Can 1:1 provision in an SN setting be included in statement?

[smilesintherain]

Hello,

Wondering if more experienced people can help me please (a bit rabbit in headlights right now!)

Just got proposed statement for my 2 1/2 year old & have concerns, but I don't know if this is just how they are always written. He needs 1:1 at all times (seizures, sensory meltdowns, no independent mobility but melts down if strapped into chair) & every professional has said that on reports. The proposed statement states that he would get 30 hours 1:1 in mainstream (when reaches school age - 15 hours before) and then a very vague statement about how in an SN setting they would provide 'funding' (not quantified) for additional support and smaller work groups, but they would leave it up to the school to decide what this looks like.

I am not comfortable with this. He needs to be in an SN setting, but this is extremely vague and I don't really know what he would be getting. He is currently in a mainstream nursery with a 1:1 & I planned to move him as soon as statement came in - but based on this he would get better and safer support in his mainstream nursery.

So...a couple of questions if you don't mind as I have my 15 days to respond!

1. Can/should it be stated EXACTLY what support a child will get in an SN environment as well as in a mainstream environment
2. Whilst I don't think mainstream is right for him - I want this statement to be right in all areas. Is 30 hours a week full 1:1 including breaks? (he has seizures & agonising intermitent muscle spasms leaving him alone in mainstream at any time would be dangerous and ludicrous)

They also haven't quantified any of the therapies - just that he needs SALT, OT & physio. Should this be more specific?

Thank you! Feeling a bit stressed about getting this right and any advice would be appreciated.

1. Yes, that support should be specified. Allowing them to wing it is potentially very dangerous in your DS's case.

2. Is 30 hours based on a full time placement or pro-rata? At our boys' school, a full day, including breaks and lunch is a little over 6 hours, so a 30 hour statement could possibly fall a little short. If it's 15 hours a week of nursery, then you need to find out whether that 30 hours means 2:1 support or the full 15 hours of nursery.

As far as SALT, OT and physio are concerned, what have they recommended? Does he have any ongoing therapies which would need to be carried out during a school day?

Thank you so much.

On the 30 hours per week mainstream they haven't actually said the words 1:1 - just '30 hours per week of learning support assistance.' Is that normal terminology for 1:1 support?

For therapies they have said what is needed, but not quantified it. They have said that therapists in each area should devise a programme and that is should be 'incorporated into his daily routine by staff after training by the therapists.' They have not quantified his contact with actual therapists, just that 'the programme will be reviewed as changes arise.'

He currently has a daily programme of all therapies and a sensory programme that we deliver four times a day (but we have privately funded this programme - don't know if it makes a difference).

To give a little background: he is undiagnosed with a genetic disorder, non verbal and no babble, no independent mobility, regular developmental regressions, intermittent muscle spasms and involuntary movements, up to 50 complex partial seizures per day, sensory processing problems. Life limiting progressive conditions have also not been ruled out.

He is extremely social though and adores people and games (but can't relate to toys as cant push buttons etc).

This statement really doesn't seem to reflect that despite every report saying all of this...

You need to make sure one to one support is in his statement and it's for special school. You need to be his advocate and get pushy. Don't worry about specifics of therapies as they will review support on regular basis but he does need to be in a school where he can have access to therapists.

'On the 30 hours per week mainstream they haven't actually said the words 1:1 - just '30 hours per week of learning support assistance.' Is that normal terminology for 1:1 support?'

No. It means that there will be a class teacher and one other person in the classroom who will give assistance as deemed necessary by the class teacher and/or school.

If you want 1:1 support, it needs to be worded 1:1 support exclusively for ds.

Depending on the special school, it may not need to be so specifically defined.

For example, if he is in a class of 5 children with a class teacher, a SALT and a TA, he may well not then need a 1:1 on top iyswim.

Hi smilesintherain, it's very tricky. Statements should be quantified and specified, that's quite clear. However, they don't tend to quantify and specify special need school statements because so much of what would be done as an 'extra' in Mainstream school is just 'part of the day' in special school.

For instance, if DD1 went to MS school, she would have 'TA trained in Makaton, to use Makaton with DD1 to aid communication' specified. But in her Special School, it's a Total Communication Environment - everyone signs to everyone else regardless of whether they require the use of makaton. So there's no earthly point in specify it so tightly in her statement. Her statement instead says 'DD1 will learn in an environment where makaton is used to supplement language and a language programme will be embedded into the curriculum throughout the whole school day.' or some such statement. It basically means that they should be working on her speech and language skills all day, whether it be lunch time, play time, art, ICT...whenever, whatever, they should be helping her to move her language skills forward.

