Academy status implications for SN / SEN

[zen1]

Our primary school is considering going for academy status and has called a meeting of parents / governors to discuss it. I am seriously concerned about the implications this might have for children with additional needs. I don't think there will be many parents speaking out against it. Just wondered what other people thought about how this might impact on SN / SEN children? (DS with SN not due to start for another couple of years, but other DCs are already at the school).

Aero, thank you. I really do appreciate the advice and support.

I've been trying to get my head around what exactly ds's needs are and what we support want them to provide, otherwise I'd have applied sooner. I think I'm just about there now.

We are expecting them to refuse, but prepared to fight - appeal, tribunal - whatever it takes.

Thanks everyone for posting your experiences and information. Been to the meeting; only about 35 parents turned up (school has more than 600 pupils), so I guess apathy is an understatement. Basically, the implication was that if a child has a statement they will be protected, but it will be down to the school to decide on how they provide for children on school action / school action plus. Considering that our borough particularly want to cut down on the number of statements they issue, I am still very concerned about the future.

it will be down to the school to decide on how they provide for children on school action / school action plus - which is identical to the situation in a maintained school.

MooseMama found the definitive answer on the new SEN paper thread...

moosemama Wed 09-Mar-11 22:23:02

I think I have found what I was looking for, with regard to whether or not Academies will find it easy or even be legally able to refuse places to SEN pupils, under point 2.52:

'We want parents to have a real choice of school in law and in practice. We have ensured through the Academies Act 2010 that mainstream Academies and Free Schools have the same obligations as maintained mainstream schools to accept children with a statement of SEN which names the school. And we intend to introduce legislation to ensure that parents of children with a statement of SEN or ?Education, Health and Care Plan? have equivalent rights to express a preference for any state-funded school ? whether that is a special school, mainstream school, Academy or Free School. Children are all different and their parents have different views about the school they feel is right for them. Some want their child to attend a mainstream school but may feel frustrated that the school they seek is not able to take the reasonable steps to include their child. Others may want their child to attend a special school but feel frustrated by not being given that choice by their local authority. The statutory guidance Inclusive Schooling covers these and other issues and makes clear that a local authority must consider the parents? preference and cannot simply place the child in a school irrespective of the parents? wishes.'

Zen, that's pretty much the same as the current situation, SA and SA+ aren't legally enforceable, its up to the school what the do or don't do.

Have you had a scan through the Green Paper to see how it might affect your ds?

School Action/Action + will be going and be replaced by something else, which I am currently too tired to read properly and understand. Statements are also changing, probably from 2014.

Am too ridiculously tired to work out the implications, good or bad, for most of it, but they are going to trial a lot of it over the next two years, so hopefully that might give you a clearer picture.

I did just find this though:

'We want parents to have a real choice of school in law and in practice. We have ensured through the Academies Act 2010 that mainstream Academies and Free Schools have the same obligations as maintained mainstream schools to accept children with a statement of SEN which names the school. And we intend to introduce legislation to ensure that parents of children with a statement of SEN or ?Education, Health and Care Plan? have equivalent rights to express a preference for any state-funded school ? whether that is a special school, mainstream school, Academy or Free School.'

So it does sound like if you can get a statement your ds should be ok.

Sorry, cross posted with you Indigo.

I knew I should have gone to bed an hour ago!

Thanks for posting that Indigo. Haven't caught up with the green paper threat yet, but that quote is helpful.

thread not threat!

Hi Moosemama, thanks for posting. I must make time to go through the Green Papaer properly. Becuase my DS won't start school till 2013 and from what I have heard about our SEN provision locally, I am almost convinced that he won't get a statement, even though he is currently attending a SN nursery.
Hope you sleep well

Indigo - the only problem with the statement

it will be down to the school to decide on how they provide for children on school action / school action plus - which is identical to the situation in a maintained school.

is that it is ambiguous. If it is not properly defined what a schools responsibility is when a child is on SA/SA+, then schools can still circumvent putting in support, deny/marginalise the child's needs, effectively leaving parents and children no better off than they are today.

The government is cutting/has cut funding to LEA's, LEA's will still fund much to do with SEN, this will no doubt have an impact on all schools whether maintained or academy. If funding is reduced then provision will be harder to come by and schools will be more reluctant to recognise SEN, because of the extra provision costs.

My point is, is that the situation will be absolutely identical whether the school is an academy, a free school, or a maintained school.

In the end it all comes down to whether or not you have a great HT and a great SENCO. Not whether it's an academy or a maintained school.

The gov has cut enormous amounts of fundings to the LEA, and the schools are suffering. Which means often it makes very little sense for them to stay with the LEA - because the LEA aren't providing them very much. And of course in some cases are actively obstructing them.....

Yes, I think our head feels they have no choice but to go for academy status. It's that, or lose members of teaching staff. I just feel angry at the way schools are almost trapped into becoming academies, even if they don't ideologically want to be. I don't like the way the government is forcing these changes within the education system.