SEND and Cambridge schools

[GoldQuoter]

Hi, I'm relocating to Cambridge from abroad in June and DD has ADHD and a SEND provision at her current school, which restricts her class size + provides specialist support in Maths and English + reduced study outcomes.

What do I need to do to be able to have an EHCP in place by September the very latest? And mainly - which Cambridge schools have the best SEND support available without having to go to a special school (she can manage in a 'normie' school with adjustments). Considering Parkside as it's small and Chesterton as it seems to have great facilities.

Thanks!

As you can imagine Cambridge has very high levels of children who are ND. The vast majority are in mainstream schools. Having an ADHD diagnosis would not guarantee an EHCP, even if one is issued it could possibly be unfunded (but would help with admission) and the likelihood of a specialist provision is very, very small.

It is also a safety valve LA.

What is a safety valve LA?

Safety Valve LAs are LAs who have agreements to tackle overspending in exchange for bail outs. It is leading to even more unlawfulness in these LAs.

Whether an EHCP has funding attached is the wrong focus. The focus should be on getting an EHCP (via appeal if necessary) with the provision DC reasonably required detailed, specified and quantified in F. Then the provision must be provided and can be enforced if necessary.

From Schools Week:

Cash-strapped councils falling behind on their SEND deficit bailout plans – just months after they were signed off – have now been placed under “enhanced” monitoring by ministers, Schools Week can reveal.
Cambridgeshire and Norfolk signed government “safety valve” agreements in March, where they got £119 million combined in bailouts to help balance their high needs deficits over five and seven years respectively.
But by September, both were already off track, which means they must submit revised plans and join the “enhanced monitoring and support (EMS)” scheme.
News of a higher tier of intervention in the scheme compounds concerns by campaigners that the bailouts, which come with strict cost-cutting demands and which are not enough to balance budgets.
Maxine Webb, an independent councillor in Norfolk, said: “Those of us who warned about the SEND system hinging on the safety valve scheme will rightly be massively worried about the intervention happening so early on in the programme, and its implications.”
Cambridgeshire warned last month it was more than £6 million off-track “as a result of the continuing increase in demand” for services. Norfolk risks wiping its deficit a year later than planned.

Oh Lord Well, thank you - depressing but important to be aware of.

It's a bit of a nightmare - basically councils have no money and so are doing everything to cut their SEN bills. So there is huge push back on everything.

DD's school went pale when I suggested I get an EHCP for her as chances are she'll have left school by the time we realistically got anywhere with it. But despite clearly evidenced problems resulting from both the ADHD and the dyslexia there doesn't seem to be anything practical that can be offered as they have such a high number of SEN kids (over 25% in the school and her year group even higher). Since Covid it's literally crazy.

I'd like to add that the reason councils don't have the funding for all the SEND needs is because centrally their budgets have been cut so much in real terms. You can't cut funding to local councils while also expecting them to meet increasing need looking at you Rishi Sunak

The thing to remember is it doesn’t change the law.

In fact it started with George Osborne - roll on the election!

Well that's a fair point @SuperSue77

We have EHCPs stating class size no more than 15, or no more than 8. It is all dependent on properly written EP reports with adequate specificity, followed usually by a tribunal to force that to be included.

There's schools that do offer small classes but they will be either private or special education schools of some sort. Whether she qualifies for special education will depend on need.

We moved into Cambs from abroad and it took more than 6 months to get send provision in place at her mainstream primary.

If your dc is already 12 they will be going into year 8 in Sept

Hi, I have experience of several private schools in Cambridge - re small classes - Landmark is definitely very small - 10-12 per year group with some years very sparse as more popular for primary - in seniors it's very ASD heavy in my experience and finding like minded peers can be a real challenge and potentially lonely as there is no scope to Increase its size.

I would be very wary of the hard sell approach at this school too... many have left through t disillusionment and unhappy kids although the subject teachers are really good, the management is a bit inexperienced and the handling of issues is not good either.

St Mary's is excellent all round for SEN for my child - small classes, great SENDCO s, very wide curriculum and flexible subject choices. Really good communication too.

Sancton wood is also great, very chilled and doesn't sweat the small stuff approach which suits my child with a really relaxed style (which concerned me at times) but somehow they have done very well academically which goes to show (in-spite of attention problems and dyspraxia) - it's not necessary to stress out kids for them to do well! The school is already set up to suit those with attention problems as small classes (approx 14 or less) but with good social mixing and 3 forms per year. Many have sen so it's barely mentioned really - gcse wise access arrangements can be sorted with Senco and assistants. There may be space in future due to VAT on fees incoming and Cambridges transient population?

Good luck