Potential school considering for YR7 with EHCP

[Aksanti]

Hi everyone,

we need to apply for secondary school by end of this month with our LA these are the schools we are considering although can only pick 3.
Any feedback on this would be appreciated son has EHCP plan in place.

Wimbledon College
Saint Cecilia
Richard Challoner
Coombe Boys school

all of his friends are applying for cardinal vaugn,Oratry etc but I have to be real with the school that he would fit into and meet his needs took him a while to understand why we wouldn’t be applying there.
Any feedback would be amazing!

With an EHCP, you only have to state 1 school. You do not have to state 3. The schools you mention can have quite different feels to them, so I would think about what DS needs and go to visit them/speak with them.

Thank-you!I wasn’t aware can only apply for 1.Was mindful if I only name 1 they can consult with other schools.As in my borough we are entitled to 3 preferences when applying.Yes,we visited one school Richard challoner have days set to visit the others.

would love to know the difference feels each one of them have ? Thankyou.

The law around EHCPs is the same in all LAs. Despite what some LAs claim. Some LAs say parents need to state 3 preferences. That isn’t the law, though. Just like some LAs tell parents they need to state a mainstream school even if their preference is a special school and some LAs tell parents they have to complete their separate admission form before the phase transfer review meeting has even happened. They LA can consult with other school even if you state 3 preferences.

I would try to contact/speak to the SENCOs outside of the normal visits.

I would start by thinking carefully about if co-ed or single sex would work best for DS. I would also think about what DS enjoys. For example, CB is seen as quite arty, at SC music is well regarded... The feel is difficult to describe. Visiting and speaking to the SENCO will help. I know parents who have found communication with WC difficult and feel the school isn’t as communicative or inclusive as first impressions give. CB pastoral care is mostly good, but I know some parents feel their DS has flown under the radar and been missed. I don’t know if it is a wider view, but I know 2 families who thought CB was a noisier school, if that is something which would be an issue for you. RC has more boys with EHCPs. This has pros and cons.

@flawlessflipperThankyou so much this is very informative

You should be having an annual review this term which would be a good opportunity to discuss this thoroughly with your son's teacher and SENCO.

@Ratafiathankyou his next review is not due until April.He had one just before the end of last academic year

If DS is Y6, you should have a phase transfer review during the autumn term in order for the LA to be able to finalise the phase transfer EHCP by the 15th Feb. Sadly, lots of LAs act unlawfully by not doing this in time or by attempting to use the Y5 AR as the phase transfer review. They shouldn’t. You should contact the LA.

@flawlessflipperthankyou.I didn’t even know this will call them first thing Monday morning.As I contacted his case worker and the SENCo at school for them to make certain changes to section A and the SENCO to make certain changes to the quantity and quantity of certain provisos.It would be much easier if a transfer meeting was done as you have mentioned.Thankyou.

Put it in writing so you have a paper trail as evidence.

The phase transfer review process will enable you to raise amendments. And once finalised, appeal if necessary.

@flawlessflipperthank you for advising me to request a phase review for my DS we have one scheduled today.

We have 3 potential school we would like to name as parental preference.Im getting a bit worried as all the schools we want to name have started consultation and will respond to parents by mid October.

My son’s EHCP hasn’t been amended yet as review is this week.
The point of my post is by the time his EHCP is finalised the schools we want would have sent out consultation response and we risk schools coming back to us saying they are full?

I mentioned this to my LA they don’t seem to bothered saying they know what they are doing and are prioritising year 6 reviews. It’s a bit overwhelming

It isn’t too late for a phase transfer review meeting, so don’t panic. Some won’t have them until later in the term.

Are they all genuinely your equal preference? If not, you should think carefully before stating all 3 are your preference.

Following the review meeting, the LA will send you the amendment notice within 4 weeks of the meeting. At that point, you can make representations and state your preferred placement.

Are your preferred placements wholly independent? If not, you don’t need an offer of a place from them in order for them to be named in the EHCP. And being full is not defined in law, and for non-wholly independent schools, on its own being ‘full’ is not enough of a reason to refuse to name your preference. The LA has to prove the school is so full admitting DS is incompatible with the efficient education of others or efficient use of resources. The bar for this is higher than many LAs admit. It has to be something tangible and specific and is more than an “adverse effect”, “impact on” or “prejudicial to”.

If the placements are wholly independent, you could speak to them now. Although even some wholly independent schools only accept approaches from the LA. But don’t worry if that applies. Just because a school has replied to some other parents doesn’t mean they will automatically reject any further consultations.

Consultations happen before the EHCP is finalised.

As an aside, following the correct procedure, the advice and information should have been circulated at least 2 weeks before the review meeting. Given the timescales of this thread. That couldn’t have happened. You may wish to go ahead anyway, but if you want more time, you can ask.

