mainstream v special school

[MUM2TJ]

Hi, a bit of background first my son has a dx of sli and general development delay, hes been attending ms since nursery with 1:1 support, he currently does 3 days in ms and 2 days development centre hes nw in reception. hes progressed so much since sept.my issue is the ms he attends is saying hes progressed loads but stil dont feel they can meet his needs and it feels like they are expecting me to choose a different school. I dont know what to do as in my opinion if hes progressing,then isnt that a good thing? So i guess am asking what would anyone else do in my position as I am finding it so hard to make a decision. He currently has a statement of sen.

anyone??

Visit lots of schools in your own Lea and neighbouring and see if you can find one that can meet his needs and you feel he will be a good 'fit'.

I agree with vjg13. I would look at it from the perspective of finding a school that can meet his needs, rather than a mainstream vs special school choice.

Have a look at what's in your area (mainstream and special) and take it from there.

Good luck. :)

Just as a note - the only legal grounds for chucking a kid out of mainstream are if 'his education is disruptive to the efficient education of others'. They can't just say 'we can't meet his needs' . You are right that if he is making any progress, that is good. It's one thing I'm proud of the uk for - it is a legal right for ALL kids to access our mainstream education system: not just clever kids. Hold your ground if you think mainstream is right, don't be bullied in unlawful grounds.

Who in the school is saying this? Is it his teacher/SENCO/HT? I only ask because i would be wondering why and how they feel they cant meet his needs, and if theres something that can be done to change this. Do you have good relationship with school?
Personally I wouldnt want my child at a school that didnt 'want' him IYKWIM, as I would worry that they wouldnt be prioritising his needs. But if for example, his teacher IS happy with him, then theres lots of room to negotiate a package with the school to see how they can feel they can meet his needs. Can you get advice/support from parent partnership?

Sorry, just one more legal note to have up your sleeve. If it is the parent's wish that the child goes to mainstream, that comes first in law - and if the school argues that the child is in fact "disruptive to the efficient education of others", then the law asks "are there some reasonable adjustments which can be made in order to facilitate this kid staying in the mainstream system, since it's the parental wish". In my DS's case (ASD and LD), a "reasonable adjustment" was that he had a desk in the corridor for when he couldn't do the lessons, or was too noisy. In your case, a reasonable adjustment is that at the moment he only does 3 days a week in the mainstream class. You can review that split between school and other setting as he progresses, but there is no law that says "full time or no time" - ie it is still deemed to be a mainstream education even if he's only there part time. You may have to grow a thick hide to deal with this stuff, and I wouldn't suggest marching in and shouting your legal rights, but I would suggest gently making it clear that you know your child's rights and that you will not be pushed around if you think something is benefitting him. Charming but determined was how I'd describe myself during my son's 3 years in mainstream, at most points of which someone (either school or LA) was trying to get him out!

Hi MUM2TJ,
Every child is a little universe and so different, there are many factors to consider.

When we decided to move DS to a special school, we were 100% convinced that it would be the right thing for HIM. I visited schools, asked about the profile of the children, saw what type of targets they were achieving, checked ofsted reports, checked if my son would fit in, checked what sort of in-sight help he would get. I also invested in a private EP report to get some advice.
I also tried my very very best to support DS's mainstream education as much as I could, I really wanted him to remain there for as long as possible. As I say, when we finally made the decision, we were convinced it was the right one.

I gather from your OP that you are happy with the way things are going in MS, if the school mentions issues again the best is to ask for more specific examples of areas that DS's needs are not being met. Are there other children with sn in this school?

If you have more specific questions about our transition from ms to sn let me know.

If he started in Sept then I personally think its too early for the school to come to any opinion. They are ALL taking time to settle into school, some have only just turned 4 when they started (lots of august birthdays in our class!). Therefore I would look around but hang on in there for a while yet and see exactly what they think the problem is. DD now has a full time statement and the first few terms the school were at a loss as to what to do with her until she was statemented. Even then it took a while for them to know what to do with her. We are now moving her to a SS next year when she'd due to start year 3. She has gained ALOT by being in a MS school, but equally it really isnt the right place for her. However I feel that by giving MS a really good chance and by trying to work with the school it has helped her to progress in a number of ways and we know now that SS is more suitable. However this is a decison we have come to over time. Its a lot clearer to make now than it ever woul have been in reception.

Speak to the teacher, the SENCO, and the 1:1 worker, when the annual review of the statement is due then ask those involved - SALT EP etc what their view is, the EP should give you the best idea of what progress is being made and then take it from there.

Sometimes it can be a case that a whole school just isn't really switched on to SEN, sometimes it can be just one individual teacher - but then next year it can all change - new teacher much more clued up and its a different story.

Above all don't panic. Just ask the questions about what their concerns are and take it from there. Come on here and this board will always save your sanity!

Good luck x