Calling AT. Going to mainstream in a different LA with statement

[AgnesDiPesto]

...so am exploring our options as DS poss being forced into mainstream FT. What happens if we wanted to move DS to a m/s primary in a LA which is not our home LA?
What is likely to be on the table if we stay put is 1:1 TA hours, termly SALT and autism outreach say once a month (wild stab in the dark).
How would this work if we nominated a m/s school over the border?
Would we have home LA SALT / outreach or would they have to pay the other LA to provide the outreach?
SALT and outreach cover a wide rural area so actually the distance is only about 10 mins over border and less than they have to travel for other kids who live out in country
AT I know you were looking at this did you find out anything?
If we stay put worried will either turn into bullying of school if they support us or massive fall-out if they don't. So thinking school at arms length from our LA may be better option
Just don't want the other kids to be stuck in the middle of the fight (are at same school and only have few years left, established friends etc)
If this is going to be a dirty fight then wondering if better to put DS elsewhere before it gets really nasty.

Agnes, as a bench mark, we got low level TA for 20 hours not specified as exclusively for ds. Autism Outreach once every half term. 30 hours of SLT unspecified to include direct and indirect.

I know ds is probably a bit more high functioning than your ds but this appears to be pretty exceptional and outstanding provision far in excess of what the majority of less high function children seem to get in my LA.

I think you can possibly benchmark against my LA.

I understand that if out of county place then the professionals come from the out of county LA (the school would generally not be happy with a different arrangement) but are paid for by residential LA, which is why they will fight against it due to the zero costs argument.

Star is right. The resident LA remains in charge of the statement but the county where the school is based supplies the service which they charge the resident LA for.

We encountered this, as you know, by chance, after locating a fab little school over the county border. We live close to the borders of two other counties so it must be a fairly common situation.

I have had to apply for places to my own LA and DS's statement will remain as it is. The provision on his statement will have to be organised by our own LA but the services they contract for her do not extend to the next county so the LA will have to come to an arrangement with the school county to provide them.

Another benchmark for HFA child: (eventually) full-time support (Level 3 TA) (inc. lunch and breaktimes = 33 hours per week), termly SALT visits (some direct, but mostly overseeing TA providing programme) - ditto OT programme plus half-termly autism outreach and occasional EP reviews. I'm told that this is exceptional; however, I know of a few other children with the same and it's mostly the more violent children. Anyone more passive is 'lucky' to have 15 hours.

I really hope that you get your son what he needs; I see your point about removing some of the conflict in an out-of-LA school.

Thanks
We have what he needs now! ABA - but are under threat of it being removed. Last tribunal was really awful and we are looking at loads of options including moving house, moving school in LA, moving school out LA, holding firm and fighting our corner .....but I just want a plan B and plan C for when it hits the fan.
Actually an autism outreach service not under the LA control might be a good move as we want them to say that outreach is not enough and he needs specialist...
Star I am sure they would love to get it down to 20 hours as that would put all the funding onto the school, however even they may not be that stupid as to cut not only the specialist provision but the hours as well.
SALT comes half termly but plans to reduce to termly (but that was on basis we kept ABA) but they are useless anyway. I guess if we lost ABA, SALT would be increased, which would actually just be loads more appointments for no benefit.

Whatever the outcome of tribunals etc it's probably unlikely that you'll keep the current level of aba input all the way to year six. So in a way the best choice of school might be the one most likely to accurately track his progress and continue teaching him effectively once the intensive aba has gone. And they need to back you in getting him moved if they aren't meeting his needs.

Mainstream v special, regular class v unit, aba specialist school v non aba, independent v state.... I suspect out of county might be safer. Faith schools can be a bit bolshier with councils (but sometimes with parents too!)

we were rather hoping he would not need ABA until year 6. The plan was 3-4 years intensive and then fading out to mainstream teaching / oversight. Thats what our provider tries to do for most of its children. I am sure the LA assume we want it forever but really we don't its a means to an end.

Mariamagdalena - I am coming to the same conclusion. A decent school, prepared to be honest about a child's needs so that they can back you if placement fails but who you can trust if they say a child is coping, is key.

My experience of DS's last school was that we spend ages fighting for provision that was worthless as it was being delivered by a useless TA in a school who didn't care. No amount of Tribunals would change this as all participants were prepared to lie.

A school which thinks a child's needs are more important than toing the LA line is crucial but not easy to find.

DS1 attended a mainstream school in a different LA. It was relatively simple - he had full 1:1 (100%), and we had SALT in part2/3 of the statement. It was ages ago - our LA supplied autism outreach, the other LA supplied things like computer adaptations.