School refusing support for ASD child

[HotPenguin]

My DS, 7, was diagnosed as on the autistism spectrum around a year ago. With the diagnosis there were a number of recommendations for the school. But as my son gets on pretty well in structured lessons, the school say he doesn't need and doesn't qualify for any extra help.

However there are lots of problems. He gets very anxious about going to school and I sometimes have a job to get him there. He struggles at playtime and sometimes gets picked on. His social skills are obviously behind others. He has some restrictive behaviours, for example, refusing to try new things, do homework or join in with class activities. He can also be slightly disruptive in odd ways, eg talking to himself incessantly, not following instructions or acting the clown and this usually happens in less structured situations like PE.

I want school to do what's asked in my son's medical report. This includes trying to reduce his anxiety by using visual timetables, now and next or other techniques. Small group learning on emotional literacy and social awareness. And pastoral support to talk through problems he may be having and also help him with the practical side of school.

School are refusing to do any of this. I'd be grateful for perspectives on whether I am being unrealistic/over demanding in asking for these things? I don't think my son needs an EHCP but I do think he needs some lower level extra help. I am struggling to find advice online for SEN support that's below the EHCP level. Thanks for any advice.

Hi op,

Do you know if your sons school has put him on their sen register? Have you spoken to the schools senco regarding this?

The school receives additional money each year (notional sen budget) to help make special educational provision to meet children's sen. It is recommended that schools use upto £6000 of the notional sen budget to meet a pupil with sen's needs.

Sen provision can be anything which is different or additional to the provision received by all other children using the core budget.

The school is left to spend the money as they wish however they must identify, assess and make special educational provision for all children with sen. Essentially your reports have identified and assessed need and given recommendations. They've been handed this information on a plate and should be acting upon it. I would discuss with the school senco and put it in writing so you have a paper trail. Ultimately you can put in a formal complaint to the schools governors.

You can apply for an ehcp yourself but they would have wanted to see if support implemented from the school first had helped.

Thanks @biggreen87 I have spoken to the Senco and head and made a formal complaint. They have now put him on the SEN register but they have said he doesn't qualify for any funding, by which I assume they mean funding from the notional SEN budget?

Hi op,

It's as simple as if he's on the sen register he qualifies for funding from the sen budget. As your son has additional needs the equality act comes into play. The school legally have to make reasonable adjustments for your son under section 20 of the equality act. Failure to do so is a failure of this duty and as a result you could take them to the send tribunal for disability discrimination if this continues. Reasonable adjustments such as a visual timetable is such an easy adjustment and could make a big difference to your son, it's just pure laziness on their part. Now of course it's far better to sort this out with the school. The issue with notional funding is unlike an ehcp the actual amount of funding (upto £6000) and how it is used isn't enforcable. The framework is quite broad that yes he should get funding but how that is used in mostly upto the school. In your circumstance an area of need and recommendations for reasonable adjustments have already been made. Has your ds been seen by an educational psychologist?

Have you spoken to your local sendiass? They would be very helpful here as the school are clearly trying to lead you astray. Your son should have been on the sen register without you asking, that would very much concern me.

Sossen and ipsea would also be able to advise you on next steps. Your son is entitled to further support. This doesn't have to be academic support, social, emotional and mental health support is just as important.

Most of your suggestions dont cost anything! Visual time tables, using now and next language, breaking speech down and then waiting to give the child time to process etc. There are schools which do this as standard - certainly my school does. There is oftej an autism outreach service too from local specialist schools which is free. It costs money to attend a social group but he cant be the only child needing that so its not the entire cost on him.
Everything biggreen says is true and its good advice.
In addition, i would keep a log of everything for a good few weeks so each time he is anxious about going to school, each time they report back that he was unsettled in PE, any meltdowns the second he comes home, any bullying incidents. Have the date, time, circumstance, what happened and what was done as a result.
Once you have a log, go back and explain their lack of support is causing this and they need to use their best endevours to support his needs. They need to get on top of this as waiting until the problem gets bigger with genuine school refusal or distruptive behaviour escalating.

Hello, thanks for your replies, it's so helpful. I have spoken to Sendiass and another service. Sendiass say school are pulling the wool over my eyes and they are telling me to record everything, go formal etc. But the other service was kind of fatalistic about it and said that's the way it is and that the medical report is unrealistic in expecting school to be able to find interventions when they have no money. So that left me feeling confused.

There is a crisis in funding so both are right. One is what your son deserves and is legally entitled to and one is what schools will say as they may well have no money left. Which means you just have to work harder to ensure he gets support and not give up on the first no.
There really are a lot of free or minimal cost things that they can do. The more expensive things like staff training are in the region of hundreds not thousands. You havent asked for FT 1:1 support. You've suggested a timetable!

Ultimately the notional sen budget is there for children like your ds. This funding is on top of the core funding and is given to the school by the la, they can also ask for top up funding and apply for ehc plans where further funding is required. The there is no money excuse is total rubbish, legally they have to meet his needs and legally he is entitled to funding to meet these needs, the funding is there, they are choosing not to use it.

As grasspigeons says it's not like your asking for the earth. What you have mentioned are reasonable adjustments which they have a duty to carry out and of which you have professional reports to back you up. Grasspigeons is absolutely correct that these adjustments should have already been put in place.

Sendiass is a statutory government service and what they have told you in absolutely true. Unfortunately many schools do not know the law and get away with what they are allowed to get away with.