AIBU to be annoyed with school over this ?

[MyPandaisasecretmonster]

Ds (almost 6) attends a free school which he has attended since he was 3 (nursery) it is a small school , 13 students per class .
Ds has ADHD & Aspergers .

Two days before the holidays just gone we received a letter saying they were starting a school mini bus for students without transport & who struggle to get to school so I sent a letter back the next day explaining how much I struggle getting Ds to school because of his problems.
Such as I can't use public transport because Ds has no concept of danger & he just runs in to roads in front of traffic also goes mad if somebody is in his seat on the bus .
So I have taken to using a taxi everyday to get him their and back which is a struggle as he opens the doors and sticks his head out of the window , the Taxis are costing me £11 a day we can't walk as its too far and I can't change his school as he would not cope in a mainstream school .

I didn't hear anything back from the school so I spoke to the Headteacher today & it turns out they already chose the students for the mini bus a week before sending the letter out , all the students that were chosen don't have special needs and all live within walking distance to the school & previously were taken by their parents in cars .

So AIBU to wonder why Ds wasn't offered/ given a seat when I barely manage to get him to school in one piece everyday yet the letter that was sent home stated that it was for 'children in need' which I & several other parents took to mean those without their own transport and those with special needs ?

[SuburbanRhonda]

OP, you said he behaved completely differently in school to out of school - that's why I wondered whether his diagnosis was formal or just someone suggesting he might have those conditions.

I'm confused as to whether he has a diagnosis or whether you're still waiting for it.

[clam]

I'm also a bit confused (but open to being educated about it). How come home is not also a familiar and controlled environment?

[MyPandaisasecretmonster]

I'm not wanting to get in to a discussion in regards to my Ds SN .

I have had some great advice on hear so I'm going to leave/hide the thread now

[SuburbanRhonda]

Ok, OP, just read your post about his diagnosis.

Still confused, though - the diagnosis is a medical thing and doesn't automatically lead to a statement (or Education and Healthcare Plan as it's now known). I hope the school is doing a proper statutory assessment and isn't just leading you to believe a diagnosis will result in a statement. IME it can take a year to get all the paperwork together for the statement. I would be worried if there was no Senco.

[NettleTea]

clam some kids can hold it together in a school, it may not send them over the edge because it is small and familiar, but the effort of being on best controlled behaviour spills over once they get to their really 'safe' place - home.
It can be difficult because people (wrongly) assume its a parenting problem or that the parent is being over dramatic, or in really bad cases, accused of munchausen by proxy.
PDA, one of the conditions supported by Mumsnet in recent charity collections, often presents like this. Its on the autistic spectrum, but far from 'typical'.
My daughter most probably has this. She coped perfectly through a tiny primary, where she had known everyone since toddler group and there were 14 in a year group. She kicked off at home. She went completely to pieces when she moved to a large, 1600 pupil, comprehensive.

[LuluJakey1]

Well, that is the problem with Free School's and Academies. They can just about do what they like. You have to have a SENCO in a state school. Free Schools and Academies can employ who they like - many employ teaching assistants rather than teachers. If it was a private school previously, it probably was struggling financially and became a free school to get the funding- very common now. Usually run by and staffed with incompetent people in my experience. Our local one has lost almost half their staff because they could not cope with having to teach to state school standards. They won't take children with SEN. They advise parents to take them elsewhere because they 'can't meet their needs'. They mean they don't want to meet their needs. I met the Head of KS4 on a Child Protection Designated Staff Member course and he didn't have a clue. His words to me were 'We've never had to bother with all of this stuff to this extent before'.

[LuluJakey1]

Should just add Mr Gove bailed them out by paying off their 5 million debt they had run up as a private school - used public education funds to bail out a private business. Then gave them 10 million to build a sixth form block. Local schools graded as outstanding with the shoddiest buildings got nothing at all.

[FamiliesShareGerms]

Lulu, it's just not true to say that free schools and academies can do whatever they want to do. And they are also "state schools".

The OP's school should have a SENCO, and I hope that she is already in frequent contact with him / her about the best support for her son

[LuluJakey1]

She has already said the school does not have a SENCO. They might be 'state' schools in name but they are set up under rafts of different legislation and are not accountable in the same way.
They do not have to employ teachers to teach children.They do not have to teach to the national curriculum. They do not have to honour teachers contracts, pay and conditions. Just saying they are not like state schools. It is a fact.

[Missunreasonable]

Surburbanrhonda your advice on the transport issue might be more up to date than mine. My DS had transport provided before he got a diagnosis and a whole year before he got a statement (although it was very obvious that he was going to need a statement). We also got transport when we moved house to a new LEA and needed a new statement (but had to wait a few months for it to be completed). Maybe the severity of the child's needs is a factor in getting transport prior to a statement (if it is very obvious that they need a specific placement) ? Perhaps recent cuts and financial changes in the LA is also a factor?
You have given OP done good advice.

[SuburbanRhonda]

Thank you, mis.

I'm glad your DS got the support he needed and I hope the OP is able to resolve her problem with transport.