I have a meeting tomorrow largely it seem to beg for special school place

[Jennylee]

there are 3 places at this a.s.d resource in a mainstream high school, there are more than 3 autistic children needing it, I will have to try and make them see my son should be one of them or else he will be going to the mainstream high school, who have taken no interest in his needs, for august even though we and the school he is at have attempted to make contat and transition arrangement since last year. just posting as no one else I knwo ahs this problem everyone else does not really get ti as they ahven't lived it.

It's important that you show clearly that the other school will not meet his needs and the resource school will. Have you visited both schools, you do need to do this and then make your own lists as to why each is suitable/unsuitable. IME you must come across as reasonable but firm. The lack of places is not your problem and the LEA will need to address that.

eg, numbers of pupils, security of site and layout, number of children with additional needs, ofsted, transition arrangemets etc. Good luck.

Make sure you visit both, more than once if necessary. Contact SOS SEN who should give you a questionnaire to give to both schools to fill in. That is usually pretty helpful.

thank you both so much these are things I had not thought of as we have been todl she only had to the end of this month to place the children and decide other wise its into next term when they ahve their 6 weekly meetings, we are told it is highly unlikely but will ask anyway and have made a placing request which they now have to consider. we are cosndering not putting him in school untill prvision is made but teaachers think that will amke him more anxious as leads to uncertainty

I think withdrawing him from school would be a mistake and will weaken your case. Does your son have a statement? Has he had a recent EP report?There may also be schools in neighbouring LEAs which may be able to meet his needs and you need to visit those.

you are right I realise that would mean that the lea didn't need to do anything so thats not an option as we want help for him, he has lots of intervention stuff and reports but no diagnosis untill may, and yes there is one more school that has an a.s.d resource in the area. I will ahve to make some notes and plan this evneing when the kids are in bed all the stuff I have to put across

hi I don't think we do he has been having meetings and I.E.Ps but it is only since January that the school have told us they think he has Asperger's adn we looked into it and realsied he ahs and that explains everything about him his constant fighting and inability to cope and meltdowns, we thought his behaviour was caused by glue ear, we were very wrong. His assessment in in middle of May for diagnosis. the head teacher and assistand are good at his school they look after him every day for hours some days, don't see how a High school are going to to do that and he barely does any work since this last year where his expression of the syndrome has become worse and no longer explainable by anything else, also his hypermobility casued writing to cause him pain after jsut a few words and this has made written work come to a standstill, I don't knwo why he even goes to school most days. We are in Scotland, the woman tomorrow is the Principal support officer for A.L.N and it si an I.A.M meeting I feel like I have nto got a clue what all this is, was a last day of term phoen call sayign we ahve a meeting first day back, anyway will report back tomrrow.

Things are done differently in Scotland, Jennylee. Really good luck with it tomorrow.

Arrgh the L.E.A say there is a meeting it exists but the school were not aware had forgotten the lea secreatary remembers talking to the head the head does not, balls. the school needs to send them something too, blardy school have ballsed up I think. babysitter and stress for nothing. ds is only going for 3 hours today so will see what they say when I go back again to collect him. we were there asking abotu the meeting and looked at as if from space :(

Can he get into the school with the unit, even if they turn you down for the unit itself? Reason being, if his coping skills then fall apart they might somehow manage to fund an extra place in the unit (rather than expensive external provision) and he'll be saved the disruption of moving schools altogether. And the whole-school-awareness might be better in the unit's school.

thanks maria
I will consider that, I really hadn't thought of that , I will have to ask if he would get transport for mainsteam, he would get transported to the unit not sure if that would hold for mainstream, as then its out of our catchment area, but these ideas have been great