Actually, no, I don't think my son has ADHD, or sensory integration issues, or conduct disorder or behavioural 'problems'...

[WilfShelf]

...or any thing else that can be labelled and which individualises and medicalises the issue.

And the REAL issue is that there is a class of 30 children, and he is a little person who is different and he won't sit quietly like the girls (who are, after all, the 'model' for good behaviour in primary schools).

And the friendship dynamic with one particular group of children is dysfunctional and actually he is simply SAD because he can't feel like he has real friends and the school is not helping that.

And the recognition that he is a physical, creative person doesn't seem to fit the model of what a school child should be. The school seems to be becoming more rigid, more over-reactive: what to me seem quite 'normal' behaviour blips are being pursued with 'intervention'. I don't want it, and he doesn't need it.

Argh.

I live in a cultural desert: there is NO hope of finding a suitable alternative school, I need to work so can't home ed, so what do I do?

It's still the same sort of thing though. Your LA only do statements of 15+ hours. A child that didn't really have whatever label the school was trying to suggest wouldn't get 15 hours support unless they really did have those problems.

I know that, was just disagreeing that schools don't get extra funding.

Huh I'm confused. You just said the LA did fund statements?

just had a quick read of this thread so may have missed bits. we have a "different" (at school) child, no probs at preschool who described as confident, clever and charming. school feels different, had me so worried I paid for private assessments, came back absolutely normal, just highly unusual personality type. School were always eager to "label" until told them this, suspect that it wasn't so much about possible funding as trying to explain to themselves and others why this child would not conform, then they would have a reason/excuse. sympathise with the teachers, but also with my child - as an adult if you don't like a job or don't fit in you can change, as a child things are different and decisions for parents include so many variables (is it a phase, whats the alternative etc etc. )Education is still largely designed for the majority, and has little room for the quirky individuals, a lot just learn to tow the line with maturity,

Sorry Nappyaddict didn't word it well, earlier you said that schools don't get extra funding, I meant I was just disagreeing with that.

Sorry I've lost the plot lol. Do you mean you were disagreeing with the part where I said the school pays for the first 15 hours? I think it's a fairly recent thing ... how long ago did you work in the LA that didn't operate like this?

I'm currently working there. We get full funding for any statement, given to us in the April. We don't pay out of our budget for the first 15 hours.

No I mean the one that did part funding.

Sorry that was until July last year

It really depends on where you are in the country some LAs don't give any extra funding for statements, some partly fund them and expect the school to pick up the slack and others fund most of the child's needs (I don't know any that fully fund but they may do). In my LA if I obtain a statement for a child in Sept the school will have to fun the full amount until the next financial year - so 7-8 months) before the LAs begins to give funding.

mrz I've never heard of the LA not giving ANY funding for a statement of 15 hours or more apart from when as you say it's before the next financial year starts. Where do you know of that this has happened? And is that even if it is a full statement of 25 hours?

I am a member of a SENCO group and a number of members around the country are reporting that their LAs don't directly fund statements which now are funded directly from the school annual SEN budget allocation

Is that even for full statements of 25 hours? How is the SEN budget worked out? Do they get a bigger budget for more children on the SEN register?

From what they say it is a full statement (although I have never known my LA to give a statement for 25hours) and I don't know the details of how different LAs allocate funding. What has been said is that all schools have had an increase in their SEN budgets irrespective on numbers (if I understand correctly) and there is no longer additional funding available when statements are issued.

nappyaddict - some LAs have an audit system which determines how much money the school gets - so the school enters info about their pupils with SEN. However, it is up to the school to decide how to allocate the resulting funding, although clearly they are obliged to fulfil the requirements of a statement of SEN.

mrz So all the schools have had the same amount of increase in budget even though some schools may have an above average percentage of pupils with SEN and others may have hardly any pupils with SEN.

Only the LA could say what increase each school has received. As a SENCO I only know what my school gets.