Special school or mainstream

3 replies

Theunamedcat · 25/01/2021 06:38

My son is 8 he is almost three years behind academically, in year one I tried to get him an ehcp the school put other children through first and didn't get around to him in year two I pushed again and also asked for autism/adhd testing this was not done but the ehcp was finally started unfortunately the pandemic hit which delayed it and now he is year three I named a special school on the firm the school backed me on this because he is making limited progress at the school socially he is doing better but academically still way behind i felt that they were just leaving him to his own devices because he is quiet and mostly compliant the school said they could meet need but he needed a 1-1 county only offered a budget of 2/3000 per year for him this will obviously not be enough the special school has stepped forward and stated they can meet his needs however he might be too advanced for his year group and they would struggle to find a cohort for him im not sure what to do his school is lovely but not the most efficient I feel they have let him down (they let his older brother down too which may colour my opinion) but I know literally nothing about this special school other than its oversubscribed and the parents love it I don't know if he will settle he said he doesn't want to change schools but he isnt progressing enough SALT came back with a report that was utterly damming and he has had support from 18 months with them

Bizarrely I actually like the school he is in socially they are great his class is super supportive treat him really well as a friend looked after him when he was younger

I'm just having a moment of total panic here I'm doing the wrong thing tearing him away from his friends but this school hasn't even managed to teach him to count to 20 confidently and he has been there since he turned 2!

OP posts:

Mumofsend · 25/01/2021 08:03

I would be cautious of pulling him from a school hw is happy at and his friends at to one which says they don't feel they have a suitable peer group. An unhappy child can't learn either. Could there not be a greater focus on interventions in his ehcp that could be met in his current school?

Original poster

Theunamedcat · 25/01/2021 09:05

@Mumofsend

Not without funding and county dont seem to want to fund him he has been getting interventions for years and not progressing very far which is a problem its like they tell him something Monday to Friday by Friday he remembers but by Monday he has forgotten again im just feeling at a loss here what to do for the best two years ago I was convinced special school was the best way to go but now I'm being offered it im hesitating

OP posts:

10brokengreenbottles · 25/01/2021 10:38

Forget about funding, it is not your concern. If the school haven't got enough funding to provide what is in the EHCP they should approach the LA.

Focus on getting provision included in DS' EHCP and making section F specific and quantified. No woolly wording such as access to, or equivalent, would benefit from etc. If you do that, the provision must be provided, if it isn't you can enforce it. If 1:1 is specified and quantified that is what must be provided. The same for SALT, OT...

A peer group will be important for DS, moreso as he gets older.

Having said that, have you considered all SS within travelling distance (45 mins is considered acceptable for primary, although many travel further), including out of area and independent schools? There are special schools that could cater for DS' academic needs. Or have you got any ARPs nearby?

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