1-1 support - Scotland

[MommyUpNorth]

Hello. Could someone please point me in the right direction to find out whether or not 1 to 1 support is something that is still a current option? My son is 5 and will be starting in P1 next year. We have been told that there will no longer be 1 to 1 support workers, and that there will be a Learning Support Auxiliary available in his class. He has SLD/genetic condition and currently has 1 to 1 support at both his mainstream & special needs nursery placements (split placement which will hopefully continue next year).

Is there a new policy which I can find this info? I'm about to dive into the Enquire site, and read through the Education Act 2009 document... but thought someone here might know where to find out faster!

Thanks!

Mommy whereabouts are you? I take you have multi disciplinary team involved. In my area children in mainstream will get 5 to 16 hours. Although they keep quiet about the 16 hours. Beyond that you would be looking at a unit attached to a school.
Kindred have a helpful advocacy service for the Lothians and Fife. Govan law centre give advice too.

Does your boy need 121 all the time or does he struggle with particular parts of the day, eg break time, going to. the toilet?

Thanks so much for the reply. We're in Caithness.

He struggles with everything really. He's still in nappies, needs help with eating (help opening a lunch box/drink... doesn't actually eat if too many distractions), he's non-verbal and uses his own version of some Makaton combined with a choice board.

As far as break time... if we were at home and I just let him out into the garden, he would wander about, eat some grass (dandelions are the fave when they're up!) and would 'play' if I directed him in some way. He wouldn't have the skills or cognitive development to join in a game with other children.

In the classroom, he's not yet at a P1 level as far as learning, so I assume will be doing a differentiated curriculum like he's supposed to be doing in nursery.

He doesn't respond to his name every time it's spoken, and knows very few spoken words... so someone would sign and show a picture of whatever is happening next.

Sorry this is a bit choppy... I would assume he still needs 1-1 as we still do it at home... I couldn't imagine a point in the day where he would be left to just get on with it! :)

The documents I looked at don't seem to have that level of detail in them, so I'm not sure where to find out about this... and get it in writing!

About the multi-disciplinary team... yes, we've been having these big team meetings since he was about 1!

I'm no expert mommy, hopefully some others will be along soon.

If you were in a city I would imagine you'd be looking at a language unit. Are there any in Caithness?

I think you need to get on to his ed psych about options from August. It may be that in absence of local language units, he would get 121 in mainstream.

We have a 'resource base' attached to a mainstream school... this is where he attends at the moment, but as of August, you can only attend with an Autism diagnosis. There is another 'resource base' at a completely different school which has 1 class of 'everyone else' for lack of a better description as that is how it's been put to us.

The Ed Psych, Paed, SLT, etc all feel that he couldn't really attend any school without full time support. But it's this new line of there being a support worker in the class (not specifically for him) which is causing the trouble. We've rang the office where these policies are produced, and the Special Educational Needs Support Officer (I think that's his title) and we've been given the same info. We asked for the policy name, so we can look this up, but apparently it's just how it is... no policy?? I'm trying to work out who set up this new policy... school, health, education, etc, but no one is owning up to it!

Is there not some legal framework for this? Everything seems like such a challenge to find out basic information! Plus it seems to change depending on who you ask!

I think your last sentence probably sums up what we're going to be facing. He'll probably be requested to join the 'resource base' and then attend the ms school for a shorter period of time so as to not require so many hours of support... They've already said that transport is on them for ferrying back and forth to the different schools, but somehow it doesn't feel like a good deal.

They're going to bus him to a different school because he has language problems but not 'autism'? Are you happy with that?

In my city they've just mixed up the language units and stopped such distinctions.

As I understand it all p1 classes have an assistant anyway, plus whatever for asl kids. How many kids are in the resource base?

In your position I would be making an appointment to see my councillor and or msp.

i wouldnt even put him into school. are you in a position you could home educate him?

i agree with oodles, you need to start contacting people that can possibly make a difference.

it sounds like they are doing what suits them, and not whats best for your child.

also, i wouldnt trust them as far as i could throw them (sorry for being so cynical)

We are in the position to HE, but I feel like that is really letting the school off the hook for him and for any children in the future who would like to remain in m/s.

We don't know how many children are currently attending the resource base. We asked this question, and the age range & skill level of the other children, and also how the curriculum works within the classroom (and what curriculum is being followed!).

We're not happy with him being bused here and there throughout the day. At the last transition meeting I wanted a picture of a typical day in the m/s school and what he would do all day. The answer was that the P1 curriculum is mainly play so he'll be fine!? At the resource base, he'll venture into that m/s P1 class when appropriate... so it sounds like he'll be in 3 separate classes according to this 'plan', not to mention the changes for music rooms, gym, lunch, breaks, etc... I don't know how they'll keep consistency throughout all the settings...

Thank you both for the replies... really giving me something more to think about, and I'll try to contact some higher up people!

We are still in pre school but attached to a primary school and my DD gets 1-2-1 support for the 12.5 (full time) hours she attends. She is a Feb bday so we are deferring but as I understand it she would have been eligible for full time 1 - 2 - 1 if she started in P1 this Aug. The "other" support in the case is not there to support special needs as such.
She is verbal but need physical support, in nappies etc.

I have not had a chance to look at it but this link may help

www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2004/4/contents

Thinking about your ds overnight mommy, I wonder how much the lea are planning to spend on taxi fares to this other school that could be spent on direct support at his local school.
My ds is also Feb birthday and deferred this year. But I understand from friends and ht at our local school that p1 is about hammering in the alphabet and getting them reading by the end of the year.

Thanks for the link isw... that's the one I'm working my way though, but I'm not sure the answer is even in it!

