To want my autistic DC to start reception in mainstream?

[Ambern7]

DC gets on well at mainstream nursery but is developmentally behind peers. I am not happy with the special needs provisions in our area so have opted for mainstream with good support in place through EHCP, which we fought hard for.
However, professionals involved keep asking me if we are sure we don’t want to go with the special provisions, they have listed lots of things they think are great about the school, however I don’t think the facilities will benefit my DC personally.
These unwanted opinions have got me second guessing something I was so sure of previously. I just don’t see the problem of starting off in mainstream and seeing how it goes, AIBU?

Sorry that my child being unfortunate enough to have disabilities is a hindrance to others. FWIW she isn't disruptive, she has no adverse impact on the class. Her 1-1 benefits the class when she is in, because she sits at her table with her and the other children benefit from her help. When she is having therapies or needing a quiet space, she is out of the class. The TA wouldn't be there at all without her.

And I think its really bloody unfair my DD has disabilities but life isn't fair.

EHCP is fully funded through the LA. We knew the school would not have the funds to provide the support we needed.

Thanks for the clarification. It’s really good to know that is the case, especially for a small school, given the funding difficulties alluded to.

I would be grateful for more information on how a fully funded EHCP is secured before the placement commences. I understand how it could be secured if a parent/carer initiates JR proceedings on the grounds that the provision is not being provided, but not prior to there being evidence that the provision is not being provided.

I don’t know the full answer to that to be quite honest. Lawyer did all the wording. But we did have a lot of evidence of how 1-2-1 at nursery has benefited vs not having a 1-2-1. As DC has part time 121 at nursery.
Also, school were clear they couldn’t provide the requested support from their own SEN budget and we said this was the only suitable mainstream school option for DC.

When I first started teaching nearly 20 years ago, there were TAs in most classes. Most were full time. It’s now not unusual to have one TA across two or three classes. TAs who don’t necessarily work full time and are pulled to cover sickness, break and lunch duties. More and more, these TAs are being used as LSAs. So if there’s a greater need in one class, that class will have the TA most, if not all of the time. Therefore those posters saying their child’s class is benefitting from another adult in the class are correct. The reality is that other children in other classes may not have the same level of support.
It is a sorry state of affairs and indicative of the lack of funding and resources available to schools. I also know that my LEA has zero money and so SEND support is being cut further, with EHCPs becoming more and more difficult.

I know that me and my colleagues fight tooth and nail for the children in our care. We want what is best for them and will try our utmost to provide it, to make sure all children have their needs met. As a parent, I do the same for my children and applaud those on here who are being the best advocates they can for their children.

People are not wrong when they say schools are on their knees. The cost of living increases won’t help either, but that’s a whole other thread. However, should this fact stop people from trying to do the very best for their child?
OP - please ask frank and honest questions to the EP and other professionals. They will have a clearer understanding of your child’s needs. It will help you to form a more rounded picture of school life and available provisions.

It's really nice to have been able to have 15 pages of honesty on this subject, and of people who are willing to listen to other posters with different perspectives with only a few exceptions for a change.

Definitely. I thought I’d only get a couple of replies on this thread. It’s given me a lot of think about.

I was going to say the same.

Schools generally have to fund the first chunk of hours for a 1:1, and it's frequently find anyone suitable or who stays. General TAs often resist being treated as 1:1s if that's not what they were hired to do so end up leaving. Most of our best TAs have left over the last 2 years over these issues.

I totally understand why parents are reluctant to opt straight for SEN school and want to try giving mainstream a go. As a poster said way back on page one, it’s part of a hope that their child won’t always be apart from their peers and mainstream society, and I get that.

My son was one of three autistic kids in his Reception class (big primary school, lots of SEN kids) all with varying degrees of need. One of them definitely should have been at SEN school from the start (very high support needs, limited language, in nappies etc) and it became clear early on that the school couldn’t meet their needs. But no SEN schools had places so they had to stay in mainstream right until the end of year 1 before moving. And the school did what they could but this child could not access the curriculum or even stay in the classroom, so spent their days being babysat by their 1-1 in a room on their own. For two years. I remember coming in for a SEN parents coffee morning and seeing this child flopped in the corridor having a meltdown with two adults stood around them. It was genuinely quite upsetting to watch.

The other child is verbal but still quite high needs and struggles to access the classroom and the curriculum. By year two had their own corner of the room with beanbag and favourite books. This child will not be able to transition to the junior school site for year 3.

My child is essentially stuck with mainstream because they’re high masking and academically able. But looking ahead to secondary an EHCP will be needed, and the idea of a mainstream comp is horrifying. If there was a specialist option for academically able autistic kids I’d jump at the chance, but such a thing doesn’t really exist.

Jellycats4life I would start the EHCP process now. It’s possible to get one when DC are academically able and mask. There are a few special schools that cater for academically able DC e.g. Breckenbrough, Alderwasley Hall, Gretton, West Kirby.

I realise every child is different but what would such a child typically get in an EHCP? My DD is in a slightly different position in that the mask is slipping, but given she actively refuses extra help on the good days I suspect a 1-2-1 would be counter productive.

Thanks Thatsnotnycar I know you’re right but I just can’t face having to start the EHCP process by myself and with no school support. As much as everyone tells me that SEMH is a special education need, the reality is very different - they don’t have time to offer much support to a child who isn’t disruptive and hits or exceeds academic targets. I think once we hit year 3 I’ll have to start thinking about it seriously. But I really can’t face it!

An EHCP can include far more than 1:1. For example, SALT, OT, MH therapies, assistive technology.

X post. Sadly, schools often don’t support school applications. As DD has autism she has communication and interaction needs as well.

Have you checked what services are available in your area? Potentially there could be more than you are currently aware of if your DC hasn’t required assistance until now. Maybe someone to help with the EHCP but also someone to advise teachers on how to help your DC.
In my area the services are not easy to find and it takes to a lot of digging around to find out what’s available.

You may wish to consider starting now nonetheless because things can go from ok to not ok very quickly and it could then take a long time (year+) to have a fit for purpose Plan in place. Starting now might mean that there is less of a wait if things do get more difficult

This. I've seen it happen several times over that a child suddenly just goes from fine to absolutely not fine and the process is a lifetime if starting from scratch at that point

I realise every child is different but what would such a child typically get in an EHCP

DS has an EHCP and attends an expensive independent specialist placement. He does not require a full-time 1-1 and has no challenging behaviours. He has 5 grade 9 GCSES and has spent most of his education in mainstream up until now.

Admittedly it can be hard, but it is possible to not only get an EHCP but also secure specialist provision for more academically able children, if that is what is suitable and what is needed.

Specialist secondary schools for academically able children and teens with autism do exist, but they're often fee paying schools. It's theoretically possible to compel a LA to pay the fees, but I don't know what the chances are.

Hi, do you know of any such schools in or around the London area? Thanks

Jellycats4life there are some options, but as a PP says, most are fee paying e.g. Bruern Abbey near Bicester, More House in Frensham, Surrey (boys) and Limpsfield Grange, Surrey (girls) which is actually maintained.

However, it is very possible to get the fees paid by your LA and many, many families do, although it may be a battle to get the LA to do so. In some cases it can be significantly cheaper to send a child to one of these schools than to fund the support in mainstream... and I am sure the LA's take this into consideration.

There’s the Holmewood school in Barnet. NAS’s Thames Valley and Vanguard school. Wemms Education Centre is in Surrey but depending on where you are may be possible. As Unsted Park in Surrey or NAS’s Helen Allison in Kent. I’m sure there’s more too.

It is also possible to get a mainstream independent funded.