To think special needs schools need to stay open

[Defeatedbylife]

Im talking about during holidays,summer holidays are coming up and parents like me who are single or home while partners work and have no help in terms of families or friends utterly dread these times.Chilldren attending these schools need routine constantly and most of them arent learning a normal curriculum, instead they are learning basic life skills.
Im.talking from experience.
Ive lost all joy for living,every single day is the same as today,so bloody hard.im a stay at home mum as i have a severly mentally disabled child.he attends a special needs school but the holidays are fast approaching and im filled with utter dread,he makes so much mess ,like smearing food,his feaces,screaming,and its near impossible to go anywhere without someone tutting or complaining at his screaming.i dont blame them. I myself cant bear it.theres no clubs he can attend and family wont have him,every year i have a breakdown and no one knows.in terms of social care help its very minimal,a few hours a week.
Tonight im sitting here contemplating that its better not being here,i have no life,i dont forsee a future with any happiness.im not going to do anything,i know this.

I feel like anyone voting YABU are people whose children do not need this intensive, specialist support so please take it with a pinch of salt
I think the people who have voted VABU have done because they think it is unreasonable to expect special schools to remain open year round. Intensive, specialist support can be provided in other ways than opening special schools 52 weeks of the year.

There needs to be better funding for holiday support, respite breaks, care and support for young people and families, but that doesn't equal running special schools all year.

I think it would be a really good idea if more special schools did this. They would have course have to employ more staff as everyone is entitled to a holiday which would add considerably to the cost of the placement. The HT of ds2's special school agreed with us as they found the summer holiday break unsettled a lot of their pupils. Theoretically, there is some respite care in our local authority in the holidays but so little was on offer that it never seemed worth the battle to transition the ds's into. Of, course, they then argued that the low uptake meant there was no need!

YANBU. There should be support and as someone who works in an ASN school, I worry for our kids and their parents during the long holidays.

However selfishly, I don't think I could physically go on if I had to work over the summer. We finish up this week and I feel like I'm crawling through to get there. I'm covered in bruises and scratches, I'm tired from trying to advocate for our kids to get them the education they deserve, my back is shot to pieces, i just don't think I could do it.

Thats nothing compared to how you feel, I get to leave it at the end of the day and I really hope you find support.

But lola the whole point is that many of these children don’t respond well at all to the break in routine. It isn’t just about respite (although that’s important) but ongoing support.

I don’t think anybody is suggesting that you should maintain

The schools being open doesn’t mean the teachers being there 52 weeks a year.

There definitely needs to be more support from somewhere. When I lived in England I had to refer myself to social services in order to get any support, well to get the ball rolling at least. The actual “help” that was offered was brain aneurysm inducing it was so complicated. It’s complicated for a reason- to stop people actually accessing that assistance. Vulnerable often desperate people at the end of their rope. Fucking despicable.

I’m elsewhere in the UK now, my child goes to a special school that has a play scheme for 4 of the 6 weeks of the holidays. They can go for a maximum of 2 days per week (it’s the only way to make it fair for everyone otherwise they wouldn’t have enough spaces as it’s open to children from other special schools too). It is staffed by TAs who already work there so it’s ideal- you want people who know your children well. It’s a godsend to really take the edge off of summer. There used to be the option to send your child all summer long apparently but cuts put a stop to that- parents do pay but most of the costs are met by the local authority.

I'd suggest you push for an up to date care assessment and for more help with day to day care and respite care.

You might also like to look into whether your child can move into something like a 50 week school placement.

@Orchidflower1

The issue is that the dedicated staff at these schools need and deserve a break over the holidays. Whilst I disagree that schools should remain open, I agree that respite care should be much better funded.

That isn' really the issue. There are 52 week placements that, self-evidently, run all year round, but not enough of them.

