What the hell are Additional Educational Needs?

[KOKOagainandagain]

DS2's school SEN policy reflecting 'guidance' from their LA, goes
SA up to 1 hour LSA
SA+ from 1.5 to 4.5 hours LSA
AEN from 5 hours to 12.5 LSA
Statemented.

There would appear to be a secret level between SA+ and statementing.

btw I got this by googling and got a letter from the LA dated June 2013 from the LA to all heads/senco/chair of governors of all primary schools in the county, explaining SEN funding 2013-14.

Especially for all those notes in lieu that the LA send out?

Would SLCN count (identified by specialist teacher, advice ignored by school, specialist teacher made them add a target on IEP, trained the TA and kept him on caseload of SLCN team)?

This has been deleted from his current IEP despite not being met.

Googling shows this definition -
AEN: Additional Educational Need – a generic term for funding a range of additional pupil needs including SEN, pupils in areas with high levels of social deprivation, pupils for whom English is an Additional Language and the costs of supporting schools with high levels of turbulence and mobility in their pupil populations – for example, Looked After Children and Traveller Children. DCFS guidance (‘The Management of SEN Funding’, 2004) concluded that the difference between SEN and AEN is ‘somewhat artificial at school level’

I found this on a school website:

Definition of Additional Educational Needs

A student is considered to have Additional Educational Needs (AEN) if he or she has a learning, language, emotional, behavioural or physical difficulty or need, leading to significantly greater difficulty in accessing learning than the majority of students of the same age, for whatever reason, which calls for special or additional educational provision to be made for him or her.

Definition of Additional Learning Needs

Children have additional learning needs if they have a learning difficulty that calls for additional provision to be made for them.

Children have a learning difficulty if they:
•have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age;
•have a disability that prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age, in schools within the same local authority;
•are under compulsory school age and fall within the definitions above or would do so if additional educational provision was not made for them.

(Section 312, Education Act 1996)

I think you'll find that it's just terminology:

SA - school have noticed some issues and put stuff in place
SA+ - school have noticed some issues, put stuff in place but then had to call in outside assistance, or child has SALT, etc.
AEN -despite calling in assistance, the child needs more assistance than normal 'SA' measures, so they put in extra support.
Statement - provision under AEN funding isn't sufficient so they have to statement.

In Scotland all SN are known as AN.

Seems to be defined as SEN and/or other educational needs.

Why then is it is separate 'level' with its own suggested provision that follows SA+?

The School SEN policy spends pages describing the graduated response from SA to SA+ to school requesting SA to statement. But there is no mention of another stage. The school interpretation is that they are not responsible for the first 6K of SA or SA+ pupils but only those that have AEN and/or are statemented.

DS2 is only receiving 6 hours 40 mins intervention (allowing one hour per week for planning rather than 1 hour daily - 5 hours planning for 5.5 hours intervention only 45 minutes of which is individual TA intervention using SALT resources, is pushing it rather).

School say he needs a statement to receive more support (but have not applied and have not applied for top-up funding) but LA position is that school are not funding the first 6K. School say we don't have to fund first 6K because he does not have AEN that the school recognise. External experts have identified SLCN - narrative delay, difficulties with use of functional language, cognitive assessment shows 'high learning potential' and he is on the ADHD/ASD diagnostic pathway. None of this is even referred to in his current IEP.

I have applied for SA by the way - I am not usually this anal.

Lougle -the order with DS2 has been: SA+ to AEN to parental request for SA to return to SA+ and denial of AEN, impact on learning etc.

Par for the course.

Right. From googling I've come up with a couple of SEN policies of schools that use the AEN. If you're in the LA that this suggests (I don't want to out you) I think it's like this:

School is responsible for funding SA. Recommended provision is stated
School is responsible for funding SA+ - recommended provision stated.
School is responsible for funding AEN which may or may not be statemented - up to 12.5hrs.
After 12.5 hours will definitely be statemented - 5 hours paid by school. LA top up rest.

Yes. But it is no longer 5 hours for statemented but 13.5 before top-up at AEN or statement.

Well yes but, practically, there's no difference because, the LA has devolved more funding to schools.

It doesn't matter if the school gets 15 hours worth of funding and has to provide 15 before the LA top up, or if the school gets 10 hours funding and has to provide 10 hours before the LA top up.

Funding isn't your concern - provision is.

Funding is not an abstract interest or hobby

The delegated SEN budget is also used to fund non SEN AEN such as EFL or G&T. Another child in DS2's class is on the G&T register for maths (one year above peers) but not the SEN register. They received a bespoke educational package delivered with support in class and also a circle of friends.

We were told they couldn't afford a social skills group or classroom support despite advice of external experts. They have refused to acknowledge assessed high learning potential 98th 99th percentile.

DC with SEN can only access this support with a statement according to the school.

I thought AEN was for instance, children whose first language was not English.

Just because you can't speak English doesn;t mean you have any SENs. So AEN becomes the terminology for these cases.

Think again Wet.

In my school AEN is not a matter of terminology.

SEN kids on SA or SA+ are entitled to a maximum of 4.5 hours support. SEN kids with AEN are entitled to 4.5 hours support (because school refuse to recognise needs identified by external experts). AEN kids with no SEN are entitled to 13.5 hours support with no recommendation from external experts.

This is daily experience.

I wouldn't get too bothered about it Keep. All that matter is that your child has a Statement and receives the support they should receive.

Ah, but if DC do not get AEN support up to the expected 6K, the council will not assess as there is more that the school can do.

SEN provision is being capped in my school at 4.5 hours.

Parents told no more support without a statement (ie no more than 4.5 hours).

LA say 13.5 hours.

School say only AEN (not SA or SA+ are entitled to 6K) and we decide who is AEN, so we don't have to.

All of those you've listed about Keep are blanket policies which are illegal.

School and / or LA can have any policies they want. But they have absolutely no legal standing - zero, zilch, nicht, nil.

All you have to concentrate on is applying for a Statement. Appealing if they refuse to assess.

Don't get your head bogged down in their stiupid illegal 'policies'. You'll drive yourself nuts.