So LEA have asked Independent Special school to assess ds.

[asdx2]

Which is fantastic because it's the school I want and came about I'm sure as a consequence of my notifying them I would be making formal complaint.
However in every correspondence they write the LEA is investigating maintained provision but are unable to name any mainstream provision considered suitable for me to view.
So what does that mean? They are looking for a provision but haven't yet found one even though I've been waiting six months.Or they have a provision in mind but haven't/won't inform me what it is. Or is that a routine clause put into correspondence when a parent requests an Independent setting

Sorry, don't know the answer to your question, but asking the Ind SS to assess your DS has to be good news, hasn't it?

I really hope so but I don't trust them an inch. There is no maintained provision, I have looked. The LIO can't suggest anywhere and every professional has submitted reports stating he needs specialist provision and his current provision have stated that they are no longer able to meet his needs. But still the LEA are wriggling like maggots on a hook hence the formal complaint.
The named person doesn't speak good english and isn't communicating with me because I have pulled her up on her inefficiency and downright lies and the formal complaint has got her rattled so she is hesitant about any contact whatsoever even though she is supposedly the point of communication.
It is so stressful, I am expecting to go to Tribunal tbh although how the LEA can deny him the provision he needs when they can't name an alternative is beyond me.

Do you think they are expecting the SS to say they cannot meet your DS's needs? Do you think they can? I can't remember all your backstory, sorry, (it's my age!) but you aren't in danger of them naming an EBD school, are you?

I think they hope the SS say they can't meet his needs although I know they can as have discussed ds with them at length as have his current placement. No no EBD school a possibility the LEA would like to cease to maintain the statement though as we are talking post 16 provision.

Oh, that's a bit shit. Aren't they liable until 18? Fingers crossed for you. My DS2 is only 11 so haven't got there yet.

Not admitting they haven't got a school but the LIO cannot name a single suitable provision. I have asked face to face, emailed and put it in writing "tell me the alternative provision" and got zilch, nada.
LEA keep quoting maintained mainstream provision even though ds's statement is written like a special school statement because his current placement is an ASD unit with ft 1 to 1 support.
His current placement have informed the LEA that the school no longer meets his needs, ed psych and LIO also confirm placement no longer meets his needs and won't be able to make enough adjustments to alter the situation.
But the LEA suggesting an unnamed mainstream placement is basically saying ds cannot cope with the current level of support so we'll offer him less
We are still waiting for the LEA to name a school so we can go to Tribunal if it isn't the Independent SS although I don't see how they have a case for Tribunal tbh if they name a provision with less support than he is currently getting that isn't enough.
Have everything on paper and/or email because I am making a formal complaint re the procrastinating and downright lies that I proved by getting emails from the two different people and forwarding them to each other I have an apology for that on email.

It may be better than it sounds - there seems to be a slightly different system for non maintained schools. Our LEA named mainstream school but backed down before tribunal, but we still had to go through a mysterious and nail-biting system of hoops involving assessment by non-maintained (not not independent) SS we had requested and waiting for their confirmation they could meet DS's needs, then LEA confirmation of start date. We got there in the end, so fingers crossed you do.
I would view the fact they have approached them at all as very positive.
Have they gone over the deadline for finalising the statement too?

Yes it should have been finalised February 23rd but because they can't name a school and are trying not to fund the Independent SS it has been one timewasting tactic after another.
Weekly panel not happening because of not enough members, two weeks to write to Independent SS, then more procrastinating whilst they considered their reply, then deciding that they wanted more information so decided to write again to SS in spite of the fact SS said they needed to assess ds in order to answer their questions. Two more weeks to write second letter at which point I informed them I would be making a formal complaint and so they decided to ask SS to assess and still I get "we are investigating maintained mainstream" even though they have known since December that his current provision is not enough.
We are stuck in no man's land because we can't appeal because they haven't named a school and the reason they haven't named a school is because there isn't a school. Ds currently gets the highest level of maintained provision available in County for a child with autism without SLD, there are no more placements to try so they are investigating mainstream which means less support without the specialist input that he currently has. It makes no sense because he needs more support not less.

SS school are assessing ds on 5th May, I have pressured the LEA to email request to assess rather than by mail because it takes two weeks to get a letter out of them.
The outcome of the assessment will go to the next weekly panel (so long as it goes ahead) but apparently even when SS confirm they can meet ds's needs the panel may still continue to look for a maintained provision although they have provided no evidence of the measures they are taking to find this elusive maintained provision