Child with ADHD

[Teenz38]

I have a child with ADHD and conduct disorder on medication for the ADHD who is in year 5 at school and have concerns about him going up to high school. My child is not statemented but receives the Independent Pupil Funding (IPF). Whilst he is in primary school they are just about managing his behaviour and containing him and I am concerned whether he will manage in a mainstream high school as I can see him getting expelled or whether he would be better suited for a special education needs high school. Does anyone have any suggestions in how I can go about enquiring which high school would be better as most special education high schools only ask if the child is statemented and do not include if they receive the IPF.

is he under camhs?
ed psych?
a paed even?

or can your primary school recommend a school.
plenty of senior schools, i dont know plenty, but our nearest 2, have special units for speical educaitonal needs,
perhaps he needs a statement now?

Thanks for replying

he is under specialist Cahms for the conduct disorder side and they are just doin work with me to help his disorder. His school pushed more for the IPF than the statementing as they said it comes through alot quicker and you usually get knocked back 1st time and takes alot longer for the statementing. He has just been awarded the IPF from September this year and lasts the school year. His doctor at the hospital is retiring but I have mentioned my concerns to the register and she said she would pass them on. It seems a long way off but by the end of this school year I know I will have to start making arrangements for his secondary school needs

If it were me, I'd get in touch with the school SENCO and EP, as well as directly in touch with the Local Authority to see what support they've got to offer.

It's great that you're starting now. I'm struggling to understand why the school have not addressed this far, far sooner (year 5 with ADHD but no statement yet??!)

Anyway, that's by the by. Do you know any of the local SEN schools? It would be useful to find out where their pupils go to next, as you can get together a shortlist that way and contact them direct. Although what you can do without a statement is probably limited at this stage.

I think his school SENCO should be treating this as top priority, and working hand in glove with the LA to find the most appropriate place for him.

I've had a look online at the local SEN schools it was the school who suggested that to go for the Individual Pupil Funding rather than asking for statementing as it came through quicker. I'm not sure how its working as the school told me that my son has a 1-2-1 worker but he still learns in the normal classroom and even though so far this school year he has not been excluded i have had many a day where they've contacted me as a 1st warning call due to his behaviour. The last one being this Tuesday just gone and they had to take all the other children out of the class as he had started throwing things then he barricaded the doors. In my sons eyes he feels that the school blame him as other children are copying his behaviour and that hes not wanted there. Today I have just seen his class goin on their trip to the local high school for drama and his 1-2-1 teacher was with them but my son wasnt as he doesnt like going. What can I do to ensure the IPF is being used properly and that my son is still learning not just me feel like hes being contained ?

Request a statement to the LEA yourself.

IPF is an alternative to getting a statement with the advantage being that the funding comes through quicker. It is meant to be the case that your child is in the mainstream class. The funding does not, like a statement, specify exactly how the school should utilise the funding, it is left to the school's discretion as to how best to use it.
Do you know what level of IPF funding you are getting as this will indicate whether a statement is a more sensible alternative? Your description of your child's latest behaviour would certainly suggest that a statement may be more appropriate.
You do need to get this sorted because a statement is going to take a considerable number of months to go through the assessment process and you will need to be sorting out secondary school place, between september and november next year.

My understanding is, that to get a child 'statemented' these days is a lot harder. The LEA are far less likely to fund this because it creates a financial commitment throughout the pupils education - anyone know anything different?

At the secondary school I teach at, it doesn't seem to make an awful lot of difference, whether a pupil has a statement or not, very few get the one to one support that is needed. 'Financial cutbacks' dictate.

Under the circumstances it's far more important that your child gets the love and support that he needs from home. I have many friends diagnosed with ADHD that use it to their utter advantage as adults, they have far more enthusiasm, energy and determination than us mere mortals. Though it's hard at the moment, I'm sure that your son will become quite outstanding in the future.

SN schools are normally for really disabled kids. I'd be surprised if it was the right setting for your son.

Ring you local parent partnership they will be able to give you advice specific to your LEA. There should also be a transitions person or someone (parent partnership will tell you the correct title) who can help you work out which school would be right for your son.

Now is the ideal time to do all this before it gets really busy.

How is your DS at home? How is he during long holidays?

If you think your DS cannot cope with school, have you considered home education? You'll find people with lots of experience on the Home Ed board (www.mumsnet.com/Talk/home_ed). You might also find it useful to look at HE special - it does not list ADHD specifically but there are other conditions (such as Asperger's, dyslexia and dysgraphia) that often manifest with ADHD in school.

How is your DS at home? How is he during long holidays?

If you think your DS cannot cope with school, have you considered home education? You'll find people with lots of experience on the Home Ed board. You might also find it useful to look at HE special - it does not list ADHD specifically but there are other conditions (such as Asperger's, dyslexia and dysgraphia) that often manifest with ADHD in school.

I just want to say that you should really get him statemented if possible to at least allow options once he gets to secondary.

My DS2-13, whose diagnoses include RAD, ODD (turning into CD) and ADHD, but is also very bright academically, managed to get through primary on School Action Plus. He was always disruptive and struggled in a classroom to control his impulses. When he got to secondary, they wondered why he wasn't statemented. His second secondary school worked with us to get him statemented as it was agreed that he would be better off in a special school. It was a battle but we got the statement. It was then a battle to get an appropriate school named on the statement. His behaviour deteriorated with puberty and after being permanently excluded and then missing a year (year 8) of school, all (LEA, SS, etc) agreed that he needed a more specialised school than our county could offer. He was not engaging in schoolwork at all.

He is now in a fantastic EBD secondary school (boarding) and is making wonderful progress and will sit several GCSEs early and we have hope that he will actually leave school with some qualifications instead of going directly to prison. He has tiny classes and is able to concentrate without distraction and get the support he needs. It is also a very structured setting and provides him with loads of therapeutic support and even he agrees that it is the right place for him now. Yes it's expensive, but I truly believe that without this help now, he will cost society more in the long term.