School escort to mainstream school..how do we get one?

[Ooogetyooo]

Quickly posting this before school run, will check back later for replies. MY ds11 is in yr7 and attends local mainstream high school. He goes there and back in a taxi paid for by LEA . he has full time one to one support in school via his EHC plan and is now really struggling to behave on his way to school and back in the taxi to the point where taxi firm are saying they might not be able to take him any longer. Have spoken to special needs transport dept who tell me in order to fit the criteria for an escort he has to have a physical disability...feeling fobbed off and have tried to clarify things so am waiting for them to phone me back . In order to get an escort would we need to get the EHC plan changed to include that? Or can we make them provide one anyway. Her first question to me when I raised it with her this morning was"is there no way you can take him to school?" So am less than impressed. Any advice much appreciated.

When my ds first started weekly resi school ,he got an escort for a few months just while he was settling in .He has language impairment so no physical disability and he is very well behaved and I did say it wasn't needed but they insisted
.It was not written in his statement either .
I would think if there is a safety issue regarding the driver not being to concentrate then you will need to speak to your Lea officer as I'm sure the taxi firm would not be happy.
We have an escort again at the moment but for another reason and child but again not physical disability

Rubbish. They have a duty to keep your child and driver safe. Remind them that they will be liable if there is an accident because the driver is distracted. We moved to a taxi for ds2 because his behaviour was dangerous when I was driving the car and it was a no-brainer that he needed an escort. It was never formalised into his statement because it was implemented without too much argument.

I don't think they need a physical disability. My pead said she would support an application for my adhd/asd Ds

This is nonsense and an (illegal) blanket ban. I would contact IPSEA as to how to challenge this best.

Ask them how they propose to get your DS to school if the taxi refuses to take him without an escort - because they still have a duty to ensure that he gets full time education and all the help set out in his EHC Plan. And don't let them try to come up with any rubbish about how it's your duty to sort it, or that you have to be escort: you cannot be made to be the escort, the law says that escort arrangements can only be made if you consent.

There are loads of children with escorts who don't have physical disabilities - I wouldn't mind betting that that is in fact the case in your borough.

Every time I think I've heard every SEN related lie going, an LA comes up with yet another one!

And so it goes on . LOcal authority sen officer has just said it's not their dept and that the woman from the ordinary school transport office should be sorting it out....wtf?So have batted it back to her and said between the two dept they need to come up with something because the situation can't go on as it is.She said she'll phone me back.Also spoke to parent partnership office who said escorts for school transport are never put on EHC plans or at least she had never heard of it. She asked me whether I d thought of using a reward chart?? Ifeel like I am in a parallel universe .

never only phone.
email to SEN officer to clarify that you understood it right that your DS will not qualify for an escort as he has no physical disabilities and also that SEN officer said that it is not her departments job but somebody else's.

and ring IPSEA. they know all the relevant rules and laws you need to through back at your LA. but put EVERYTHING in writing. an email will do.

Have tried IPSEA but engaged, will keep trying. Had a call this morning from ordinary transport office who sympathised with situation and asked again if I or husband or somebody else could take him and whether a travel allowance for me would help?? I replied that I couldn't take him, repeated the reason why not( have another child to transport in opposite direction and wouldn't get there on time, husband works long hours, inlaws are deceased and my own mother lives abroad) . Told her I would therefore be appealing the sen transport' decision not to provide an escort and will contact again once I have all my evidence. I put this all back to her and the sen office in an email including the bit about being offered an allowance.So I have asked school to put in writing to me any info that has come to light about his behaviour so far in the taxi, and was going to ask the paediatrician to write a supporting letter.,Anything else I am missing??

I'd ask the LA for a copy of their risk assessment, showing how they think dc can travel safely in a taxi, without causing an accident?

DD's specialist school produced a risk assessment, showing the risk of her causing a traffic accident and therefore death, if she was not supervised in a car/minibus, was 12 on a scale of 1:12, where 12 was the highest risk!

Ask the cab company for a letter saying why they are concerned about this and confirming that they will have to withdraw unless your dd has an escort. If they can give specific examples of the behaviour which leads them to feel an escort is needed, that would be helpful.

Then ask the transport office how precisely they are going to get your dd to school if or when the taxi is withdrawn, and ask the SEN office how precisely they are going to comply with their statutory obligation to ensure your child gets to the school named in her statement or EHC Plan in that event.

Try phoning SOS SEN also.