Full specialist or ASD unit attached to mainstream?

[Ricecakesaremyjam]

5yr old DS, diagnosed ASD and ADHD. Has an EHCP and 1:1 in mainstream primary reception class, been a complete shitshow and he has been made to attend for just 2hrs a day the entire time. At annual review school will agree they can’t meet need and request a change of placement.
He is clever, kind, loves to make people laugh - but also shows huge impulsivity, total
lack of danger awareness and has outbursts at school when things aren’t as he expects them to be or during any moments of transition.
This is where I’m stuck - full specialist or ASD unit attached to mainstream?
There’s pro’s and cons of both.
If he doesn’t cope in a tiny village primary I can’t see it being easier for him in a larger mainstream school with a unit attached. BUT I keep getting warned that he could pick up behavioural issues if he attends a specialist school.
I just don’t know what to do - no specialist provisions allow you to visit without having already named them on the EHCP so I feel like I’m being asked to make a huge decision totally blind.
any advice would be so appreciated. Thankyou x

Although ASD resources with mainstream can appear like the ideal solution, how they are used can really vary, so I'd be asking a lot of questions. One I viewed basically only used the provision for registration and lunchbreaks.

My eldest attended one for secondary, it started off well but he became unable to attend any mainstream lessons at all, which the base really wasn't suitable for

My DC3 attended a special school from Yr3 which was suitable for hid academic ability, but it was a huge distance away. I hesitated to even look, but it was the right placement for him. Alas the special secondary he moved to has not worked out

I think you just have to look at as as many options as possible, and get the EHCP spot on, particularly Sections B and F

I would suggest you reach out locally and try to connect with SEN parents in your area. FB groups are a good place to start. There is some advice on this thread that would not fly in my area at all and would just result in the child staying where they are. Equally I'm sure my experience would not be relevant to those posters.

The school and SENCo sound awful. There is quite enough of LA ticking the clock down without SENCos doing it too.

Schools have a limited budget for EP time. You will probably need to go over their heads to LA to secure EP assessment in excess of what school is prepared to fund. Remember you can request an emergency AR yourself.

Also most units only take from year 3, so age 7, whereas my son is only 5 and in reception. He can’t go on like this for another 2 years.

If the AR is overdue, you need to contact the LA. IPSEA has a model letter you can use.

If you need to appeal following the AR and you aren’t eligible for legal aid, which can fund independent assessments where necessary, contact Parents in Need. You could, in theory, formally request a reassessment of needs, but personally I wouldn’t do that because you may well still need to appeal only you would have lost time, and it doesn’t guarantee a good report either.

I’m not sure 1:1 would continue

That depends entirely on what is detailed, specified and quantified in F regardless of what the school and LA normally do or want to do. If 1:1 is reasonably required, it should be in F, then it must be provided. The LA is ultimately responsible and the provision can be enforced. Despite what many LAs think, the law is the same in all LAs in England.

It isn’t as simple as saying OP won’t get a choice. She has a right to request a particular (non-wholly independent schools - although she can ask for that) placement, which must be named unless the LA can prove one of the exceptions set out in law. And if the LA refuses to name her preferred placement, she can appeal.

@Ricecakesaremyjam So it’s a very small school then. The Head won’t arrange alternative provision. Speaking the LA. If he’s old enough for full time education, he must have it.

In his EHCP it says he needs close adult supervision at all times due to lack of danger awareness and impulsivity, a tendency to elope/climb etc. The top level of funding the school receive for him reflects this (1:1 at all times, well the 2hrs he’s allowed in, the rest of the time his “1:1” is used to support the rest of the class or float around the school as needed I suspect).
The school I have been planning on naming is a specialist (wholly?not section 41) independent for children who have (what I believe) is a similar presentation to him - ASD with communication and interaction needs, as opposed to SEMH needs or learning difficulties). The SENCO tells me it will be hard to get him a place there. Probably the only true thing shes told me 😂

@Splain This dc has 1:1 with ECHP. Thats as funded as it gets. It’s funded in addition to the school budget. They only have him for 10 hours a week. They are funded for more than that as I assume DH should legally be full time. If he can legally be part time, the school has a case but it’s unusual. They are effectively excluding him. The LA is the only way out of this as they wrote the plan and they must review it.

@TizerorFizz Yes it’s a small, single form entry village primary.
the head omitted to mention the existence of alternative provision for months and once I found out about it, she has been “investigating” it for months…..but nothing has actually come of it.
I’m appalled, and so tired. It feels like
all the fighting for an EHCP was for nothing.

Full specialist has been life changing for DS (13) and our family. His behaviour is almost never an issue now - nothing that isn't age appropriate/normal. This would 100% not be the case in mainstream. Units are nothing but a cost saving measure to tick boxes IMO.

I wish we'd been able to get into specialist before he did (started for secondary).

You need to look at the exact wording. If the exact wording is ‘needs close adult supervision at all times’ that is too vague and woolly. It does not mean DS must have 1:1 by a TA at all times during the school day.

The school is unlawfully excluding DS and you could/can challenge that.

Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 only applies to compulsory school aged pupils, so for part of the time the LA didn’t have a duty under s19 to provide alternative provision. But they would still have a duty to provide anything detailed, specified and quantified in F of the EHCP. And it doesn’t excuse the school unlawfully excluding DS.

It's impossible to answer for you. You should view the local options for both and pick what suits your child best. Specialist schools often do not cater for children without learning difficulties, so this may make the decision for you.

I would ask your question in a local SEN group online. The parents will be well placed to advise on how their children are doing at local schools which might give you a steer on what options there are that might work for your son. I dont know enough about specialist schools to offer an opinion either way, but some mainstream schools do have excellent SEN provision. Its really dependent on what is available in your area and what would best suit your son's specific needs. I hope you can find something that works well for you and him.

@perpetualplatespinning Yes. That would be my understanding of this situation. The local school will be named @Ricecakesaremyjam and what the school must provide. What alternative provision were you expecting? Within the school or elsewhere? Normally where a school is named, the provision is based there. Anything else should be detailed on the EHCP.

As for units - some are wonderful but they are not meant to be for dc who should be in a special school. The teachers in them are often advisers to the mainstream teachers and ensure learning and behaviour strategies are followed through. There are special schools for dc with behaviour issues. Just not many of them!

@TizerorFizz OP’s DS is entitled to attend school full time unless the school formally suspends or permanently excludes. This applies to those below compulsory school age and those who are compulsory school age.

Under section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014, the LA is the one who is ultimately responsible for ensuring the SEP detailed, specified and quantified in F is provided.

Under section 19 of the Education Act 1996, the LA is responsible for ensuring compulsory school aged pupils unable to attend school full-time still receive a suitable full-time education. This is separate to the matter of the EHCP. Alternative provision isn’t provided within the mainstream school - otherwise it wouldn’t be AP.

Of course they are effectively excluding him. I was talking about the mechanics of getting sufficient Ed Psych input without going private, which personally we found very challenging notwithstanding having a child with an EHCP out of school.

We had the same option and went for specialist. In my experience rarely do the resourced units have the specialist staff and expertise that a proper specialist school does.