought.