To think you only get a specialist school if you have a lot of money to throw

[Satanzlilhelpa]

on education solicitors?

Have you got a special school? If so, how?

My Dc will finally be going to a SS. No money exchanged. We had years wasted in a terrible mainstream primary. Failed very badly so I did my research early for secondary school (started in year 5) and we applied for an independent SS. Couldn’t believe it when they wanted and accepted DC and LA agreed. Later informed many mainstream secondary schools couldn’t meet DC needs so this is most likely why. I do however know of one set of parents in DC class that have money and paid solicitors to get their DC into a different independent SS after LA refused so I guess It can work.

What are your qualifications such that they override the opinion of consultant clinicians at a national treatment centre (ie the tier above CAMHS) who did multi disciplinary assessment of my son and said that that was exactly what was going on?

Or are you just a shit stirrer.

I used an education solicitor to support me through multiple tribunals for a place at a specialist residential school. I was a single mum on a low income, using up all my savings and putting the rest on credit cards (5 figure amount). I didn't have lots of money to throw at it. But I was desperate/determined and it was the only way DS would get an education. We had to pay for multiple specialist reports, had to get assessments redone because they become out of date when we had to do another appeal, and pay for a barrister on top of legal costs. He got 9 years of education there, with individual therapies and taxi and escort, so it was worth it for me.

I'd say at least 70% of parents at that school used a solicitor or advocate (who doesn't have legal qualifications but does costs money). A few parents didn't but their dc had more severe/multiple needs, had social services involved, or had gone through more failed placements which meant the residential school was the only option left. It depends a lot on the school, this was a.very expensive one (over £100k per year) so LAs fight hard against placements there.

I think one of the problems here is also that there are so few places in these schools due to funding cuts etc that if your child isn’t obviously the most in need they simply don’t have the places and there’s not a lot that can be done about it. My child is about to start a school where they admit the 7-9 most medically/developmentally complex kids in the borough. If you’re ranked at no.10 then there simply isn’t a place. As a PP said, I don’t consider us lucky that my child qualified easily, but I also really feel for the no.10 most complex child who may be medically safer but in a worse learning position.

If the LA is in breach of the timescales following the AR, have you sent IPSEA’s model letter to the LA?