To think the SEND system is failing children

[SEND2022]

DD in year 3, complex needs, EHCP since reception and 2 full time 1-1s.

First 18 months were horrific, she was never in class, she only did 2 hours a day in school for months. We couldn't find a single specialist that could meet her needs.

Her mainstream have been utterly incredible, the solution when she was in year 1 was if we can't take her to specialist we would bring specialist to her. She has her TAs, her own room, weekly OT and SALT therapists in. She did settle in year 2 and has had a good year, actually in the classroom 75% of the time which is huge. Received a reward for her love of learning because she 100% does LOVE to learn.

Now in year 3 and it is getting too much for her again. I have searched everywhere for a specialist, 90 minutes diameter. I could write an encyclopedia on all the options to the point I advise other local parents of settings available. Not a single one is suitable for DD. Time isn't on our side and it is frankly terrifying.

She isn't a behavioural child, the LA are insistent the only school that can take her is a behavioural school where she will be exposed to violent behaviour, obscene language and potentially over sexualised behaviours. No other girls in her class or the one above or below. She is highly anxious.

Autism schools are unavailable as she is academically capable. Same for learning difficulties schools.

There are no semh schools that focus on the non-behavioural part of SEMH. No primary ASD schools that suit academically capable children.

So my choice is to stick with where she is, where I know she is a huge resource drain. Where, when she is having a good spell it absolutely is brilliant for her but when it's difficult she is in a room on her own to learn, which is devastating for a child who desperately wants to learn with her class. Hitting year 3 and we seem to have hit teasing issues which we've never encountered before. The benefit of her school is they know her, I trust them implicitly and I know they will do their absolute best and I don't need to worry about having to build the same level of understanding in a new school.

AIBU to think the options are grim?

YANBU at all and my heart goes out to you.

SEND Provision in this country is absolutely appalling.
It is heartbreaking to see year after year things getting worse, provision getting less, as the number of children with complex and significant needs increasing massively.
Sadly, because it doesn't affect a high % of the population, most have no idea just how difficult it is.

There is massive gap in provision for children with similar needs to your DD, we desperately need an overhaul of what’s on offer. I really hope you can get your DD what she needs.

@Kite22 How can you say provision is getting less when this child has two full TAs working with them?

I completely agree. There need to be schools specifically for academic children with additional needs. Otherwise there are NO schools which can meet their needs, which is breaking the law.

Because there should be provision for an academically able child with additional needs to have those needs met without being in an environment that causes such distress that she needs two TAs to be able to do it.

Thousands of bright autistic kids in the same situation.

Parents asked to choose between keeping them in an environment that causes them distress or sacrificing their right to reach their a academic potential.

It's not ok and there need to be new schools set up specifically for these kids which accommodate autism and being academic.

It is grim. I don't understand why there is such a gap for academic asd kids. Post 16 is even worse if you could even believe it could be any worse.

Yes and it’s never been any different. My son is now an adult. Complex, severe learning disabilities and severe autism. Even when he was little support was dire and back then there were hardly any children with statements (just two in the whole school) and unless they had a statement then no extra support was given. Once he finished infant school it was clear specialist provision would be needed, there was only one choice so children of all abilities were in together. Then one choice of specialist senior school. Then a tribunal for a decent college (which was a living hell). The only decent education he had with the appropriate amount of support and therapy was the last three years of his education. Sadly it gets no better when education finishes. There’s no support for young adults either.

Keep her in MS. We jumped to SS in y7 and it was a disaster. Dc was hit and intimidated and we were told there was nothing they could do it was just the cohort he was in. It left us very damaged.

My eldest is at an enhanced resource ASD primary school and I feel this is a great option for more able autistic children but not sure if they exist everywhere?

@guineapugs because - although I am delighted that the OP has this provision currently and has a school that has been able to facilitate this (her own room has to be pretty rare, if not unique, and, in my LA I have never come across any child with 2 FT TAs) - that is clearly exceptional, and not the scenarios my colleagues and I are working with day in and day out, year on year.

This is why DS1 ended up with EOTAS because there isn’t a suitable school for him.

Yes, she only has 2 TAs as it's the only way to keep her safe, fortunately she's a risk to herself but not others. It is an incredibly rare level of provision. It isnt great for any child to have two adults attached full time.

