For some info on this use of funding for EHCP

[Allthingscats]

Hi, my son is starting high school this year. He’s finally been accepted for a EHCP. I’m still getting clued up about EHCP. His new high school have rang & said that for his funding would I be happy to take him from a class of 30 odd children to a class of 8 for English, maths & humanity lessons.

I said yes but then when I got off the phone & had a moment to go over it all in my head, I don’t know if my sons whole EHCP funding is going to fund this whole class if that makes sense & not directly on my son. She said they don’t hire support teachers so they’ve came up with the idea to put my son in a smaller class.

Which I do think he would 100% benefit from but it was explained in a way that his own funding would be spread over the 8 classmates too. Is that allowed? If so, is this common practice for one child’s specific funding to be spent on other children?

Sorry I am still learning all about how EHCPs work. Thanks

What does your EHCP say he needs? Will he be getting that? Is the small group good for him. Would you want him to be 1:1? Just go back and ask the question about funding. What level is the EHCP and how much is it?

I don't know about EHCP funding, but for PP funding others can 'piggyback' on if needed.
So say you need social skills. They might be best delivered in a class of 8. You have 4 PP children who need it, you can bring in 4 others also.

At least that's my understanding.

So if it is the same for EHCP, your child may need small groups (good for discussion), so they could bring in some other children to fill up the group who may also benefit, but don't have the funding.

What does the EHCP say that he needs to support his learning, or for pastoral support? What’s written in section F and are you happy with everything in it?

Having reread the OP, am I right in thinking the EHCP hasn’t been finalised yet?

For children who have additional needs, a small group for some subjects should give the opportunity for more teacher time. It really depends on what is written in the draft and final document though.

The school is supposed deliver section F of the plan. So this should have things like '1 hour of OT delivered by a qualified OT per week' '20 mins debrief with TA at end of school day' "laptop' 'braille machine" etc.

So does your ehcp say 'x hours 1 to 1' support' or 'taught in a small group of 8'
or something else?

I think tecnically they can spend the funding however they like as longs as it fulfils section F but because section F is supposed to be specified and quantified there wont be as much wriggle room.

Is he the only one with an EHCP, or are they actually pooling the money from a few EHCPs to provide something they think will work better for all of them? How many hours is he entitled to?

It may well be that your child doesn't actually need someone working with them one-to-one for the whole of a lesson - that can actually stop them achieving any independence, too. Pooling the funds to provide a shared LSA in more lessons works very well. This school is taking it one step further, but that class size sounds great, provided their needs are reasonably similar.

In a class of 8 the money will be going towards keeping it small. Several children's money will be used for this. It sounds like what some schools call a 'nurture group', where a small group of children are separated from the rest of the year group to receive extra support, and perhaps integrated in more slowly to the mainstream classes.

It's fairly standard- and is generally a good idea. I don't know your child's needs, but in our school our current year 7s are in almost a 'nurture village' (thanks, pandemic!). There are around 30 of them, and around 5 TAs. They are separated into three different groups and have just been having the school experience in a much slower way. Things like going for lunch together ten minutes early so they can avoid the queues.

Yes, there may be children who are sort of being funded because they don't have an EhCP. They will probably get one, if they are being nurtured too- but they will also end up being your child's friends. They often end up being more like siblings- in some cases.

Our Year 8s are very different. There are only around 8, and they attend mainstream classes for a lot of subjects.