Really upset with my sons' primary school.

[Snowwhite83]

I found out today that DS (5) primary school are no longer letting his speech and language therapy into school for sessions because of space issues. I have been told previously my son who has low muscle tone affecting his speech is not bad enough for an ECHP but there is no NHS provision for SALT so we have been paying this ourselves. For information it is quite a large school and his therapist has offered to be extremely flexible about the times she sees him (was visiting in the afternoon when the school is less busy). Myself and my husband work fulltime so this means he won't be able to access therapy. I do not know of any therapists that work evenings or weekend and it was hard enough finding ond as most have long weight lists. Is this fair? They didn't even contact me and just told the therapist which I thought was poor. Is there anything I can do?
Any advice would be very much appreciated.

That's awful. I'd be fighting tooth and nail against this if I was a parent in that LA.

Schools certainly DO deny without a valid reason! And what about generalising skills to the education environment?? Speech therapist here so I know what I'm talking about!

Would online therapy work for your child? There are several companies that does this now. The ones I know of are Mable, Noala and Owl Therapy. Owl therapy also has therapists all over the country who do face to face. When it is online they can more flexible in terms of timings. I see lots of people have already given you lots of good advice. Ideally your child does need therapy at home and school to help with generalising skills. I'm a speech therapist, if you what to send me a message feel free!

Letsgo - my old LA had no SaLT provision left at all. Every child was discharged at the start of the pandemic, and the SaLTs let go. One came back after the pandemic but only did online therapy because schools were judged as too Covid-unsafe to visit in person. They have since left and the LA has no SaLT provision at all despite trying to recruit. Schools were simply told to deliver the therapy themselves - another case of schools being asked to fill the gaps left by other services.

Ridiculous, surely the staff room can be used for an hourly SALT session. My ds has fortnightly private SALT at school and they ensure space is made to accommodate this.

The staff room us used as a room for physio. And as a safe space for overwhelmed children with ASD. And as the meeting / work room for all staff with PPA, and the part-time SENCo. It’s not ‘free’.

I'd suggest you contact your local health clinic, health centre or GP surgery. He will be able to have sessions there during the school day.

As with other medical appointments, you or his Dad will need to take time off work and take him to the appointment.

This ^^ Isn't that what we all do?

Why is there no NHS provision for his speech and language? Is it you that thinks he needs it, or has a professional told you he does?

(Oh, and as the room for staff overwhelmed by the demands on them to breathe, and cry. But only in the brief tomes when it’s not otherwise in use.)

I might just add, I don't work full time now because my child has SEN. I simply have to be available to take him to all of his appointments. Working full time with a child with needs is simply not going to work in my experience, especially as they get older.

Staffrooms are used throughout the day for teacher's PPA time.

In some schools this isn't ridiculous at all. Space is at a premium and if there are any small rooms at all (and many small primary schools don't have any) they'll be timetabled for interventions.

This was my thought.

i can see why school aren’t happy to be expected to find a space weekly to save the SaLT or parents having too.

Any chance you or DH could go in to work late one morning a week (or alternate so 1 morning a fortnight) and the SALT do a morning appointment at your home?

PLEASE LISTEN TO ME

This nonsense about “not meeting the threshold for an EHCP” is bollocks. And here is why…

The threshold for an assessment (which is the first stage) is that the child “has or may have a special educational need which may require provision in the form of an education health and care plan.” AND THATS IT. It is enshrined in the children and families act of 2014 at 36(8).

FFS please read the link I sent you from IPSEA and apply yourself for an assessment and stop repeating stuff that is wrong. Seriously.

<and breathe>

Honest to god I’m so fecking triggered with this tonight, not just you OP but some other posters elsewhere in very similar situations saying things like “I was told that they don’t do 1:1 in seniors/don’t assess for sensory in this county/don’t recognise dyslexia/have to have two diagnoses for an EHCP” on it goes and it is all all all fucking not true.

Only take advice from a legally trained advisor, not the Senco, or even the sen department at the council. Someone who knows The Law.

I travel to homes and schools because this is what the families want. A private company I worked for had a clinic room, incurring huge costs, and it was hardly ever used because parents wanted us to come out to their child. So basically we aren't doing it because it's all about us and saving costs. You might think we charge a lot but you don't take into consideration travelling time, money to cover cancellations, breaks in therapy, all the governing bodies we have to be a part of, private pensions, the resources we have to buy, training we have to go on. Don't make negative comments about a profession making out we are just money grabbers when you clearly don't know much about how we work.

In my LA Salt was always provided by NHS. Or not provided!!! It’s been dire for decades. LA never employed speech therapists. It was better when we had salt provision for “statemented” Dc in primary units but then parents didn’t want Dc away from their local school. So it’s always been difficult. Most schools struggle with making space available unless they have a medical room. Some do due to medical needs of Dc in school.

Have you thought at all about how the school might need to be involved in supporting this child develop their speech and language skills? It's not about SAVING us from having to find a room. The speech therapist will be training staff up whilst they are there on how to develop the child's speech inbetween sessions, leaving them with resources, demonstrating techniques, helping to problem solving any issues the child is having in school.

I have rarely seen a school with a room for the deputy head. They are usually teaching.

My dd had various therapists over the years and I had to take her to every appointment. I have never known a school allow a therapist in, we did ask, was a no. My dd has multiple diagnosis and all paperwork (names changed over the years)

Surely the parents also need to be involved?

there is also a big difference between a once a half term session to catch up and share information and the expectation to provide a room every week

Well then they were awful at supporting children with SEN needs. Should have fought it or found a better school. I've been a SALT for 11 years, it's probably over a 100 schools I must have been in by now and only two have declined.

Sorry, titans

I was irritated by the number of posters claiming that schools were utterly unreasonable for saying they had no suitable spaces - when ime having suitable spaces available is very much the exception not the rule - or could use one of the very few ‘safe spaces’ for adults in school instead. I apologise that my irritation took a form that offended someone else.

In this case, having home-based therapy or trying to arrange with school to use a room there out of hours both seem reasonable solutions. I understand that is difficult for the op who has to vary their work hours to accommodate it, but I do not think it is fair to assume that the school is being unreasonable.

Yes this is why I personally recommend alternating between home and school so I can regularly see everyone who is supporting the child.

Ds has had various therapists going into school over the years either to observe him there in order to provide the right support for school or to work with him and a staff member for one session every so often to then give school the resources needed.

never in a week in week out alternative to me taking him to sessions though which seems to be what the OP is adter.