@Thatsnotmycar I've looked EOTAS but she wants to be in school, otherwise it would have been a great solution for us

It's always been like this. DS is 17 and in a specialist ASD school but it's an independent school and 45 miles away. He is academically able in that he's managed to get 2 entry level certificates and a grade 3 gcse. This is the nearest school that can meet his needs. He's due to leave school in 2024 and will need to do college or an apprenticeship but the options post 19 are abysmal.

No government is interested in changing the system due to money. In fact they are pushing more and more children with sen into mainstream when they need specialist schools. They are failing these children.

Yes, EOTAS is not for everyone. We didn’t have a choice as DS1 couldn’t cope in MS at all and no SS could remotely meet his needs.

Although, what about school is it DD wants? Could it be replicated by a carefully designed EOTAS package? For example, many assume EOTAS means limited/no social interaction and it doesn’t have to be.

We need schools that cater to all for our children.

There are thousands of children in this situation.

My 2 have had EOTAS for precisely this reason.

Not every family can accommodate this. It is shocking really. Bright autistic kids should not be being failed in this way.

I feel your pain, DD's mainstream school can't cope with her behaviour, all special schools nearby only take ASD children with learning disabilities. Even the bases in mainstream only take with moderate needs ( she's still awaiting assessment but as she can talk would probably be assessed as mild). School are trying to get her a 1-2-1 but she's just been suspended again for hitting the class TA during a meltdown. I'm so scared she's going to end up in the PRU with much older children as they barely even mention their KS1 provision.

I think it depends on LEA,s tbh in my LEA we have two SEN primary schools one for moderate to severe learning disabillties and autism and one for severe to profound learning disabilties and autism
Same for high school ,we also have two primary schools with autism hubs for children with autism and no additiinal learning disabillities ,and two high schools for the same ,there are still children that fall through the gaps ,but i think ,my LEA doea better than most

Fundamentally you are not wrong. There should be more consistent provision, esp at primary level, for academically able children w asd.

As your situation stands, your dd is a young child with limited life experience. If you feel an EOTAS package ìs the best way forward for her then it's your decision, not hers and I don't think you should disregard it just because she (understandably) wants to stay with what she knows.l

I personally think that the vast majority of children with SEN who are placed in Mainstream shouldn't be in mainstream. The Gov need to add a significant amount of funding and places for special needs schools.

Teachers are so stretched and funding is a real issue because of this, and as you said, children who want to learn, cant learn effectively.

You have my complete sympathy, the system is shit and it is failing SEN children, and in turn taking resources away from other children.

Please do look again at Eotas using something like Interhigh for schooling. I know quite a few children it has been successful for. If you can afford to do it privately without the battle for Eotas it will be less stressful.

Personally I wouldn’t fund provision privately because while EOTAS is often a battle to get a good EOTAS package consists of more than just tuition and costs far more than the vast majority of people can self fund. DS1’s package costs more than £100k pa and includes tuition, therapies, other provision, resources, equipment, a fund for activities… By EHE you relieve the LA of their duty.

A good EHCP can be fully funded and doesn’t take resources away from other DC.

It’s everywhere for those who don’t fit the boxes. DS2 everything failed in a relatively short time, his school (profound learning disabilities) could no longer meet his needs, no other local school and no residential spaces. He is currently being educated in a portacabin with 2:1. The relatively few schools that could meet his needs are are not maintained and have 18/24 month waiting lists. He will be post 16 by then. His annual review has not been completed for last year and even if as a family we decided to take it further there are no placements within a 4 hour drive.

Are the schools wholly independent or section 41 independents or non-maintained special schools? Because not all non maintained schools are wholly independent and it is only wholly independent schools which have different the rules and require an offer of a place.

For section 41 independents and non-maintained special schools being full isn’t enough of a reason on its own to refuse to name it on the EHCP. The LA have to prove to school is so full it is incompatible which is a higher bar than the LA like to believe, and the LA can name it even if the school object.

It’s all, schools are refusing to meet needs, myself, charities and social services have spent the last eight months searching. It’s costing more to educate him in the current set up than the cost of residential.