To just let you know (re, SEN funding)

[theqentity]

That TA in the class that does 1-1 with the child that had additional needs is not funded by the school, but the LA, and a parent had to probably go to tribunal in order to get that level of support for their child.

What they are NOT doing is taking away from the school funding and the education of others. They are not there to support other children, although many do despite it not being in their job description.

Sorry, just the pass gag What's App group has really depressed me today.

@VikingsandDragons - but her school budget is for the benefit of the pupils in the school and has an element that is supposed to be spent on send.

I dont doubt there isnt enough money but its not a surprise to have to spend the school budget on the pupils either.

@chimpandzee thank you I didn't know that I will save that info for other parents in the support groups I am a member of.

[quote hiredandsqueak]@chimpandzee thank you I didn't know that I will save that info for other parents in the support groups I am a member of.[/quote]
You're welcome. There's a model letter on IPSEA that you can use. Also this is helpful.
commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7657/

Sorry, OP, but you’re not completely right.
As a SENCo, in my last year our total budget spent on SEN was over £120k. The funding from the LA ring fenced for SEN was £75K. This included, amongst other things, covering EHCP hours. The first 12 hours of every EHCP was funded from the general school budget. The remaining hours were funded at an hourly rate equivalent to a TA2 post. We paid all our TAs working with EHCPs at TA3 rate.
Some children with an EHCP do need a high degree of 1:1, but many also need support in pairs or group tasks, or even discrete monitoring in order to give them opportunities to practice developing their independence skills. This is often part of their long term objectives on their EHCPs. So yes, a TA may well work with a child on a 1:1 basis, but will also be working with a group or a pair of children. This does not mean they are ‘taking money’ away from a child who has an EHCP.

The benefit of a SAR over requesting a pupil's school record under The Education (Pupil Information) (England) Regulations 2005 is the former should (although often doesn’t) disclose all data held, not limited to that in a pupil’s record as is the case with the latter.

So yes, a TA may well work with a child on a 1:1 basis, but will also be working with a group or a pair of children. This does not mean they are ‘taking money’ away from a child who has an EHCP.

I can't see where this is being posed as a problem by the OP.

@Iveputmyselfonthenaughtystep I completely get this. I have dyspraxia and dh has aspergers syndrome so unsurprisingly all our dc's are ND. I enjoy parenting my dc a lot and get a real buzz from helping them with stuff but the admin is awful and every time I get my head around the system it changes again and I'm back to square 1. Most of the time I don't know which of the professionals are trying to act in dc's best interests and which are just trying to fob me off. I get a lot of "but he's doing marvellously, he doesn't need an ehcp/ dla/special school/diagnosis" followed by a tinkly laugh, and then when I point out that my 8 year old is behind my 5 year old niece in reading/writing I get told I shouldn't compare my child with others.

I tend to avoid most school parents so I don't know if any are complaining about my dc's. I do get moaning from various family members because we can take a free carer with 2 of our dc's at some attractions. We use it once or twice a year and take pil with us at no extra cost as an extra 2 pairs of hands. Also we go to a special needs group in the school holidays too which some people moan about because it's partly funded by children in need. My dc can't access a lot of mainstream activities like cubs, trampoline parks, swimming (unless we hire a pool privately) etc that the complaining people's dc can do but I don't think they get that.

I have done 7 appeals. At my third appeal the school was so insistent that their funding came no where near the 10k budget, ds got a zero funded ehcp. So there was a ehcp and zero extra money from the LA. I'm sure the LA told them to fudge the figures as I would loose ( in fact the prick of a LA tribunal officer ccd me in a email to school saying I would loose my case).

Surely if you are also appealed hardened you must know that Laws are NOT routinely followed in SEN?

Also acting unlawfully has zero consequences for the LA? I'm about to start my second judicial review for my LA not following a tribunal order.

I can believe some schools do help before the extra funding starts in the same way that some schools will buckle under treat of LA tribunal officers to downplay needs not knowing that they will loose out on funding because about 85% of parents win SEN tribunal?

If you need to go to a SEN tribunal you are in the deepest kind of shit. Some schools might not know the law. But a hell a lot if LAs dont give a shitcabout the law. Hence judicial reviews.

@Soontobe60

Sorry, OP, but you’re not completely right. As a SENCo, in my last year our total budget spent on SEN was over £120k. The funding from the LA ring fenced for SEN was £75K. This included, amongst other things, covering EHCP hours. The first 12 hours of every EHCP was funded from the general school budget. The remaining hours were funded at an hourly rate equivalent to a TA2 post. We paid all our TAs working with EHCPs at TA3 rate. Some children with an EHCP do need a high degree of 1:1, but many also need support in pairs or group tasks, or even discrete monitoring in order to give them opportunities to practice developing their independence skills. This is often part of their long term objectives on their EHCPs. So yes, a TA may well work with a child on a 1:1 basis, but will also be working with a group or a pair of children. This does not mean they are ‘taking money’ away from a child who has an EHCP.