It is very rare to get 1:1 in a special school. That's not to say that you'd get much less than that, either. For instance, at DD1's school, they have different staffing ratios according to need. A class with children with the highest needs may have 1 teacher and 4 or 5 teaching assistants, for 6-8 children. So not 1:1, but a very high ratio.

Therapies such as physio, SALT, OT, etc., are incorporated into the daily plan rather than being added on to the day, or withdrawing a child from the class to fit them in. So, it may be that child A needs to spend 30 minutes in a stander, twice per day, as decided by the physio. It may also be that on Tuesday the class does art for 30 minutes. So, they would plan in the transition to a stander in time for art, so that Child A can do art in an upright position.

It really is different in a special school than mainstream. Can you arrange a visit to your local one? Are you prepared to say which county you're in?

Thank you so much all. I wouldn't have even realised that the 30 hours didn't mean 1:1 without posting on here!

Much appreciated. I will be pushing for 1:1 support.

smiles just be careful you don't sacrifice a more integrated package for 1:1 support.

If your DS goes to MS, he'll likely get a physio programme devised by a physio and monitored termly, with a TA doing it in the mean time, withdrawn from class while it's going on.

Similarly, OT will be done by a TA, with an OT demonstrating and monitoring, withdrawn from class.

Same with SALT, etc.

Check the specifics, but in DD1's special school, all of that would be done as part of the school day, and the NHS physios, SALTs and OTs are based at her school, so they can pop in throughout the week if needed.

Just lost a v long post, in the unit DS attended within a mainstream school he didn't have 1:1 but there was 1 teacher and 3 TAs for 5 children, so nearly 1:1. There were two children in the unit though who did have it, both because of v severe needs, one physical, one behavioural. His statement is also v specific regarding therapies, will try and copy details from a previous post.

This is copied from a previous post but is what his statement says about therapies

His statement is sewn up tight! He has quantified and specified OT, physio and Salt. OT and physio boths say a block of 1 hour weekly sessions for 5 weeks every term with a qualified OT or physio, it then gives an extra hour per term for liaising with his 1:1, me and equipment checks and a further extra hour a year for more formal meetings, in practise this is the annual review. Also in there are that his 1:1 must attend every session and carry out an exercise program devised by th OT or physio three times a week.This means that he has one half term of physio and the other half term of OT repeated throughout the year, no chopping and changing and no fobbing off with a 'technician', also it protects his therapy time and still allows time for meetings. With regard to the exercises, he usually does 2x physio a week and 1 x OT but this does vary and I need to keep checking on school to see that it actually happens.

Salt - not his major area of need - says termly assessments and 2 blocks a year of small group or individual work with a speech therapist. This is fine and suits his needs although sometimes the social skills groups are not the best!

Last post! I do agree with Lougle though that in a special school or unit 1:1 is not usually necessary. It is sometimes, but not usually because everyone knows what they are doing, unlike in mainstream!

Thank you so much all! I want as much specified as possible because of medical needs. Will see where we get! We are currently under hospital instruction to call an ambulance if a seizure over a certain time. They are subtle to spot and without a 1:1 keeping an eye, no one would know the timing.

We have just been advised that DS, who has a statement and is an assessment unit, can't go to our preferred SS in September as they ' don't provide 1:1.'

I phoned the head of one of the recommended SS for an initial visit, whilst talking with the head, I mentioned the no 1:1 provision which we had been told. She said they don't provide 1:1, even though this SS is for severe and profound learning difficulites. She said it's like his present assessment unit, small classes of 6 or 7, with about 4 adults for support.
So maybe trying for 1:1 on the statement might be quite difficult to attain. HTH.

Honestly, epilepsy is the 'bread and butter'of special schools. A high proportion of children will have epilepsy.

DD1 hasn't had any symptoms of epilepsy for few years now, but I still have to complete a form every year telling the school:

a) what signs of a seizure are for dd1

b) what action should be taken

c) when they should call me

d) when they should call an ambulance

e) what they should do re. emergency meds.

If a child has frequent seizures, the school holds a seizure record book for them in class, which is filled in.

You have to remember also, that with 6-8 children and 5-6 adults in one classroom, they won't be away from your ds at any time, because they tend to have an adult in between two children, so they would be coincidently dealing with both, but if there was a crisis, then someone could give their full attention to your ds, while the others looked after the rest of the children.

In any event, in a medical crisis, the Head is called, or the deputy, and would be an additional adult, coordinating any medical assistance such as an ambulance.

I'd be much more concerned about subtle seizures being missed in a busy ms class, tbh, even with 1:1.

Just to agree again with lougle dd2s sp sch has qualified nurses on site and a high proportion of pupils have epilepsy good luck