Now been told that DS wont get a statement if he goes to MS

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DS has ASD and is due to start school next Sept. He currently attends both a SN and a MS pre-school. I went to a meeting organised by the head of the LA Pre-school Specialist Support and Disability Service (who overseas the SN pre-school and is on the panel which decides whether to award statements), who categorically told me that if we wanted to send our children to MS schools, then the LA would not consider them for statementing.

I have looked round a few special schools and units and I believe DS's needs will best be met in MS with 1-1 support (probably needs full time support). I want him statemented. Reading between the lines, I think they would statement DS if I sent him to specialist provision, but I've been told that the authority are not statementing any DCs going in to mainstream, although "of course he would still be supported" by this new Pupil Resourse Agreement thing.

Because he is already in the LA flagship special school, they have already started "processing" the children they want to statement and are not putting forward any children for SA who they think will cope in MS. I have arranged a meeting with the aforementioned person for next week to tell them that regardless of the LA policy I want to apply for statutory assessment with a view to sending DS to mainstream, but I really don't feel like I can win with this when they have already decided which children they are going to statement.

Any advice gratefully received.

And then they can assess and conclude a note in lieu or a totally inadequate statement and so you appeal that too. And other things can get in the way.

I appealed contents of statement March 2011. Tribunal date after lots of messing around was Sept 2012. We were pretty unusual though and we had complications most don't but basically, - get a move on.

18 months from application for statement till the final one landed on my doorstep. LA's waste a LOT of time this way, that our kids can't get back so stick your application in the post asap.

wasuup3000. This is a separate point. The trick with funding matrix is to look at the matrix descriptions and see what the matrix does and does not describe about your your child and that then becomes the discussion which will raise the levels on the matrix. Its a rubbish in rubbish out approach.
Indi reports are generally very good at addressing these issues particularly if you ask the expert to consider the matrix points which are normally very subjective. If you can get a copy of the old matrix and compare that to the new then clearly the LA are operating a policy not to award SSENs which is a blanket policy of sorts, unless they have sunk vast amounts of new cash into the system. Worth a shot I would suggest.

Thanks Nigel. The LA have actually failed to adequately assess all of my child's needs anyway and a SAR revealed how they made their descision on which band with questionmarks about his needs as in they were not sure on and he now also has a diagnosis and this diagnosis reqiures teachers, teaching him to have training in this area. So hopefully we have got a good chance.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice. I have my meeting tomorrow and if I find out my DS is not going to be put forward for SA by his preschool, I shall instigate it myself.

Good - Look at IPSEA website for some template letters.

The government is changing the way councils have to allocate funding for high needs SEN. They want councils to come into line on the level at which they do statutory assessment. From April 2013 schools put in first £10,000 from delegated funds (roughly £4k they get for every pupil + £6k SEN). LAs then top up over that amount. Many LAs are annoyed as this only amounts to about 12 LSA hours per week when many LAs delegate up to 20. My LA has complained to Dept for Ed and told them they have no intention of issuing statements for children who get between 12 and 20 hours per week, they have not done this for 10 years, this would be a massive job (I doubt it as i reckon there are not that many between 12-20), they wont change to the new system in April 2013 and they are going to dream up their own banded system instead (groan). Dept for Ed has said it is strong guidance not law (so basically the LA can do what it likes). However perhaps your LA is going to change in which case the threshold for statements should come down to around 12 hours per week (but don't hold your breath)

Bad news is that in areas where LAs fund all the hours on a statement rather than a top up model then schools are going to be far more reluctant to take children on statements as its going to be a £6k hit for every statemented child, which obviously would cripple some schools.

I would be quite interested in seeing egs of banding - if anyone who has banding can PM me the name of their council I may do a FOI - would be good to see a selection of docs so I know what is coming in our direction. I'll do it through that FOI website so we can all see the results. Ta