Transiton Post GCSE

[NoHaudinMaWheest]

I'm new though I've been lurking for a while. Ds 15 has AS, pretty severe OCD and dyslexia. He is academically very able and motivated. He is in a very supportive secondary school yr10 and doing well there after 8months in specialist psychiatric unit for his OCD last year. OCD still causes major problems at home but we now have a good psychologist working on it. My next worry is what he does post 16. Academically he is well able to do A levels but unfortunately his school does not have a 6th form (none of the secondary schools here do). The usual option is 6th form centre at FE college but it is huge and I doubt he could cope. Also picked up on here that statementing stops if not in school and worried about implications. Have set up initial meeting with school and Connections to discuss but any advice or experience would be gratefully received.

They should have held a transition meetinng between you, Head teacher, Connexions and any other agencies involved with your DS during Year 9 to decide what his eduactional placement will be post-16.

The SEN COP places the duty on the Head to arrange that meeting. If you have not yet had it you should call Head and ask them to arrange it.

LA/Connexions will try to push DS towards FE College. You'd need to find a college that does the courses he wants to do (Connexions should help you) and then contact the FE's Learning Support Team to find out what they can offer.

If the College cannot meet his SN requiremnets then you may want to look at independant FE Colleges that specailise in |ASD s (The Priory Group if you google it has many special FE Colleges). They can be residential or day colleges if you live close enough.

My ASD DS went to one run by the Farleigh Group. Like your DS he is very able and he took A |Levels with the College's support. He's now doing an MSc at Uni - so very well worthwhile looking into this option.

Word of advice - ask for a Special Connecions advisor - there are not many of these but they know all the options for children with SNs whereas the usual Connexions PAs don't.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Wet August. We did have a transitions meeting in Yr 9 but he was only just out of hospital and noone knew how things would go so it felt like going through the motions rather than making a real plan. Did your DS board? My DS would have to as none near enough for day place and I think he would find it difficult, especially transferring between home and school for weekends. He found it diffcult when he started doing home visits from hospital though that didn't go on for long. Also did LA fund private placement?

My DS was also hospitalised in Year 9 and too ill to attend mainstream. He left hospital to board at residential specailist FE College, coming home at weekends.

It sounds as though your DS's condition is quite severe and chronic. Residential FE College may be the way to go as they also have a good social life there in the evenings.

DS's placement was funded by the Learning & Skills Council who used to be the funding body for post-16 education. The application for funding was made by Connexions. I'm not sure who funds what since the L&SC was disbanded but Connexions SN PA should know.

I'm glad tohear that your DS is doing so well academically Wet August. It is encouraging because I sometimes despair of my DS ever reaching his undoubted potential. I must admit that I really don't like the idea of DS going into residential placement. I know that at 16 we should be preparing for his moving away anyway but emotionallly and in practical independence he has always functioned at a level a few years below his chronological age. On the one hand, being away from home could be exactly what he needs to gain independence - being in hospital helped as much with this as with the OCD - but on the other if he is totally miserable and feels abandoned (which he might) it isn't going to help his learning and may worsen his OCD again.

It's a difficult call Wheest. I recognise what you say about them functioing below their chronological ages. The res FE College helped him gain some idendfence skills and a small circle of friends. Ideally he would have been able to attend a local FE college with support but the amount of support he required meant residential college was the only option.

Statements do cease post 16 if he leaves school. I think you need to get another meeting called with Connexions, Ed Pysch and Head to explore options and get his Statement amended to show post 16 placement by 14 Feb 12. There are also post-16 independant schools, if you could find one his Statement would remain in force.

I have a meeting with school and Connexions in a couple of weeks. I feel am a bit more prepared for what I need to ask about/for. Have looked at the Priory link. Farleigh colleges would be our nearest. Thanks for the help.

I said on another thread that the 139A isn't worth the paper it is written on. If he can be in specialist provision it will probably help, but if he can be somewhere where the Statement is still valid it is better.
Our Connexions advisor has offered to accompany us to our son's college because even Connexions are frustrated by how little notice some colleges take, and there does not seem to be a Body to enforce it.
You don't need the 139A done by 14 Feb in this area. I had been told this and panicked. Check with your Connexions Advisor.

Thanks jandy. I suspect that LA will push local FE college because it is cheapest option for them and because "he is doing fine in MS". But that's because it is an exceptionally good MS when it comes to SN of all kinds. He could go to 6th form in MS schools in other towns though they are all some distance away and I anticipate problems with travel and socialising which aren't easy anyway.

Similar problems but ds only 13 - very academic but just not able to cope with MS - we are He at the moment and have looked at interhigh which does online A levels (other providers as well) -