To think school is going to be pretty difficult next year?

[summernight]

So ds goes to a big 2 form entry primary school with a very high SEN profile. His class alone had 6 adults working in there last week when I went into help. 3 children have 1:1s, 2 classroom TAs for everyone else (a lot have needs without specific funding I think, I don't know, just guessing) and the class teacher - it was still chaos in there and the staff were tirelessly trying to help everyone that needed it. My own ds is going through EHCP process to get funding as currently he is on a reduced timetable because of as yet undiagnosed ASD and has been excluded multiple times this year. He desperately needs more support at school.

Anyway, the school support staff are 23 strong....and they are being cut by half for September due to the budget cuts. So next year each class with have a class teacher and 1 TA shared between 4 classes (2 year groups). The children with 1:1 EHCPs will obviously continue their support but that will be with set child, not in class helping.

God knows if or when ds will get an EHCP and be able to return to any form of education. And we've just heard that the maximum the LEA will give is £4.5k per year, which pays for hardly anything. I'll bet ds is permanently excluded in the first 2 weeks of September and that all the teachers will start leaving....

@summernight You haven't said what behaviour he is exhibiting that leads to exclusion but I'm guessing it's physical and putting himself/others in danger.

Have you accessed help for his anxiety if that is causing the behavioural issues? If so, how did that go?

Yes sorry - it's mostly flight or fight so often bolting from class, hiding in small spaces etc. He has lashed out when really really anxious and that's what causes the exclusions. He then wants to kill himself afterwards as he feels so bad. He's under every agency going and interventions are helping slowly but surely. But he needs support to carry them out at school obviously.

We have friends that fought the council and got them to pay for a private place at a specialist school for their ASD son. It might be an option for you too.

Just one of those things. If school is unsuitable educate at home.

Adambarlow - did you even read my earlier post? 'Just one of those things'.....I'm staggered.

Snailmailtrail - we will be fighting to get something from the LEA but the ideal doesn't exist. There are no ASD specialist schools near here anyway. Everyone tells us he doesn't need that, he needs support in mainstream.

My concern is fighting for support can take years -what happens to him, the other children, the remaining few TAs and poor teacher who is left to pick up the pieces while everyone waits for the support? And how much will it cost everyone in the long run?

When you say ‘anywhere near here’ how far are you talking? We have children who travel for over an hour to reach our school. Not ideal at all but funded.
I wouldn’t worry too much about the school holiday echp turnaround-we got a draft one through on the last day of term last year that had to have amendments made with 2 weeks (we did it obv.)
It’s scary and depressing what’s happening with SEND funding. Especially when you look at the funding that free schools get.

I understand. I've got dc who have sen and it's a nightmare trying to get them anywhere near the help they need at school. Our nearest sen school is nearly 10 miles away and they will only take children with profound multiple learning difficulties. So mainstream is full of children who can't cope.

At one of my local schools they have 4 children with EHCPs who require a specialist school place, but there aren't any spaces available within 30 miles. These children have been waiting up to 12 months for a place. The school has had to put one on a Pastoral Support Plan for 1/2 days (with the parents support and agreement) because he is getting worse, not better, despite a 1-1. Another is following an almost completely non-curriculum timetable. There are another 5 or 6 children with EHCPs and NONE of these have received extra funding.

The LA have recently admitted that they have 106 children waiting for spaces to become available. And the Gov thinks it's sensible to cut the budgets further...

It breaks my heart. I'm sorry OP, I have no answers but I can understand your concern, totally.

This strikes fear into my heart as my DS is currently on 1:1 support due to disruptive classroom behaviour (despite pretty good progress given his attention problems). But this is school allocated not EHCP funded so could go up in a puff of smoke.

@Adambarlow

Just one of those things. If school is unsuitable educate at home.

Pig ignorance or stupidity?

Or just goading?

Cauliflowershower - there are no schools within 2 hours that offer what he needs. To be honest, I don't think the school he needs, exists. Well it does - it's a mainstream school with some support and intervention and academic acceleration.

Within 2 hours there are 2 schools for profound LD/PD only - of which he has neither.

The push to keep children in mainstream has done children a massive disservice. It’s basically cost cutting since the mainstream school won’t be given the same per pupil as an SEN School. So at the ASD school I taught at we had onsite Speech and language therapy, OT, Ed psych visits once a week, highly paid graduate TAs and loads of specialist training for all staff, at mainstream the same children is given a low paid, under qualified TA who goes on a one day course. It’s just not comparable. I’ve seen non verbal children in wheelchairs sitting while a TA cuts up some resources for the rest of the class. It’s not inclusion.

There is also a problem with bright children with difficulties being in school due to SEN, often they end up in PRUs but it’s awful that we make them get to that point. We need special needs schools for children of normal academic abilities too.

Sadly though at most special schools now there’s very very little input from SaLT, OTs, ed psychs or physios. Most training is done in house or at staff’s own expense. TAs have been cut... there’s just not the funding in any service anymore.