Can you get 1:1 support before they are 3?

[nappyaddict]

I know you can get a statement from 2 years old but can you get 1:1 support provided by the LA then or do you have to wait until the term after they are 3 and go to a LA nursery?

You can get 1:1 as soon as they go to pre-school. The pre-school gets their SENCO in and does an assessment and applies to the LA.

Thats what we did, anyway!

What age did you get it from? Was it a private preschool or one attached to a state school?

DS attends a preschool and has had 1-2-1 since he started at 2.5.

ShadeofViolet Was that provided through his statement? Again is it a private preschool or one attached to a state school?

Its a funded playschool but its not attached to a school. He doesnt have a statement yet.

So they have free places from 3 but you have to pay when they are 2. Is that correct?

How many hours did he do there at 2.5 and how many hours support did he get? What is his SN?

Oh and his his 1:1 provided directly by the preschool or through the LA?

Its funded by the LA but a lady that works at the preschool does his hours - he gets 5 hours a week

DS has ASD and a language delay. He went from 2.5 and did 10 hours which increased when he got to 3 to 15 hours (3 hours a day).

I paid per session until the term after he was 3. I ddnt pay for the 1-2-1, the LA have always paid that.

When he only did 10 hours did he still get 5 hours 1:1 or did he get less?

He got 4 when he did 10

we had portage at home and then a series of volunteers to help him at nursery organised by a local charity. That was in the NW England.

Portage keeps telling me that we can't get one to one till he is entitled to the state nursery place

ShadeofViolet Do you know if the LA would have sent in one of their own early years teachers if there hadn't been someone available at the preschool to do it?

DS2 only had !:! funded by a statement from the term after he turned 3, when he was entitled to a free nursery place, but before then, he was enrolled in a 2 year nursery pilot in the same place and had the same person supporting him. He had her 1:1, anyhow, since there were only a few places funded and he took half of them. He got access to this place through a CAF meeting organised by our health visitor.

My son (ASD) was statemented at 2.5 and given 20 hours 1:1 per week straightaway, including 6 hours 1:1 at a private nursery

We had inclusion bursery from 2.5. I pay the normal nursery fees, LA paid for one to one now up to 5 mornings a week. We're only just starting the statement process now ready for school sept 2011

The early years sen team assessed ds's needs, the nursery have an extra team member on duty but the role of 1-to-1 is shared between 3 staff members.

No - they give the extra funding so the preschool can arrange extra cover to keep the ratios right.

DD1 started preschool at 2.6, for 6 weeks, then had the summer break. September return at 2.9. SN identified due to no progress, and Inclusion Co-ordinator called in.

Funding was supplied at a rate equivalent to a session cost (£8.50 per session) for as many sessions as DD was doing. So I had to pay £8.50 for each session, but the LA matched that to give funding for 'inclusion'. In DD1's case that was needed to provide 1:1. However, the funding is 'inclusion' money, so it could be used for resources, etc., not just additional staffing.

I had a letter from Children's Services saying that they would provide the funding for as many sessions as DD1 was doing, until the term following her 5th birthday, or she started school, whichever sooner.

cerysmatthews, LunarRose and Lougle Did the preschool provide the 1:1 from their own staff or did LA provide somebody? What are your DC's SN?

cerysmatthews When he was given 20 hours support straight away how many hours was he actually at the preschool for and how many hours was he at the private nursery for?

dd2 had 1-1 from 2. we paid the nursery fees but the LA paid for some 1-1 hours and then rest was funded by the nursery. dd2 has cp.

it varies from county to county as to how many hours they are willing to fund 1-1 for tots, it normally does go in line with the number of free hours. in one of our counties it went up again the year before school starts, so diff number of funded 1-1 hours at 2,3, and 4 . speak to the early years area inclusion officer at the LA to get the info for your area.

if it helps, dd2 wasn't atatemented at all for any of this - she was only statemented for school, so the rest of the 1-1 etc was done on school action plus.

(she had a funded nursery place from her first birthday though... just that the ratios were high enough for her not to need 1-1 in the state nursery - the 1-1 kicked in when she was noticeable different to her peer group in terms of walking/ talking etc. she wasn't crawling or anything and was obv disabled, but the ratios were high enough to cope with her at that point, as lots of other kids in the baby/ toddlers room were also learning to walk etc. she just needed a bit of extra equipment such as standing frame/ seating etc)

DS1 has had 1-1 since starting at nursery when he was 2.9. At the time this was only for 2 afternoons a week, but rose to 5 mornings a week in September. His 1-1 is funded by the early years inclusion team at our LA. They have funding for exactly that reason. However, the pot is getting smaller (cutbacks) and I know for the last term when he was up to 16.25 hrs a week, he only got funding for 12.5 hrs which is the maximum the early years team would offer. The nursery made up the difference as they had already committed to pay his key-worker for that number of hours. If there is a shortfall next term then we are going to pay it to ensure he has 1-1. It probably won't happen as his statement should kick in by then and that is going to include full-time 1-1. The nursery were responsible for employing someone to cover the 1-1.

The nursery also have access to a lending library of equipment/resources which the inclusion team run. So for example, DS2 has got a gym ball, they have set up a sensory tent with lights, and they have got a trampoline in the garden all from this library.

They are a montessori nursery - so we do pay over and above the nursery grant but they are very good. Whether or not you have to pay for the nursery fees should have no bearing on funding for 1-1 though.

nappyaddict is there a particular situation you need help or advice on? You may find that if you outlined the issue, we could give you the info you needed, rather than trying to answer with information with no idea if it is relevant, IYSWIM?

To answer your question, DD1's preschool used the funding to increase their staff numbers each session DD1 attended, to release their SENCO to be 1:1 with DD1. As she got slightly older and it became too intense (she is quite a challenge) for one person, they would increase their staffing each session she attended, and rotate her 1:1 duties between 3-4 staff throughout the week.

DD1 has a brain malformation, with global developmental delay and epilepsy. Having said that, she didn't have any diagnosis when she started preschool - nobody was aware she had SN at all, and it was preschool who raise the huge red flag.

DD1 started 6 weeks before summer hols, and by 2 weeks after summer hols had 1:1 at all times. The 1:1 was sanctioned after 1 observation by the INCO and implemented immediately. It actually took around 6 weeks to arrange the funding, but it was all backdated to cover the increased staffing from the day of observation.

She had 1:1 from 2.9, and didn't get her GDD dx until 2.10, epilepsy Dx until 3.1, and Brain malformation dx until 3.4.

She got her statement at 4.1, and started special school at 4.9 in September.

My son has ASD, and initially went to private pre-school 2 mornings a week (have cut it down to one now, as I think he needs to concentrate on language development at home as a priority right now). He's only ever been in a private setting thus far

The 1:1 was someone we found ourselves, and they were funded directly by the LEA, not the nursery. It's an ABA programme we're following, so would have been tricky for the nursery to recruit someone suitable.

Although it's ABA, a lot of people were surprised that we were given that provision when DS wasn't even 3, as they thought that was when the LEA's statutory obligations kicked in.