What would be your wish list for school?

[Robthelion]

My little boy is just about to turn four and due to start main stream reception in September. He has a dx of ASD and SLI. I have been asked by the Ed Psych to put together a list of my concerns and wishes for starting school in preperation for a meeting to apply for an IPFA. If it were you what would you be asking for, or what would you be highlighting?

It depends on your childs needs but probably less structured times such as in the playground, lunchtime, assembly and sports will be particularly challenging so may need support to sit still in assembly, copy others in PE, help with social skills and play in the playground. Will your child need support to follow instructions in class? Presumably he will need speech therapy and help with understanding the routine.

Thanks for the reply. The ed psych is going to be doing a report as will SALT Portage and his current pre school. I just wondered what strategies you guys have found most useful (so I can pick the best ones). I think it would be better if the new school knew I was a freak before we started then there would be less room for things to go wrong in the future :)

Will your ds have 1:1 support? Do you think he needs this support? The single most important thing to get right is a good LSA who will support your ds in class and in social time if necessary. The class teacher needs to know what your ds is capable of so that he / she will plan accordingly. The nitty gritty details such as the visual timetable, arrangements for lunch and playtime, possible difficult transitions need to be thought about before his first day so that staff know what they are doing. I also think that you might want to raise maybe having a set time to see teacher to discuss how ds is coping / settling in. The SENCO in dd's school who was her class teacher last year suggested this to me.

Pardon my ignorance here but what exactly is an IPFA?.

If you are in England or Wales I would put in a written request to the LEA for a Statement of Special Needs as this is legally binding. IPSEA's website has information on the statementing process and their information on there could well be useful to you www.ipsea.org.uk

Robthelion,

Oh, I have just realised what this is. Its an Individual Pupil Funding Agreement which the school need to apply for. I will stand corrected but I do not think these are legally binding.

I'd still apply for the statement regardless from the LEA in question. Statements however, can take a minimum of six months so although its too late now for a September start I would still make such an application asap.