PRU seems good.lEA want me tackett NIL as you can go there without one.

[starfish71]

Went to visit the PRU this morning. It did surprise me to be honest. Seems like they have good staff, quiet environment, similar children to DS, experienced with children 'on the spectrum'.

Just come off the phone with ASD advisory teacher who told me she can see DS doing well there..

Sad she had spoken to head case officer and that reason they haven't given statement is because he doesn't need one to go there.

I cried. I know she works for the LA but she kept saying "do you really want to put yourself through an appeal when he could have everything he needs at the PRU".

I will pick myself up but I am doubting myself now that I will be doing the right thing. BUT I know things can go wrong, that is why we are where we are now. He needs the protection of a statement doesn't he?

Oh god don't know what happened to my thread!that should say accept NIL

PRU's are not long term though are they?

And the point of a statement is that all the provision is set out and has to happen and progress is measured via annual reviews.

They keep telling me that he COULD stay there to do GCSE's etc. I do want DS to be able to move on from there though, with a statement.

Go with what you want your son has a right to a full time education x

Thanks wassup, will use that and anything else that I can use in my appeal be good. Feel a bit of a wreck this afternoon.

I know the feeling xx

I'd be still appealing and holding out for a statement. Tell them to stick the NIL where the sun does not shine!.

Exactly too what wasuup stated below:-
"And the point of a statement is that all the provision is set out and has to happen and progress is measured via annual reviews".

I think the fact they are considering a PRU means he DOES need a Statement. It is an admission his needs are beyond what a mainstream school can offer. They are also supposed to be short term. If nothing else, the Statement means there will be proper monitoring of his education at PRU and that any services which need to come in e.g. health, EP etc have to happen.

The whole 'putting yourself through appeal' is a red herring. They are trying to scaremonger you. Yes LAs can make appeals really unpleasant and make your life very difficult and some of us have had horrific experiences but the Tribunal process itself is not that hard or unpleasant, its only if the LA choose to make it so. Most of us who have made it to the end of the process have been glad that the tribunal process exists and have received better provision by taking it that far than we would have got otherwise.

The LA will know if they put him in a PRU and you appeal for a specialist placement there is a very good chance they will lose as PRUs are not designed to keep children long term / as an alternative to specialist placement and will prefer to place somewhere which can provide continuity past GCSE's. As appeals go yours should be one of the straightforward ones and I cannot see them taking you to tribunal on the basis of a NIL at a PRU.

I would at least take it to the next stage of issuing an appeal and getting their response. I would not be surprised if they caved in once the appeal is issued.

I do wonder though if the reason they won't give you a statement is because the opposite is true - are they even allowed to name a PRU as the placement in Part 4 of a Statement for anything other than a short term placement??? I would check with IPSEA (they have a new email service which may be quicker) whether a PRU can be named on a Statement long term

Thank you wassup, Atilla and Agnes , really picking me up as feeling very anxious.

Am noting everything you have all said. Thanks Agnes, have just submitted form to IPSEA!

thank you for being there.

why is asd advisory teacher discussing your case with statementing officer...is that usual?
as has been said already, surely the fact that your ds requires a PRU placement demonstrates that his needs CANNOT be met within a mainstream school setting and therefore he needs a statement.

Just had the NIL - states - The authority has received as part of the statutory assessment process and has concluded that FS's educational needs could be reasonably met from the support services which are normally available to children within *at school action plus.

Would anyone be willing to have a look at it for me please?

Not sure why autism teacher spoke to statement officer really, think she was trying to make sense of why they had made that decision. Maybe?

Have you got anything in writing about the pru?

bollocks - how can they meet his needs when he can't access school? Is he out of school due to anxiety?

Star, it says in part 3 of NIL -

When DS attends pupil referral unit, a secondary centre catering for the needs of pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties staff at the PRU need to be aware of DS's strengths and difficulties.

Yes he is not attending due to anxiety

so can a PRU be regarded as a service normally available for children at school action plus? I would think it wasn't.

Does he have seb difficulties?

What causes his anxiety and do you have evidence? (this is looking increasingly like an easy tribunal win tbh!)

Yes all the advices state he is highly anxious, finds the mainstream environment difficult to cope with. DS has social communication difficulties, aspergers but not dx but loads of evidenc in the advices.

Then he hasn't got EBD!

I know but they do have a lot of children there that have similar difficulties to DS, it could work there for a while but want him to access a mainstream with ASD unit after he has gained confidence etc.