I didn't know this & DD is in Y6. Can I ask - is this something the school should arrange or be involved in, or just the LA?

@flawlessflipperThank you so much for the information you provided.The review happened yesterday.As my DS doesn’t have any professional involved I was ok to go ahead with the review.

Just awaiting now for decision.In regards to the school they are all mainstream.We unfortunately did not have enough time to visit other schools as our LA have such a tight deadline to submit choices the 29th of September.We are visiting out last school today.Wimbledon college will make final decision to day.Thanks again for your help.

@RavenLawYes! I didn’t know about it too until @flawlessflipperinformed me.The SENCO from DD school will need to arrange the annual review.My SENco is quiete good so we waited a week and a bit for the meeting.

You do not have to state your preferred secondary placement by 29th September. That is another unlawful LA policy.

What should happen is you will get the amendment notice within 4 weeks of the AR meeting - the meeting is only one element of the review process. The LA must give you at least 15 days to comment and state your preferred placement.

Unfortunately, some LAs tell parents in their LA they need to state their preferred placements by a set date &/or complete an admissions form &/or include a MS option even if their preference is SS &/or a multitude of other unlawful local ‘policies’.

Even if you state your preferred placement by the 29th, you can change your preference when you get your AN.

I am a little worried DS doesn’t have any professionals involved. It suggests the EHCP needs improving.

@RavenLaw when a child is on the role of a school, the school should organise the AR meeting - the HT has responsibility as per the Regs, although they often delegate. And the LA is ultimately responsible for the AR process overall.

@flawlessflipper the annual review I knew they should do - but it's the phase transfer review I wasn't aware of. Is that through the school too?

@RavenLaw The phase transfer review is just an annual review held in phase transfer years in time for the phase transfer deadline. It follows all the same rules except there is an additional deadline of finalising by 15th Feb (for secondary phase transfer). So the school should organise the review meeting and do things like ensure the advice and information is circulated beforehand, but the LA is ultimately responsible for the overall review process.

Ahhh thank you that makes sense! I think DD's school thinks that the Y5 annual review counted because it was done in the summer term.

Lots of LAs try to get away with using the Y5 review as the phase transfer review, especially when it is in the summer term. However, that isn’t lawful. It must be held within 12 Monty’s of transfer. This is very clear - it is set out in the legislation, there is a recent LGO case, case law (about an all-through school but the principle of the phase transfer review being held within 12 months of transfer still applies), DfE reminders... It should be held the autumn term of Y6 to allow time for the LA to finalise by 15th Feb.

@flawlessflipper Hope you are well!
just wanted to update consultation was sent to the following school for DS
Richard challoner
Wimbledon College
St Cecilia

both Wimbledon college and st Cecilia have said it can be named in final EHCP.
Kingston college procedure is different as we are out of borough ( applying from Lambeth) all out of borough consultations are dealt with by pane in January.

i spoke to DS caseworker today she mentioned Kingston contacted her and they are a bit concerned as distance is a bit far away.

we are one train (Vauxhall) straight to Richard challoner and both stations walking distance from school and home.
when we did the application we mentioned we would not be needing transport as we will be dropping him off.

It seems as if distance may play a role in the Dina decision because they asked if we would be moving or applying for transportation.

so I mentioned the travel arrangements to the caseworker she will there liase back with them.

the point of the post is can refuse on basis of distance? Could Lambeth LA challenge them as it’s out of borough? Where would I stand as a parent also challenging them ? TIA

@flawlessflipperwe also mentioned we wouldn’t need transport as they could use it against us to name a local school.They did consult with 2 local school who have mentioned they can’t need needs.

both Wimbledon college and st Cecilia have said it can be named in final EHCP.

What you mean here is the schools have responded with positive consultations. The LA doesn’t actually need them to agree to being named in the EHCP. They can be named even if they object. You only need an offer of a place for wholly independent schools.

procedure is different as we are out of borough

This might be what your LA would like to believe but, other than also consulting the LA the school is in if the school is a maintained school, the law is the same for out of area schools.

Ultimately, it is your LA with the final decision. It doesn’t matter if RC or Kingston disagree. However, your LA may well name an in borough school anyway and force you to appeal if your preference is RC.

At secondary, the maximum reasonable travel time is considered to be 1hr15. Although some travel further.

Sometimes LAs will try to rely on transport costs to argue the ‘unreasonable public expenditure’ exception applies. Often the LA will do this even when they can’t meet the threshold to prove unreasonable public expenditure - it isn’t a simple as more expensive always equals unreasonable public expenditure. Sometimes LAs will name a school as parental preference with a caveat about transport. If your LA includes such a caveat, you can challenge that via appeal if you want to.

@flawlessflipperThankyou so much!

And then we wonder why school transport budgets go through the roof and LAs go bankrupt.

@Thegladstonebag don’t understand your comment.