How much £ does a MS get for funding a child with a full statement?

[Lesley25]

Hi everyone,
I know this isn't my concern, but after several meetings with the school i do feel that the funding- and lack of it so to speak, is being shoved under my nose.

I don't suppose anyone out there knows how much (in £) a school would get for a child with a full statement? Are they really out of pocket??

Progress for these children is very slow, by definition. That's why they are classified as having severe learning difficulties.

When DD1 was 4 years old she had a 'severe S&L delay'. 4 years later her language skills have improved by around a year. That's with fortnightly S&L group and a whole school curriculum S&L programme - her teachers all sign all the time to everyone, regardless of ability (including each other). She is making good progress.

Children with severe learning needs will progress more slowly in the majority of areas. Why should these children be denied appropriate sensory materials for their developmental stage? Sand is a great medium for fine motor development -pincer grasp, etc. Water trays can give sensory feedback which then allows the child to become alert and ready to absorb teaching.

Working hard with a child doesn't necessarily mean making the child work hard. It is having the skill, knowledge and expertise to deliver their learning in a way that is motivating and doesn't compromise their other needs.

No worries -

Working hard with a child doesn't necessarily mean making the child work hard. It is having the skill, knowledge and expertise to deliver their learning in a way that is motivating and doesn't compromise their other needs. - I did not see that happening in the schools I went - State and independent

You may not have thought you saw it. It doesn't mean it wasn't happening, necessarily.

Lougle once again I completely agree with you Aba simply wasn't an option for us financially and dds as is brilliant I have tried to help her at home but for whatever reason she responds better to school staff

'I do agree with lougle on many things. I have grave doubts as to whom MS inclusion is serving and I am also increaseingly cross about the number of families, already disadvantaged by disability, who are having their children's childhoods stolen in a wave of appointments, statement/placement chasing, bullying and prejudice.'

I absolutely agree with this zzzzz but it doesn't mean that MS Inclusion 'couldn't' work. It just doesn't in that majority of cases and at least at the beginning parents start by believing the dream (because it is frigging possibly ffs) then believing the lies that it is happening, then discovering the lies, blaming it on ignorance and trying to get people on board with the dream and then realising no-one has nor had any intention of this, and then finally giving up on the dream.

At least that is what kind of happened to me, though my learning on this journey will help ds wherever he is now but it is MY learning and MY work.

I honestly don't think it can work in the current system. I agree with you, Star, that it could work for some children but for the majority the timeline is:

Year R: 1:1 support with activities. Play either in same room as or, if lucky, alongside peers.

Year 1: 1:1 support plus withdrawl for phonics/reading/literacy/numeracy. Drift further behind peers. Play alongside or in same area as peers.

Year 2: 1:1 support with withdrawl/different work for all areas. School concerns about inappropriate peer group. Motion made to move to Special School.
------------
Year 3: Year almost lost due to adjustment to special school

Year 4: Starting to make some progress

Year 5: Progress made - transition to Secondary planned.

Year 6: Progress made.

How is that fair to a child? If mainstream 'works' why is it that it is well known that Year 3 is a typical 'step off' point into special?

Why is special derided as 'babysitting'? I was in a PMLD class yesterday and it was absolutely full to the brim with activity. The children each had individual plans for the day and every moment was used to the good of them. You may not have seen that when you went to view it, because for those children it is 'normal' to have continuous provision of physiotherapy, OT, SALT, etc. You may have seen someone just sitting down with a toy. What you wouldn't see is that 5 minutes ago they had to do something really difficult and demanding and the 5 minutes just sitting is their reward.

What always strikes me is that so often the things that are being battled for in tribunals and statements are a special school's 'bread and butter'. For example, due to the nature of the SALT provision, everyone gets it. Now it's unlikely, granted, that a child at Special School wouldn't need SALT, but even if they didn't, they'd still get the benefit.

At special school DD1 can sound like she's just had fun all day. She came home the other day and said that she'd been on a tiger hunt. One of the LSAs had facepaint,etc and was the tiger. But that 'tiger hunt' was packed with numeracy, literacy, sensory, etc.

Lougle I agree again at dds school there in the secondary dept they are trying to do more courses with the local college .in dds class they do a huge variety of activities and outings

lougle - if there had been any non-MS options in our area for DS1 through primary school, we would have been all over them. We're only in the situation we are now, at this late stage because there was nothing to fight for, before. Even at this point, there are no state SS and only one of many indy SS in the entire region which can meet his academic and social needs.

DS2 is thriving in MS and actually enjoys those relationships where the older girls mother him. His circle is widening, as a result and, as his own peers mature around him, he's beginning to trust them, too (the boys are another matter, but he'd have a whole cohort he couldn't form any links with, anywhere). He's finally forming bonds with children his own age and it benefits him that they are socially able.

I was expecting to see OT working 1-1 with kids on pincer grap, vision therapy for children with those problems(which mine has, she has depth perception issues). I know every child is differently abled and some like mine are very disbaled, so why not work harder with them? Rather than just dishing out plain vanilla "tactile treasure box" and "blowing bubbles" techniques? I was expecting them to show me a room where the kids get a sensory diet.

And this is a reason why DS2 isn't in SS, yet, even though he will have to eventually. He is with a lovely full time 1:1 who sits in on all his therapies (well, SALT, anyhow!) and carries them on, for the rest of the week.