Any ideas how to prevent special pre-school from closing?

[fapl]

Hello all,

My son attends a very special pre-school, it is inclusive with up to half of its places being offered to children with additional needs (all sorts of needs including some very high needs children, downs, ASD, deaf, cerebal palsy, any additional needs really). It has a very low staff to student ratio (1:3, or 1:1 if high needs), and the staff really help students settle into reception, helping them get statements while still at pre-school and talking to their reception teachers when they move to big school. They help parents devise strategies who are struggling at home too.

It has been funded by local government grants, which have been cut, and the pre-school is facing imminent closure if we don't raise £15,000 the children will not finish the final term of the academic year, with a bigger deficit projected for next year.

Does anyone have any ideas of what we might be able to do, any organisations or individuals to approach etc. that might be able to help, with anything at all really, most pressingly cash to help keep the place open but people that can advise on business planning and alternative sources of long term income. We are in Lewisham, SE London.

Any ideas at all? I am desperate the community do not lose this amazing resource.

Further info here:
www.lops.org.uk
www.SaveLOPS.com

When my DS's special pre school was threatened with closure we started a campaign to save it. Local (opposition) councillors were helpful but it went to the school adjudicator. Our argument was that the school 'promoted' MS inclusion as it provided specialist early intervention which enabled the DC to progress enough to attend MS schools with appropriate support who might otherwise have required a SS. Not my personal opinion, as many DC are better off in SS rather than MS, but to keep the school open... We also pushed the school's role as an outreach centre providing specialist help/courses to local primary schools and preschools. The school adjudicator decided our arguments were valid and refused to allow the LA to close us.

Thanks for this information. Can I ask if you are in England or somewhere else? My understanding as to why pre-school funding has been hit so hard in our borough is because it is not compulsory school age yet and therefor the borough has no responsibility to provide education for children this age.

The council has not totally cut funding, but have cut enough that the school cannot operate. Who are the school adjudicators? how do I look for them in my local area?

I'm in England. My DS's school is a LA school up to reception age. To close a school the LA must go through a consultation process, which includes going to a local panel. Can't remember what it was called but it was like an appeal panel with members of churches, local head teachers etc. We had to submit our case to this panel, which wouldn't make a decision one way or the other, so it was passed on to the national school adjudicators. Google them, they have records of the cases they have made decisions on. I'm on my phone but I'll see if I can link in a bit.

www.education.gov.uk/schoolsadjudicator/about

Link to the schools adjudicator website. I've pmed you also. X

Thanks EllenJane for this and the pm you sent.

Unfortunately I think our case is different as it is a registered charity, not run by the LA (although a charity that has mostly subsisted on council grants and only minor fundraising efforts in the past).

There may be a lifeline if we can get through the next year or 2, so back to begging, baking cakes and brainstorming, if anyone else has any other ideas...

Aw, sorry.

I have no idea how you would go about it sorry
What springs to mind though is if these children don't go to this school, they will have to go somewhere else, so u would start compaigning - MP's, councillors anyone that has any political clout ...
Also have you looked at lottery grants?
Any places that you might be able to get to give you some money - preferably a lot

Most of these dc would need 1-1 if they were added into a regular preschool, right? Which would be more costly than current provision. So I think your best bet is to see if the local mainstream nurseries will visit (with parent permission) to 'observe and assess' the dc who they would end up taking on.

My dc's opportunity playgroup survived after a similar saga, but this was by being merged into a council children's centre that needed a nursery group. I do wonder if your playgroup's card is marked by 'excessive' success in getting statements for these dc, though.

My other thought is that perhaps something complicated like federating to an academy and offering some provision for statemented reception-age children might save the council enough money for keeping you open to be worthwhile.

We had same with dd2 school. LA wouldn't fund full place as they stated "SN kids don't need special schools because they are well enough supported in MS settings", then they pull ALL funding!
I wound get in touch with local newspaper, government and business.
Ask for companies to have you as their charity of the year, waitress and asda do something similar. Apply to every local MP for their local grants (each one has a pot of money), this includes your little local ones, ask every parent to ask everyone in their local area.
Look at sponsorship of children, can a company sponsor one child's space for a year (they like this sort of thing).
Hope this helps

Thing is new government drives is to NOT have specialist schools
Certainly in our area all SN schools are not allowed to just be a MLD, EBD, asd and physical disabilities school. They have to accept all SN. Why?? So the LA can send children to their nearest SN school and cut the transport budgets because they then say needs are met at all local schools.

Have you tried the local Community Vouluntary service? The one in my area has a person who's job it is to help with fundraising and filling in applications. If there is such a person there they may know of other sources of funding that could be accessed.