But lola the whole point is that many of these children don’t respond well at all to the break in routine. It isn’t just about respite (although that’s important) but ongoing support.
Then there has to be a way of using school facilities or having appropriate staffing to come up with a solution that doesn't make the special education sector completely unattractive to work in. Moving to year round school as school is currently done can't be the answer. If people are wanting the consistency and no break in routine, then how do staff have their holidays, or is the expectation that staff in SEN schools lose the school holiday allocation and take a job on worse terms than all other school sectors? If staffing takes a hit then that's also bad for the children who attend.

I've considered moving into special education from mainstream, and am currently doing some additional courses to help me make the move, but I'd not consider it if moving from mainstream to SEN means a drop in terms and conditions and causes substantial issues for my own family. I doubt I'm alone in this.

I think there's bigger issues to consider than just opening schools year round

Years ago I worked at a special needs school. I loved it but was exhausted by the end of term. Staff need a break, possibly more than staff in non special needs schools.
You know how exhausting it is but want the staff to work 52 weeks a year? Is there any way you can create a routine for the holidays? Obviously that might not be practical.
I think there needs to be more support for families and children with SEN, so YANBU there but unfortunately they never seem to get extra help.

The provision for schools is rubbish (not the actual schools but availability of suitable schools and ability to access the right place)

The provision for support outside of schools is even worse.

I don’t think staff availability is the biggest issue, I think for those families who needed it whether for a week or the whole holidays schools would have plenty of staff who would happily work their part of a roster, over the holidays there would probably also be student teachers and similar who would be happy to work at such a place.

As always though it comes down to funding. Realistically it’s awful that buildings that have such a fantastic range of resources are kept locked up and inaccessible for a chunk of the year.

I think lola is being realistic in how these things normally turn out. The government dumps it on existing teachers with no extra funding. But i dont think thats what parents want. Noone wants a teacher flogging themselves to death! Its just with funding and planning it would be possible to keep the school facilities open, keep a routine of sorts and give staff a proper break. I mean what the children actually need should br the start point then work backwards on how you make that happen.
I really hope OP manages to access something through social services.

I really worry about the children in my class over the summer, particularly one or two who are still suffering the effects of the national lockdown. Respite care round here is hard to come by.

I don’t know how it’s been extrapolated from this thread that SEN teachers would be doing 52 weeks!

It seems clear to me that is not what is being suggested at all.

"You might also like to look into whether your child can move into something like a 50 week school placement."

Placements that run in school holidays are almost always residential placements. I have never seen a year round day placement.

The unfortunate fact is that despite some people thinking there is lots of support for disabled children, many families feel forced into residential placements because not enough support is provided for children with severe disabilities to live at home.

There are no playschemes where I live. We have direct payments but no one who wants to do it. We have heard countless times that children like mine are not expected to live at home and so there is no provision in the community for them. It is discriminatory and truely shit.

Yanbu - lots of these children thrive on routine and the summer break is very difficult. And lots of area respite just doesn't exist. I am not sure why people think that schools being open 52 weeks a year involves staff working 52 weeks a year. They would be entitled to annual leave to take across the year (like most employees).

Get in touch withe the head and also talk to the family support worker to see what is available. Some special schools do a couple of weeks over the summer but run by say mencap not the school themselves. Otherwise try mencap and see if there's anything local, any uni students volunteering type of thing

Social care in this country is appalling. If you look at stupid things like new national yachts that the government wanted to build you will see that priorities are seriously screwed. I can't see how anyone could argue that you are being unreasonable 💐.

It is very difficult. Acceptance helps I've found there is no choice once I realised that it became easier.
I'm dreading the summer holidays we've 8 weeks.
Does he smear in school? Can you get a visual chart set up a routine, ask the school for tips on sensory activities.

Ignore people who stare they 99% of the time aren't being judgemental unless they've been living under a rock, we live in a inclusive society.

Of course im not expecting the same SEN teachers to work 52 weeks,thats ridiculous and far too much.i was never making this suggestion.

"There are no playschemes where I live. We have direct payments but no one who wants to do it. We have heard countless times that children like mine are not expected to live at home and so there is no provision in the community for them. It is discriminatory and truely shit"

Yes sockwomble,its exactly how i feel.every time a mother comes on here fraught and broken from looking after such a child seeking advice many times people who have little experience suggest putting them in residential home,like its a puppy you cant cope with.

