Turned down for Assessment nursery. Ideas please!

[Tiggywunkle]

Long story, but after viewing four schools we applied to one in the nearby city rather than in our own county. It's nearer to get to the Special school in the city than the not very nice one in our own county.
DC is 18 months but a summer baby. So for assessment nursery he falls into next school year ie 2012-13.
But today we got told that the school in the city is 'over subscribed' which isn't what we have been told elsewhere because most nursery assessments are done in a specialist centre elsewhere, plus there are other schools.
We will of course keep reapplying but I am not hopeful now that we will ever get a place. We don't want to move into the city but would consider moving across country.
Has anyone got any advice for reapplying next year (there's no point appealling because TBH since we applied we think he wouldn't cope until the following year anyway when he is just 3)? If we don't get a place early on then long term he will be sent to a school that is a minimum 3 hour round trip each day and I don't want that.
Or has anyone got any advice on finding nice Special schools elsewhere in the country?
Thanks in advance.

I think there probably is a point to appealing, at least for the school place if not the nursery. Special schools aren't subject to the usual rules about teacher ratios cos they have more staff.

For a SN tribunal you need to prove the other school can't offer your dc an adequate education, which includes meeting their particular needs. The difficulty with having the assessment done in the 'wrong' place is that few people like writing about needs they can't deal with. Not in a machivellian way, more in a hopeful, ok we'll do x for his speech, y for his scissoring, z for his socialisation. But there may be more pressing issues, and you need to make sure the reports contain everything that concerns you as parents.

The long bus trip sounds problematic for a small child with cp. Sitting in a chair for an extra 3 hours a day needs careful thinking about.

Just read your op again and dont see a diagnosis so really sorry if I've imagined the cp. Though the principle of needing to state why (related to the SN) the bus trip is problematic still holds!

Thanks :)
Yes he will need Special School and will get a statement. We have had Portage since birth and have an Ed Psych. It's still difficult to know the extent of his needs because he is so young, hence the nursery assessment place for next school year. He's young enough that waiting a year would probably now suit us better.
The journey probably wouldn't be an issue to him...he would probably sleep it and be up all night though! But a 3 hour round trip is nothing I would consider for my children each day. I wouldn't do it to work as an adult!
I need to tell Portage, my very supportive HV etc and work out a plan of action.