Appealing for JCoss ASD unit or other secondary SS in Barnet

[chillberry]

Has anyone had success appealing for a change from MS to SS in Barnet? I think we're mainly interested in the JCoss autism unit for both of our children, Y7 and Y9. Might consider Windmill, but don't know a lot about it and what it's like academically.

Have looked at Holmewood but they won't consider one child because of their PDA profile (even though they're never demanded avoidant at school). Ideally, DC would like to go to school together.

Orange Tree has never replied to my enquiries.

I don't think there are any other suitable options that wouldn't require a lot more travel.

We have EHCPs and both children are academically able but are finding the MS setting very challenging, even with the support of a good SEN team. ATM neither wants to change schools but we're constantly battling autistic fatigue and burnout which feels completely unsustainable.

I haven’t, but I have supported others who have.

Windmill wouldn’t meet the academic needs of an academically able child.

It is difficult enough finding and securing the right specialist setting without adding the criteria of attending the same SS as a sibling. Particularly if you have to appeal. Think carefully about basing preferences on that.

Thanks. If we decide to try for a SS there really aren't any others that I know of in our area that would be suitable for either child. So I know it might be risky/difficult to get them both into the same school, especially as we'd need to appeal for both (currently in the appeal process for sections B and F of both plans) but I don't know what other options we realistically have. DC1 might do well with an online school but DC2 less so, and I worry about them being isolated and not getting any social exposure in that scenario.

For EOTAS/EOTIS, which is what online schooling falls under, you would need to show it is inappropriate for provision to be delivered in a school. EOTAS/EOTIS wouldn’t have to mean isolation. Lots of people assume that, but it would be a poor package that only consisted of online education.

Depending on why DC are finding school too much, have you considered independent mainstreams? Doesn’t work for all, especially where DC aren’t coping because of the sensory aspect.

Depending on what you mean by academically able and DC’s needs, you could look at Egerton Rothesay. Barnet funds some DC there - not that it matters whether other DC from the LA attend a school, just pointing out it is feasible and Barnet aren’t strangers to funding the school.

Re. The Windmill, that not what they and their website says?

Well, it depends on what you mean by academically able, I suppose. Just like I said it did about ER.

Well, no learning difficulties and just out of/struggling to attend MS due to sensory issues, PDA profile, anxiety, social understanding. Certainly able to excel at the curriculum and potentially exams in the right environment.

That may be what you are meaning by academically able, but it isn’t everyone’s definition. For example, there are many DC with PDA who are academically able and would fall into the definition of academically able some people use. Similarly, some academically able DC can’t cope with the pressure of exams but are still academically able. And some may still be academically able but have specific learning difficulties.

And actually The Windmill School’s admission policy states “The Windmill School is a new 90 place school for children aged 5-18 with a confirmed medical
diagnosis of autism. It is due to admit its first pupils in September 2023 and will continue to do so over the next four years until it is at its planned maximum number. These children can be admitted at any age but will typically be achieving slightly below age-related expectations.” Obviously some DC may ‘be achieving slightly below age-related expectations’ for reasons such as disrupted education or dysregulation and be cognitively more able or have spiky profiles to one extent or another. Which comes back to what one means by academically able. Whereas some see academically able as achieving above ARE.

I promise I haven't meant to argue with you! I was just concerned by your comments as DD will hopefully be going there in Sept for y7, if not before.

I didn’t take your posts as arguments. Apologies if my posts came across that way. I think it is an interesting discussion about what ‘academically able’ actually means. When looking at placements, the definition used really does influence views.

And that’s before considering there are needs other than academic needs. Someone may think a placement is still the best option even if it can’t meet the academic needs because it can meet all other needs such as sensory needs and social needs (and Windmill’s sensory room looks good from a photograph I saw) and mental health and regulation has to come first/academics can always come later.

Thank you, that is exactly the approach I am going for now. Poor DD is an absolute mess at her MS primary, hasn't wanted to go near or consider any secondary schools. We went to look around the Windmill and she was so happy and loves it.

I have also looked around ER and really liked it, and think it could suit her. But she wouldn't cope with the journey and length of time out of the house as she would have to use the school transport.

@ImRonBurgandy Sounds very much like my DD. Projected to get mostly 7-8-9s in GCSEs but really finds the MS setting difficult. She's been agonising for days over having to go back to school tomorrow, so I'm expecting a difficult first few days back. DS has a spiky cognitive profile and struggles with working memory, he is more 'average' in terms of grades, but I think in the right setting he would be able to manage with GCSEs but maybe not 9 or 10 of them. We're also starting him on ADHD meds, so it will be interesting to see if that helps him cope better at school

@EndlessLight I haven't looked into independent mainstreams very much. I have the impression they are less likely to cater to SEN kids. Both of mine have a lot of sensory issues, so not sure it would be viable. Without funding, it definitely isn't viable. Windmill doesn't sound like a fit for DD, maybe for DS, but when I spoke with the HT last year, she said they were prioritising children who had been unable to attend school for a long time, which isn't our case.

I wish there were more options than massive 1500+ MS or tiny 7 per year SS. There are some smaller MS schools in our area but class size is still 30 and the SEN provision doesn't seem extraordinary, so I don't think moving from one state MS to another would be any improvement.

There are some independent MS who will accept (some, it depends on needs) DC with EHCPs. EHCPs can name independent MS and thus fund them. It often takes an appeal. However, it often doesn’t work for DC who are overwhelmed by the sensory environment of a mainstream secondary.

The school and LA may want to prioritise DC out of school, but there are limited reasons in law the LA can refuse to name the parent’s preferred school. Although, again, you may have to appeal.

I visited some MS independents in the area, and they definitely wouldn't suit DD's PDA profile. Just too much expectation, not necessarily academic, but socially, long school day, confidence, extra curriculular etc.

Not for PDA, but Mount House can be supportive of some types of SEN and they have DC with EHCPs.

For KS4 up, Wentworth college can work well for some DC who struggle with typical state mainstream schools. Although that type of setting does not work for all.