I don’t think staff availability is the biggest issue, I think for those families who needed it whether for a week or the whole holidays schools would have plenty of staff who would happily work their part of a roster, over the holidays there would probably also be student teachers and similar who would be happy to work at such a place
I think in reality staffing and funding are the biggest issues, and that's before the logistics of a year round school.
If the need is for consistency then inexperienced student teachers won't be the most appropriate staff, and they'll change each year, some each term.

MildredPuppy
Thank you for seeing my point. I'm not poopooing the need for better support and provision, just question whether it possible or reasonable to run a school 52 weeks of the year.
If the issue is consistency then how and when do staff take holidays? Do we expect SEN staff to have worse terms than their mainstream, independent and AP colleagues? Would people want to work on worse terms and have their own family arrangements negatively affected for the sake of work?
If the issue is routine then is the expectation that school continues as normal for 52 weeks a year? How does that work regarding staffing (see consistency)? If the expectation isn't school as normal then is it a case of break the routine but there's no need to worry because staff will handle the impact of routine change as the children are at school, not home?
If the expectation is school as normal, what's the plan for those students who spend their holidays with family? Do they miss out on the curriculum for having time with family? If there's no curriculum during the holidays then it isn't school as normal, so the arguments about consistency and routine don't work.

As a plan it's one of those situations where a simple idea is easily wrong, but the right answer is infinity more complex.

I am not sure why people think that schools being open 52 weeks a year involves staff working 52 weeks a year. They would be entitled to annual leave to take across the year (like most employees).
It's not about staff working 52 weeks a year.
It's that moving to 52 week schooling would either mean staff working their 195 days across different patterns so the whole year is more disrupted in order to run for 52 weeks, or the decision is made that one branch of education has staff on worse terms and conditions.

Questioning staffing logistics and funding is a fairly reasonable thing to do when any proposal is made.

I’m a Senco and I think it’s an absolute scandal that schools close for 13 weeks a year when their premises could be utilised for holiday care. It’s all to do with funding. Holiday club funding tends to come under the local Council, not education, and we all know how councils are cutting back all the time due to government cut back to them. Same with Social Care and respite care funding.
I suggest you contact the Learning Disabilities team and keep pestering them

I work with parents and families like you op and understand how tough things are particularly at the moment with covid still impacting so much. There is even less holiday provision than normal this year.
However to other posters who seem to suggest sen teaching is in some way care more than education that is misleading. It's very challenging teaching in sen - there is extra pay to reflect this- so I think unfair to expect sen teachers to change their working pattern- many of who will have their own children's school holidays etc
But op I know how tough it is and how difficult it is for families in the holidays

This report dates back to 2001, but it’s still relevant imo, as nothing has changed for the better:

www.jrf.org.uk/report/residential-schools-and-disabled-children-decision-making-and-experiences

Basically, it said parents seek 52 week residential specialist placements, because education, the NHS and social services fail to meet the needs of children with complex disabilities; and their families.

Lolasmiles - the school does not work 52 weeks of the year; they work 38/39 weeks of the year, like any other school. The care staff on the residential houses do all the activities in the school holidays - like taking the children to theme parks, zoos, museums, restaurants, the seaside, etc like “normal” children do. Parents can have their children home, as and when they feel able to cope for weekends and during the holidays. Some can’t cope; but go and see their children on the house. Social workers look to see that parents are maintaining contact with their children. (Few parents are going to get a 52 week placement, without already having had support from Social Services)

Some schools have onsite accommodation where parents can stay to see their children, or have their children to stay with them for a weekend or so (for a minimal charge like £15 - £20 a night to cover breakfast and cleaning).

The children get to live in a routine, and the care staff get training from the speech therapists, OTs, physios, clinical psychologists, etc on how to handle the children, so there is consistency between school and the house across 24 hours a day.