To wonder if the head teacher is allowed to say no?

[extremepie]

Admittedly it has not happened yet but I'm trying to prepare a preemptive strike for when I meet with the head teacher at DC's school!

I am applying to uni and looking at the days/times I will need to be at lessons and factoring in travel times it looks like I will need to be out from 9am until about 5pm. This will fit in with the school times as long as I can use the breakfast club for the kids in the mornings and after school clubs for them in the afternoons.

However.

Ds2 has autism and a 1:1, currently he does not do a full day at school but we have a plan in place to gradually increase his school hours so he is full time by the end of the summer term. My concern is that if I want him to attend after school club and breakfast club in the morning the HT will say he can't because the 1:1 is not funded outside 'school hours' and there will be no on to do 1:1 for him.

DC's used to attend breakfast club and I was told I had to sit with him until the start of the school day because his 1:1 didn't start till then - obviously in this situation I won't be able to do this as I will need to leave to get to uni on time!

Aibu in wondering if he is actually allowed to refuse to let ds attend after school/breakfast clubs? What can I say if he does say no?

I really don't have any other options for childcare as I am a single parent and have no family or friends in the area who could do the childcare for me if the school does say no!

He could, of course, be fine with the whole thing but given my experiences so far and all the aggro I've had just trying to get them to take ds for a full school day I am expecting some resistance on his part :/

[Diamondsareagirls]

OP does your ds get his 1:1 as a result of a statement? Under the new SEN all statemented children get funding based on their needs and parents are allowed to have a say in how this is spent. Not all schools will make this clear for obvious reasons! It is not ideal for you to choose to spend his funding on this as you may feel there are far more beneficial things for him to receive but you should look into this to make an informed decision.

[Luggagecarousel]

maybe you will just have to wait until your children are older before doing this. SEN or not, most mothers have to delay career plans for this part of their lives.

[DratAndBotheration]

Does your son have any time at school without 1:1?

It's quite reasonable to expect the school to allow your son access to anything they offer that can be adjusted. By this funding 1:1 is reasonable, an example of not being able to adjust has a bar along the lines of a non-mobile child having alternative provision instead of a pot-holeing trip, ie impossible to provide, not just more expensive. Asc are quite a money spinner for schools btw! P

[OneInEight]

Have you had a look to see if the Open University does the course you are interested in. Much more flexible in terms of when you do your study. Just suggesting in case the after school care does not work out.

[MammaTJ]

I think even if they accepted him with no 1:1, you would then be on dodgy ground and they could start saying he doesn't need it after all while during school hours.

[therenter]

I have to say that I agree with Luggagecarousel on this one. Despite all the logistics of trying to get your child into breakfast clubs/after school clubs (it really does sound like he would unsafe without a 1:1, and who would be too blame if something happened to him?), you have already said that he cannot cope with a full school day. I think it would be very selfish of you to put him through this at the moment. He needs time to build up to it.
Parenting is about making sacrifices, I didn't work for 11 years as I was home with my young children before they started school.
If I were in your shoes I would be looking for another course that didn't negatively impact my vulnerable child or look into some volunteering options. But I think you would be very wrong to be putting your desires infront of the needs of your child at the moment.

[NoodleOodle]

Have you asked the university if they will help fund childcare? Or whether you'd be eligible for any other funding from the university that you could put towards it?

[Hobnobissupersweet]

Will the course lead directly to a career, with jobs available in your area?
do check that carefully first, agree with the suggestion of an OU course - would save money on travelling for you as well.

[Four4me]

My ds1 has/needs 1:1 at school, for his two after school clubs I used to use the 'Short Breaks funding' to pay his TA the extra hour on two days.
I was not at work, but at home with littlies so wouldn't have been able to support him in his club with them with me. So technically I got a longer day at home with two pre-schooler (not really a 'break'!!!) and he got to access the clubs he loved with the support he needed. It is now a one off payment of £500 that you apply for via the Inclusional Officer.