FFS! Finally got EHCP. Named our local SS. It is full - now what?

[SpittingPheathers]

Feel so cross! After nearly a year of form filling and waffle and waiting, we finally got DS's EHCP, which we were happy with. We filled out the form requesting our local SS for him (and also said we would be ok about our next nearest SS too). Got a letter today - both schools are full! They are suggesting he moves to another MS primary!

Surely if he needs SS, he needs it? What good would moving him do aside from unsettle him (let alone logistical issues of getting two children to different primaries in the morning). What are they playing at?

More importantly, what can I do?? Please help, before I go pop. DS is in year 3 btw (and I have a dd in reception for info).

Have you called ipsea? If not try the ring back service but you will need to check every day for a week - not sure what day they release slots.

Would be better not moving him? Putting a case together for a indi ss? They normally have more flexibility with places / numbers. Depends if you have any good indi ones near you.

No, I will have a look at IPSEA, thank you.

Not sure what to do. Can't imagine LA would fund an Indi SS, not sure where even to look.

Don't want to move him just for another MS. However, things are not going well at his current MS, so we may have to? Could this force the LA to find him a place at the SS?

Feels like going round in circles.

They aren't full. Just tell them it's theirs and not your problem and you expect them to find space.

Do you have a good Indi nearby (or close enough to be transported to at LA expense)?

Naming that because others are full usually magic-ups a space.

Please don't be cross. I can guarantee that a good proportion of children who attend the local SS were also told it was full when they requested it. Is sorts those willing to be fobbed off from those who aren't.

This happened to me. I was advised by parents to start looking at indie ss quickly. It was a rush and I literally just drew a circle (45 min commute) and visited all the indie ss that would be suitable for my ds and that had spaces. But I have to admit I knew my local ss and the second nearest was full which is why my search involved a few weeks whilst also threatening my lea that I would name an indie ss and not move to another ms primary (we had moved twice). As it happened, our mind was made up to move to ss in March and we wanted a sept start date which was only confirmed the first week of August. I know of parents who want ss now and will have to chance a placement next sept if there's space. I also know that you're beefed up on the list depending on the amount of support your dc has currently- we had 32.5 hour ta full support so we were offered the placement at local ss above dc who had lower hours of support.
I also kept in touch with the ss but had huge respect for the fact that the ht stuck to his guns and wouldn't compromise the support of other children over and above new children coming in.
If you search other threads on this topic there's loads of Useful info which I and many others used.

LA can and do fund indi ss. There's a school near me which is minimum £50,000 a year. No parent pays for a place.

If mainstream can't meet need and there are no state ss places then it's the only option and la would fund ( obviously not quite that simple ). But it happens.

I'm in a big county. Lots of good indi ss and I don't know any parent paying the fees.

As star says the la won't like that idea so might be able to "find" a place.

I don't know about moving ms to ms. Schools seem able to talk the talk but whether they do what they say on on the tin.... Do you know any other parents who rate another schools Sen dept? I would concentrate on getting into a specialist place. Ss to mainstream is easier than ms to ss and if that what's needed right now that's what you should focus on I think

They will tell you they won't fund indie ss- almost certainly. It's codswallop especially when you start mentioning "tribunal". Is your ehcp final? If it is, put the appeal in. That might help speed things up. I'm not sure how ehcps work as we just came in under the old system whereby we could appeal the school chosen.

Thanks everyone.

Thinking about it, we've not got much hope of indi SS if the LA are saying that a local MS can meet DS's needs (eventhough his current MS say they can't).

So, do I just say to the LA I want to go to tribunal and see if that shifts their position on either of the two SS? What if they just say no? DS isn't causing his current school many problems, he's just not learning anything and is sad. I can see them just ignoring him. Can I ask for a SS place for Sept - that would at least give us hope.

They probably expect you to appeal and will hope a local SS place comes up in meantime. Moving to another m/s primary makes no sense and they know this. Does he have a Statement now or is this the first plan?
Look at indi SS, draft a quick appeal and ask for it to be expedited. The tribunal will have to name an indi ss if he needs ss and there is no state one with places. Is there anything that would make current primary better in meantime e.g. part home tuition / pT school, extra 1:1 funding etc - if so ask for that to be put in place pending appeal / a ss place becoming avail.

go and see the ms primary's ht that you think the lea will send your child too and list out to the ht why the ms primary your doc is in currently cannot meet his needs. They may be able to show you and explain how they can meet his needs. My ds was exactly the same- just sad and being baby sat.
Don't mention sept - you could well be put off by the lea and nearer the time denied the place. It happens all the time- all the dc on my dss ss list were denied the place in August for sept. The alternative was a ss further away which they had to put up with- it was fine but wasnt the right fit for a lot of the dc but they had no choice.
You find out how long you've got till that ehcp is final or if it is, you register the appeal- this will be time dependent with your ehcp and you won't get the chance to appeal once the date passes.

We were able to increase 1:1 whilst we waited with the backing of the school and indeed 2:1 for certain activities thereby validating our need for ss to be the next move.

If the statement is final and it names a special school then that is where he goes. The authority can direct a school to admit the child even if it takes it over the planned admissions number.

If you do not like the school named then you can argue that since the authority have themselves named a state special school which is now full then clearly and by definition no mainstream school can meet needs. Accordingly another special school needs to be found which by sheer coincidence will be the independent special school. The fact that it is a lot more expensive is not your fault it is a situation caused by the authority not having sufficient places within the area.

When entering into discussions with the authority be very apologetic and confused but say surely that is the situation and you have left me and yourselves with no option. At the end of the day your own conclusion has been that he needs a special school and therefore he needs to be in one.

Then sit back smile and look concerned. Say nothing until they come back to you with something. I suspect they will.

I hope this is helpful

It really depends what the EHCP says about what educational provision your DS needs. If it says, for instance, that he needs small classes and all specialist teachers, then obviously a mainstream school can't fulfil that description and they would have to go for an independent school. However, if it is vague and non-specific then it could well be that the LA has left the door open for mainstream. You may have to consider appealing. Phone SOS SEN or IPSEA.