Advice on statement of special educational needs

[GumbotheBumbo]

Hi all,

I'm feeling a bit lost and thought this is a community that might help.

My son is mid-assessment for autism - hoping for an outcome this autumn when he can be seen face to face by the complex disorders team. We know there are areas that he struggles and we have various reports from previous assessments and the school but not sure currently whether or not he will reach the threshold to actually be diagnosed or not.

His school currently uses an informal plan to manage his needs in school e.g. just supporting him to process things correctly and managing issues with his short term memory. He's generally getting on OK at school academically (at 'expected' level in most subjects).

He's going into year 5 this year so we are looking into secondary school options.
I really feel he will need a school with a safe walking route (he's likely to get panicked and meltdown if unexpected situations happen on public transport e.g. route changes, bus being full etc). I would also like him to go to a mixed school as he has some social difficulties and my personal view is that a mixed school will be a less artificial social environment for him to learn in and support the relationship with his younger sisters when they go up to secondary.

Unfortunately we are at the very edge of the catchment for the school that fits the bill so no guarantee we would get in.
I see their admissions says children with a statement will be prioritised so was wondering if this would be a suitable route for him.

I have two main questions:

1. How do I go about getting a statement?
2. Are things like him being able to safely walk to school and social interactions considered or do they only focus on in-class room / special unit support?

Any views on this would be very gratefully received. Also massively grateful for any other advice/ experiences that might be useful to consider.

Problem you will have is that statements are not for future proofing. If he is coping and maintaining average academic progress in primary then they wont issue echp/statement. It has to be demonstrated by the school that the childs needs cannot be met by the mechanisms that the school already has in place.

Check out websites like sen sos and ipsea for the process of applying

Statements have been replaced by Education, Health and Care Plans (known as EHCPs). These are issued by the Local Authority and remain with a young person up until they are 25. As their name suggests, they cover all aspects of a young person's development: education, health and care needs - these include things like social development/communication etc.

In order to qualify for one, it must be demonstrated that your DS needs significant support in these areas. BUT he doesn't need a diagnosis as it is supposed to be needs based. He also doesn't need to be academically 'behind' (if a school/local authority tells you this, it is incorrect). There are children at grammar school that have Plans. It is about ensuring that your DS can achieve their full potential.

The school's SENCO or you can apply for an EHCP. Your first port of call in September should be to speak to the SENCO to sound them out. If they're not supportive (as mine wasn't) apply yourself - that's what I did. There is a very simple template letter you can use on the ISPEA site. There are strict timescales as to how long the process needs to take (all these are available on the IPSEA website - and what to do if the council don't stick to them).

However, I must caution you that it is very common for it to be a battle in order to get one. Plans are a legally binding document that cost the Local Authority considerable sums to deliver. The council can be taken to court if they don't deliver the contents. A parent/carer also has the right to request specialist school placements.

If you have an EHCP then it will be very difficult for a school to refuse your DS entry. The start of Yr5 is the perfect time to start applying for one as you can reference secondary transition. It also buys you time in case it's turned down and you have to appeal.
If you have an EHCP then you apply for secondary schools in a different way and before the usual deadline of the October of Yr6. You can also look at schools outside your local authority.

In terms of getting to and from school, you may be eligible for free transport. My DS has been awarded a place on a council run bus for secondary for similar reasons that you listed above. SENTAS can advise you about that nearer the time.

It's a lot to get your head around I know! Your first step should be to do some research and start gathering your evidence as to why your DS needs support - and what happens if/when he doesn't have it.

Do post back with specific queries though - there are some very knowledgeable and helpful people on these boards.

Statements of SEN still apply in NI and Wales, so I presume OP is in one of those. If that's the case SOSSEN and IPSEA can't help, but SENAC and SNAPCymru can.

OP you can ask the LA for a statutory assessment.

If he is coping and maintaining average academic progress in primary then they wont issue ehcp/statement.

^^
As minifigs posted, this isn't correct. There is more to consider than academic progress, social and emotional development is important too. It is possible to be academically high achieving and have a statement or EHCP.

not for future proofing

I don't know about case law in Wales or NI, but in England with EHCPs case law shows a needs assessment undertaken near to transition to secondary should consider the child's needs in secondary as well as currently. Case law and the SENCOP state EHCPs should be forward looking, and anticipate and plan for transitions. There's also case law which shows it is possible to get an EHCP where the school could offer more, but won't.

Transport isn't generally included in statements or EHCPs, it is considered separately, and you don't need a statement or EHCP to secure transport.

Does the school have an exceptional medical or social circumstances admission criteria? If so, you could try to be considered under that if you can't get a Statement, although the bar is relatively high and you have to show that and only that school can meet needs.

Thank you all so much for your help. I really appreciate it. Its very useful to hear this. My gut feel is we would probably struggle to get an EHCP as his needs can be pretty well met in standard classroom circumstances- given very slight adjustments by the teacher, and though he does have social difficulties he gets by ok.

@10brokengreenbottles the school does seem to have a exceptional medical, psychological or social needs criteria- it says parents need to explain the difficulties if the child were to attend another school and it needs to be supported by written evidence from at least two NHS registered health or social care professionals.

Does anyone have experience of this route or have any pointers for doing it?

We are in touch with two people who might help (via CAMHS and the specialist assessment team) so hopefully this is an option.

If you do apply under the exceptional medical, psychological and social needs category the evidence must state "In my opinion X is the only school that can meet DS's needs because..." rather than "mum says X is the only school..."

We applied under the exceptional medical and social needs category. We explained what needs needed to be met and provided evidence of those needs. We showed that the school we wanted could meet those needs and referenced evidence. Then made a list of all the schools in the area and one by one showed they couldn't meet at least one of those needs and cross referenced the points with the evidence we had. We also had a couple of pieces of evidence naming the school as the only school that could meet needs.

Even if your request to be considered under the exceptional needs category application isn't successful and you subsequently don't get a place you can appeal. The bar for appeals isn't as high as it is for EHCPs or the exceptional needs category.

Thank you so much @10brokengreenbottles for this advice. It's really helpful. I'm feeling a bit more positive about things. Have emailed our CAMHS contact today to see her views.