To move my son into special school?

[Tealady1983]

Hi y son is nearly 6 with asd. He attend mainstream school and has a statement so has a recently appointed one to one helper. It has come to my attention that he is left alone at break and play time to wander around or sit alone as the other kids say he doesn't 'get'the games they play and nobody talks to him. Also I was under the impression his helper helped him with lunch, unpacking and opening etc but on Friday the teacher said if another child doesn't open his drink he just doesn't drink cos he is unable to do it himself. Also he doesn't eat really at school I thought as it was too noisy in lunch hall bit maybe now cos he struggles alone unable to really express a need for help. Now I have been to see the special school locally and it's fNtastic I really think once he settles he will love it but I can't help feeling a bit guilty that his ta is going to loose her job. I know I will put my son first and do the right thing for him but someone tell me I am not being mean!

I totally agree Eden, it should be about the needs of each individual child, inclusion will not be right for every child with SEN

And schools do not have tge resources

Aeroflotgirl (they were the 1st airline I flew with btw!) that's my ds, in foundation in mainstream but will move.

He won't get a 1-2-1 in the SN school but the classes are tiny and aimed at our children.

Be aware that you will have to fight to get him into the special school. They are probablly full and what you need is for his current school to apply for more hours for him, simultaneously you kick up a stink about his health and well being as he is not eating or drnking and can't do this without adult supervision. Key terms you need to use are: ' due to the difference in funtioning between son and his peers of the same age, he is unable to form friendships or social interractions. Special school will provide an appropriate peer group for him'. 'Such are his barriers of learning, x does not realise that he needs to open a packet of crisps to eat them. Therefore he requires constant adult supervision to eat and drink.' This skill is more important to his long term health and development than learning to spell and the curriculum at mainstream school cannot be differentiated down sufficiently to this level without significant differences appearing between him and his peer group. This level of differentiation then alienates him further from his peers'

SOS SEN can help you. You need to present it as a cost saving for them to send him to special school rather than further fund the TA. It's probablly going to be cheaper for LEA SS rather than one to one TA for 30 hours. Is there any way you can throw in other needs in there as well like speech and language and OT. The more stuff and complex the case, the more you will get SS. Don't think sbout the TA. In my experience, she could leave next week so put your son first.

Yes request a statement review with the HT is tge first step I think. Trust your instincts

Thst's kick up a fuss with the LEA. What you want is the school supporting you.

Oh right Wire, good old Aeroflot eh. The HT of dd mainstream school really fought her case, she really was not doing well in MS, biting, hitting etc. also referral to Ed Psych through the schools SENCO can further support. Within a month of applying to SS dd had got a place there. You need the HT on board, it helped that our HT at MS had a dd with ASd

Her SS was very difficult to get into as it was a specialist autistic school, it is in Milton Keynes, but has children from Luton and Aylesbury going to it

If the TA hasn't realised that your ds needs help in order to be able to drink or has realised but thinks her own lunch is more important than spending 2 minutes sorting your son out then I'm not sure she's a very good TA anyway.....

Another 1-1 TA here and I would just like to add a couple of thoughts;

As some others have said, it is probably true that the TA's contract is tied to the child and if he leaves she could lose her job, but in practice, schools will usually try to find another role for the TA within the school when that happens. I know of one TA whose 1-1 child left quite suddenly (not because of her) and she was told they could pay her up to the end of the month but after that there was no work for her. Another TA was lucky enough that her child left just as another child's statement came through and there was a vacancy she was ideal to fill. I'm not saying this should influence your decision at all, just that those who assume the TA would definitely get to stay at the school are being unrealistic - she might or might not.

The other thing that stands out for me is people are saying the TA shouldn't take her break at times when the child needs help with his lunch. It's very unlikely that the TA has any say in this. Say a TA is working with a child who has a statement for 20 hours, the class teacher will normally tell them at the start of the year which 20 hours they want them to work. Sometimes this needs tweaking later - I know a TA who was asked to go out with her child at lunchtimes because he played very rough and they felt he needed more supervision, but then of course he gets less supervision in class times (usually in the afternoon), which creates its own problems. It's often a difficult decision how to allocate the time and ultimately the decision rests with the teacher, although there's no harm in you or the TA asking whether you could try a different arrangement for a while.

On balance I think special school might work out better for you (and it's usually quite hard to get a place in one, so if you've been offered a place they must really think there's a good case for it), but I just didn't want you to think too badly of the TA!

Like others, I'm surprised it's so easy to get a special school place. BUT you must do what is best for your child. My ds2 began in special school - it was a wonderful and supportive environment. We then moved and he ended up in mainstream and it was okay for him but never so good. Mainstream was a disaster for ds4. We ended up home educating. Hopefully the TA will find another job, but it's not your priority.
Mainstream only works if a child is getting enough of the right support. Good luck!

It really isn't that easy to get a special school place.

Or basket if the child is suited to a mainstream environment, not all children with SEN are. My dd used to get stressed and emotional due to tge number of students in her class, the noise and overstimulation that a mainstream school has. Her a specialist school is calm and therapeutic, tge right environment for dd, the evidence was a sharp decrease in meltdowns and negative behaviour. Because she was calm, her true self came out, and she is excelling.

It isn't that straightforward to move a child with Special Needs into a Special school; it depends on the nature of his needs and the type of provision available. Why are the dinner ladies not helping him at meal times; they should be opening containers etc and ensuring that he is able to eat his meal properly? Is his TA timetabled to be with him at break-times? if she supports him full-time in class the school may feel he needs some time to be with his peer group unsupported.

It certainly wasn't easy or quick to move my DS from mainstream to special school. In fact we had to spend a lot of money on legal help to argue our case, and private professional reports as the council ones were so biased. But not every parent would have to do that, as it has been said, it depends on the child's needs and provision already available. It might be easier for the OP as the school has said there is a place (but there could be another child hoping to get it, you can't assume that it would be held for your DS). You definitely need to understand the legal position though, that's why it's important to get advice from organisations like Ipsea or SOS SEN.

We get a taxi and escort to transport my DS to his special school, so it's possible to argue for transport but some councils will fight against it.