The school possibly has a contract for the taxi company, but it's roughly £10 between the two schools & £15ish for a trip home from the special school. Cost would obviously be based on the days he would attend... but there was talk about mornings at one school, and afternoons at the other... It still looks a lot cheaper than a support worker?

Also, this is ds's second year of nursery (enhancement year? can't remember what it's called) so he'll have to move up in August (he'll be 6 in Dec). Our 3 older children did Jolly Phonics, started the Kipper books, looking at numbers, and loads more! They complained about the lack of toys in P1! One of our sons is in P3 now, so it's not too long ago!

One of our IEP targets is getting ds to correspond 3 jolly phonics sounds (m, b, p) with the pictures and making the sound. He's done the m only because that is one of the sounds he's always been able to make, and the other 2 they're working on are pretty much hopeless! I'm thinking the school feels that if they are 'working on' these items which are part of the curriculum, then that's inclusion!?

I don't think you will find any written policy which makes it harder to challenge as I am sure you are realising. What you are being told is more or less what happens in practice, it is rare for a child to get 1-1 support allocated to that specific child whether in mainstream or special school. Even in special schools, where many of the children have challenging and demanding conditions, you would not find 1-1s allocated to a particular child - class of 6 with 2 or 3 PSAs is more common.

What level of support do the children in the resource base for 'all the others' get ? It's often useful to look further down the road to see what similar children are getting as the years go on. Professionals will always talk up the wonders of what they are providing before getting the child into a placement but getting their attention in later years is harder particularly if you want a change.

I'm not sure what the support is like in the resource base. The teacher is retiring at the end of this school year, and there is no one set up to take over yet.

I'm sure you're right about the set up of a teacher and then a few support staff in the room... I can't imagine it being a 1-1 set up as they wouldn't even have the room for it! Trouble is that when they say that ds will be taken through to the m/s P1 class, he would need someone with him then (and that would leave them short in the special needs classroom, right?)... they never really answer these questions in meetings and often say that parents don't really worry about all these 'little' things!

At the Autism 'resourse base' the children all do have 1-1 support workers, and it's a fab school. I suspect the staff there have better training and support as they all seem to have a much better attitude about LD than some of the LSAs I've met in the school.

I'm afraid we're the parents who worry about everything as even things in the IEP are meaningless, and when it was set up, they marketed it as all the extra help for very specific things - Ha! And now apparently a CSP is not what we need as it won't get us anything we don't already receive.

The system is simply baffling, and I always feel like I'm asking for something we're not entitled to... mainly an education which ds can actually benefit from!

Thanks again for all the replies.

Mommy I was going to ask whether he has a csp. If not, it sounds like you have a reasonable case to apply for one. Why is the IEP not working? Is it too woolly or has it just been parked in a drawer?

Is the special school any good?

Various issues over the IEP... starting with the HT keeps changing, so we've had various HTs over the last couple of years as each one is temporary. We then seem to just go over the same old things each time.

This year we just skipped over the annual review as the new HT was unaware... so no new targets set...

Some targets were set up in playgroup so are now in the third year!

Had a target for trying to pedal a trike. The OT was supposed to get a trike (it never appeared), but after about a year I asked them to remove the target as we couldn't actually do it!

I mentioned the phonics sounds target earlier...

Our last 2 meetings... Sept meeting, got the finished IEP in December (after numerous emails/phone calls/ phone calls to higher up dept, etc). Just had this term's meeting in mid January, and still waiting for the new copy to be distributed. HT said that everyone is working to the 'new' targets, but seeing as the LSA had asked me for photos for one of the targets, I know they aren't. :(

When targets require resources, no one actually provides anything... then it's brought up in the next meeting, so just seem to waste whole terms doing nothing.

It's all so draining, and we're only in nursery! I sort of feel if they can't deal with him for the very short time he's in now, how will they provide a stimulating & appropriate education when he goes full time!?

The special school is fab, but it's an early years centre which will only cater up to P1 (the rules with all these places change regularly, so that could be different by next year!)... so we're actually doing all the fighting for 1 more year there and then will have to start all over again. The council is trying to merge the m/s school (which the s/s is attached to) with another, but there is no plan yet for where the Autism base will be. Then it seems that on the other resource base will be left, so don't know what the future will be with that as it's quite a small space.

Do you want him to go to a MS school?

Sounds like a SS might be a better option.....

A MS teacher, will do what you said, and try and differentiate - but that means adapting what the class are doing - rather than choosing something designed for him.....

Sorry I wasnt more help! OH working alot of hrs so RL gets on the way! I did think of someone who may know though. We attend the recently renamed Access to education program at the craighalbert centre in cumbernauld. They work with ms amd ss kids and seem very clued up on support options. Maybe if u contact them they would be able to piont you in the right direction of the current legislation even if they cant help you directly. Good luck !

Thanks again everyone.

Indigo, I couldn't really give a yes or no to that question as I would have to see how the reality of the m/s classroom would be. We put him into the m/s playgroup & nursery so that he would have a set of same age peers to learn & copy from, and try to develop some social skills. It does work, but it doesn't speed up his learning iyswim... he will still be way behind... but it worked for the younger years. We just don't know how the switch to going from a play based room to a learning room will go.

isw, we've been going to CC since DS was 2... just recently finished our placements as we felt it was time to move on. Such a brilliant Centre, and Diane had helped us greatly with setting up everything we wanted in a school so far! :) She also gave us the Enquire book & lots of leaflets on helpful topics, but I think now it's down to the school to either decide they want to help, or they don't. At the minute it just feels like they would be happier if we moved along... but it's hard to read them sometimes!

It was Diane I was thinking of. It sounds like you are doing everything you can but its always hard what the right decision is.