You've missed the OP's point. The OP was saying the parents are cross that the child is taking the TA from the rest of the class. That TA wouldn't be there if it were not for the child. Therefore, when other children are supported by the TA it is because of the child and they would not otherwise be there to benefit from them. Not what you are implying.

@IncessantNameChanger last years figures from SENDIST were that LA lost 95% of Tribunals nationally. Our particular gem of an LA lost 99% I think they have won four in the last three years despite their own legal team and using barristers regularly against unrepresented parents.

@DeepaBeesKit

Yes so the point is it is the fault of the LAs not funding it properly, but where they don't, why should other people's kids be shortchanged instead of yours? It does happen and yes, parents will grumble where that happens.

Sorry OP that your post is bringing out more like those in the WhatsApp group.

Exactly what @Mumofsend said @Soontobe. I remember a parent complaining that my dd was always part of the small group of children who went out with the TA to do fun activities where the rest of the class took it in turns to have a go. She didn't grasp that it was dd's TA and without dd her child wouldn't have had even a turn to go to the Rainbow room.

@hiredandsqueak

Exactly what *@Mumofsend said @Soontobe*. I remember a parent complaining that my dd was always part of the small group of children who went out with the TA to do fun activities where the rest of the class took it in turns to have a go. She didn't grasp that it was dd's TA and without dd her child wouldn't have had even a turn to go to the Rainbow room.

Problem is, that sometimes when parents do grasp that their child is doing something as part of a group where they are not that target child, they then complain that their child is taken away from their lesson for the benefit of another child. You can’t win!

@LethargicActress yep!

Some parents will never be happy, it's impossible.

Isn't it just @DickMabutt73962

My son's PP+ goes into a pot. I've seen no benefit to him (supposed to be to for ongoing support post adoption)

@LethargicActress Thankfully dd is at independent specialist and from what I have experienced the parents there are so bloody grateful to be away from mainstream with support that there is sheer relief and acknowledgement that you too have fought some battles to get there. Nobody is tallying up whether your child is getting more or whether their child should get the equivalent.

This needs wider understanding. DS has full time 1:1 and lots of specialist equipment. We went to tribunal for this and paid for specialists to assess DS for. He has a fully costed EHCP with no funding from school budget. Even her training is costed into ehcp.

We are often expected to share these with other children and huffed at when TA has been with DS all day again. Truth is TA is on a named contract, she is fully funded by DS' EHCP and has a ton of work to do. She wouldn't be there if DS didn't need the support he has proven 1000 times over that he needs. She has no time for others in the class he is timetabled into 15 minute blocks of specified support.

Our main moaner and queen of the playground happens to be the parent of DS' bully, who name calls, mimics and is generally vile to DS but DS is still expected to share his EHCP funded resources with the bully. This year was extra special when she went out her way to exclude DS in the Christmas gift for his TA.

@fizzypop100 I don't know too much about Pupil Premium but schools should publish yearly how the PP funding has been spent. You could then ask the school to explain where your child has benefited from that funding and they should be able to show you. If he hasn't or they are unable to show you then you could make a complaint to the school.

I know this from both needing one for my. Hold and working for one myself. I was absolutely stunned to be approached fairly regularly by other parents, in the context of a mother and a TA with "why is that one particular child getting special attention- it should be divided more fairly and my child should be getting some support from that TA/you."

I did explain to them that they/I happened to be employed to support my child/named child solely and it wasn't coming out of the allocated budget to support other children, it was a specialist package of which 1-1 or 2-1 TA support was a part. Raised eyebrows and a "I don't see why it's so difficult to help the other kids the same as that particular one" was a common response.

They get SEN funding that is seperate from their regular funding. This is made up of a set amount per SEN child and to be spent on SEN only.

That is not true!

Are you suggesting that if a school has 2 children on the SEN register, they will be given £12,000 in a pot to spend on them, but if another 4 children join the SEN register, they will be given another £24,000?

Thank you for the SAR information I hadn’t picked this up from the other stuff I’d read.

@Soontobe60 you are correct, the OP isn't accurate.

The first 13 hours a week are paid for by the school, not the local authority. It isn't a 'completely separate pot', it comes out of the main school budget. I also work in this area.

@PetsL if a parent has been to SENDIST and gets a specified and quantified EHCP the tribunal costs the provision and the LA funds the cost of provision. So dd's EHCP came with £46k of provision and £46k of funding. School didn't need to pay for a penny of it. That's not to say that the school weren't completely ignorant about funding and the legal responsibility of the LA to make the specified and quantified provision in the EHCP as they would have and agreed they could make the provision with band one funding.

Unfortunately 6k doesn't cover a full time TA's salary.