So after 9 months of repeated delays and disregard for the law LA backed down at the eleventh hour to avoid Judicial Review and placed J in the independent specialist school that I wanted.
J is thriving, it is undoubtedly the right place, he is making what might be considered small steps but is in fact huge progress in his ability to cope with life in the outside world.
I forgot to send his lunch yesterday, it would ordinarily have been considered a catastrophe causing huge trauma to J. Instead he alerted a TA and went with him to a shop to buy his own without a hiccup 
Yesterday on the deadline for the LA to respond to our appeal against parts 2 and 3 they decided instead to apply to have the appeal thrown out and offered an early Annual Review instead.
School have said they wouldn't be able to contribute to an AR because J hasn't been there long enough for them to make assessments etc
It is the anniversary of the last AR next week, it took 9 months for them to issue a proposed amended statement, J has been in school since November so has attended less than 50 days.
We have to appeal because the statement doesn't show evidence of need for J to be where he is nor any description of the support he needs and the LA will use that to get him out otherwise.
LA seem happy to spend more funds fighting against me than they do actually funding the placement J needs.
I'm sick and tired and stressed out by it all and the LA won't have to explain their conduct at all which infuriates me tbh.