Autistic/SN Kids in Alternative Schools?

[LazyWoman]

Hi,

Does anyone have their kids go to "alternative" schools such as Steiner/Montessori? Or more mainstream private/independent schools?

Did you get state funding for this - if so what arguments did you put forward?

Thanks for your time.

Karen

Did you find anything useful on your other thread, where abouts are you?

Hi Zippitoes,

Only just managed to get onto my PC again - I haven't checked out your links yet - we're in West Sussex at the moment but planning a possible move to Hampshire.

Bye for now,

LazyWoman

The book home educating our autistic children- paths are made for walking has a case study where a child with AS went to a Steiner school. I think there are some Steiner Waldorf special schools as well (look up Camphill on google).

Would prob depend on the individual school, as even ones following the same philosophy can be very different. LEA funding would be difficult I think, but not impossible-will depend a bit on what alternatives they can offer you as you would have to prove that those were unsuitable.

Thanks getbakainyourjimjams,

I'm currently home-educating my 11 yr old DD & 10yr old DS - both ASD and it's working fine. I just feel it's perhaps time to move on, especially for my DD who I think is ready socially to go to school. Unfortunately, she is quite behind academically which I'm not worried about per se - it's just that I don't want her going to mainstream school and always struggling. We could send her to the local MSD school which is apparently a very good one but I feel she will just be "managed" there until ready to leave and I don't want that either. So I thought a school where the emphasis was not on academic achievement would be ideal. There's just so little choice. I'm sorely tempted to start my own!

Sorry for the rant!

Sorry - I should have said I've checked out the Steiner website but there's nothing suitable near where we live. I will look up Camphill though - should be interesting.

When I looked into this briefly ages ago I seem to remember all the Camphill schools were residential. Could be wrong though.

Hi Heartinthecountry,

I've just checked out the Camphill sites - I think you're right about them being residential but I really like the look of some of the centres and have and have added the website to my favourites as I think it could come in handy in the future.

I love the look of the Camphill schools - the Sheiling School in Ringwood in particular, it seems so outdoorsy, social and great way of encouraging independence. I spoke to a lady their just the other day. Unfortunately, It costs about £60k per year and you have to prove that the needs of your child can't be met within your LEA. Even though they cater for children from 6, they very rarely get kids that early because of the lengthy struggle parents have to get funding. If you are lucky enough to get funding, then I was advised that you don't move out of your LEA as you'd have to start the whole process again with your new one and there's no guarantee that it would grant you the money.

Good point NTT - you'd have to be mad to fight for funding, win, and then do it again!

I also liked the look of the Sheiling School, although I don't think my children need quite that level of care (perhaps I'm just being optimistic!)

Just a thought but if there are any parents out there who have been granted funding for their ASD kids to attend non-state schools, then they're either keeping very quiet about it, or they're very few and far between and don't belong to mumsnet!

Just one person on another list I belong to said she eventually got funding and that was for a private school which her son was attending already.

I'm not knocking state schools or the efforts that I know some teachers put in - it's just that I would a real choice for my children based on their needs, not on the amount of money it costs. I truly believe that if they get the help they need now, then it will be far cheaper for the taxpayer in the long run than if they attend schools that don't really fit the bill. Rant over!! :)

My kids go to a local privat school and there are a number of children with ASD who atend. I don't know if they get funding to help.....I do know that if they are RAF children there is a special needs allowance of around £5000 a year that you can claim if your child needs it. The situation is that you pay for the extra support and the RAF pays you back.

£60,000 is cheap for residential, its usually about double that. My DS goes to a slightly "alternative" school in that it is an ABA school that was set up by parents. Just like NAS schools, the cost per place seems very high (C.£60K) but, as they are not supported by the LEAs they have to charge for all the overheads and development etc. These are costs which LEAs also have to pay but do not quote per place at a school (I recently found out that the local unit costs £47,500 per place, not the quoted £13,000!). I guess you were talking about alternative mainstream schools though?

Davros- that's really interesting. DS1's school is supposedly 13000 a place and I wondered how on earth it cost so little.

Exactly, how could anyone seriously spend only £13,000 per child in a special school? Our local unit cost £750,000 to set up for 12 children and its only just reached 12 children. Apart from not having to quote all the costs, the costs in this unit have escalated due to needing more 1:1 etc. Not that I think its a bad place, they're just not very honest but then they don't have to be!

I was wondering how they managed to pay for such high staff ratios, hydrotherapy pool etc all on 13000 a year. I know the PTA helps- but with only 100 pupils in the school raising 20 grand (as it did last year), is going to be hard to beat.

I've heard, off the record, that places are lots more expensive than they seem. DD is theoretically £14,000 but add on 1:1 and that's nearly £30,000. I also know of older children in special schools with 2:1 and extra support etc who are at least £60,000

I think this is precisely why funding for non-state schools should be considered as a real option rather than something parents have to fight tooth and nail for. Even at my local MLD school where they have all the facilities, specialist teaching staff in place etc. it must cost at least £25,000 per year per child to keep them there and yet I know I could get a place for my 2 children tomorrow if I wanted it.

Why can't this same money be spent in a different way - either for my children to be put into a small mainstream private school with a part-time helper for example, or such as paying me to continue to home-educate and bring in help as and when I see fit?

Quite! Flexibility, choice and combinations would be great. I think there is very slow change towards combined placements but it is slow and piecemeal. If not fulltime m/s or special then some m/s with some special or some home with some m/s would be ideal wouldn' it?

Hi Davros,

Sorry, just read your comments after a really hectic few days - elderly father-in-law ill etc. All quiet on the Western Front now!

Yes, flexibility would be fantastic - what about a financial amount being allocated to each "Special Needs" (awful phrase - how about just "Special"?) child depending upon their difficulties, and then the parents can decide how they want to spend the money? Special School, Language Unit, Home-ed etc.