Primary school - specialist or resource base

[Pigeon66]

My son is autistic with GDD and we had applied for a place at a resource base in a mainstream primary school. Our offer has come back for a specialist school. We had visited the school but decided on a resource base because of the opportunity to access mainstream lessons eventually.
The specialist school has very small class sizes and lots of support but my husband is concerned that it might be limiting educationally as all the children will be working at below usual primary level. The school has said our son will likely be one of the most able in the class, but he does have significant communication, interaction & personal care needs.
There are 3 schools in the borough for autistic children and this is the one with the lowest level of need, so it's not a case of all autistic children being in one school, irrespective of need.
My instinct is that too much support is better than not enough, but I am really struggling because it seems like such an important decision, so I would welcome any thoughts from those who have some experience in this area.

Remember the decision you make now doesn’t have to be the school DS remains in for his whole school career.

What do the assessments suggest is needed? LAs don’t generally name SS unless they think it is necessary. Are there other classes in the school that have more able DC in? Are there any other SS within travelling distance you could look at as some do cater to more academically able DC?

Unless the school is wholly independent which doesn’t apply here the LA can only refuse to name your preferred school if the LA can prove:
-The setting is unsuitable for the age, ability, aptitude or special educational needs (“SEN”) of the child or young person; or
-The attendance of the child or young person would be incompatible with the provision of efficient education for others; or
-The attendance of the child or young person would be incompatible with the efficient use of resources.
So if you want the ARP do appeal.

@JustKeepBuilding Thank you for this. The assessments do say he needs a high level of support in most areas but don't specify the type of setting. I was a little surprised they offered fully specialist as I am aware these places are hard to get.

There are no other specialist that would be suitable and just one class per year in this school (although at later key stages the classes are mixed up by ability and need across age groups).

The resource base said they could meet need but are full and it would be incompatible with the provision of efficient education for others to increase the size of the small classes, which I can understand as the small class size is one of the reasons we really wanted it.

I am torn between thinking the very high level of support at the specialist school could really help with his development at a young age or that it could hold him back from ever being able to access mainstream learning. I am not fixated on mainstream, I just want him to enjoy going to school and be challenged within the parameters of what he can realistically achieve.

The bar to prove incompatibility is high, higher than more LAs care to admit. It is more than an “adverse effect”, “impact on” or “prejudicial to”. If the LA can’t meet the high threshold the LA can, and must, name the school regardless of the school’s objections. So if you want the ARP do appeal BFI.

Starting in SS doesn’t necessarily mean DS can’t move to MS if it’s suitable at a later date.

“A high level of support” is far too vague and woolly. Support needs to be detailed, specified and quantified. If the reports are vague and woolly section F will be too, and if it is the EHCP isn’t worth the paper it is written on. DS may not receive the support he needs and you won’t be able to enforce it.

The reports won’t state a setting but you can read into the type of setting that’s being stated e.g. by what it says about class size, sensory environment, therapies embedded into the curriculum…

Have you looked at all the out of area and independent SS within 45 mins travel time too? As they can be named in EHCPs.

@JustKeepBuilding Sorry the 'high level of support' is my wording. The EHCP is massive and detailed (we had a private EP report done), and it includes things like small class size, regular SALT & OT + specific activities that he is currently doing at nursery, like a daily small social group.

I have looked at all the other specialist schools in reasonable distance and I don't see anything that looks much different to the one we have been offered. It looks like a very good school and I don't have any concerns about the school itself, I just wasn't expecting to be offered a specialist place.

We will discuss appealing further, but my gut feeling is that if attending a specialist placement is unlikely to be limiting in the future then it could be very positive for him now. He is clever but currently I can't imagine him sitting in a mainstream classroom and learning.

In my experience it's more difficult to move from special school to resource base than the other way around, but that's because in our area resource base spaces are like hens teeth.
It's easier to argue at this point that SEN school is inappropriate than getting him out of the SEN school.
Saying that, SEN school places are also really difficult to get.

My personal view, and that’s all it is, obviously, is that you have to look at the child now and what they most need at this time. Is he going to be best supported by the specialist provision or the base? With the needs you have outlined, I think academics are not yet the priority and that other things are more important - that’s not to say that he won’t do academics, but what’s more important is building the skills that will assist them later down the line.

I don’t believe there’s a benefit to being in mainstream long term if they spend most of the time out of the classroom and learning with a TA - I appreciate this may not be the case in a base (they aren’t an option at primary in my LA), but I think often they are expected to be in the classroom half the time? In year 1 kids are expected to sit a lot of the time and the learning is quite advanced, much more so than when we were their age. It’s a lot for many NT kids let alone those with SN, not to mention school budgets are being cut to the bone.

No decision you make now has to be for ever, you can reassess as his needs change.

@Nevermindthesquirrels @openupmyeagereyes Thank you. I find it hard to know if the specialist school would be inappropriate as I haven't been in a primary school since I went to one (except for visits to loads of schools in the last year when we were looking for a suitable place).

I do feel like right now he needs a lot of support to build a base for being able to attend school and learn as he gets older.

The base aims for them to be in mainstream half the time (gradually) and some children eventually graduate to full time mainstream. Perhaps I am hung-up on that hope of 'graduating', but I need to be realistic about what the best setting is for him right now.

I have concerns that if we appeal we will lose the specialist place or the LA would argue that another resource base would be suitable (there are a few in our area which look the same on paper but have a very different feel to them). Does anyone know how that works?

I would be looking at what support is available in both - OT, SALT and other therapies. How experienced are the teachers in the base? These are the things that will help him the most in the beginning.

SS doesn’t need to hold DS back. I agree with focusing on the short term, rather than trying to guess what DS’s needs will be in the future.

If you appeal the SS place will stand until when and if SENDIST rule section I is amended. If you appeal there is a possibility the LA will propose an alternative ARP, but you can still argue for the one you want and the LA will need evidence there is a lawful reason your preference can’t admit.

It’s good section F is detailed, specified and quantified as woolly wording such as “access to” “would benefit from” “regular” “opportunities for” are too vague to be of use. Although if you are appealing anyway and the EHCP uses “small” you want that amending - your definition of small will be vastly different to the LAs. With a detailed, specified and quantified section F don’t worry about funding, EHCPs can be fully funded and the provision must be provided.

@openupmyeagereyes The teachers in the base are very experienced. We already have SALT & OT in the EHCP and they visit at pre-school. This would be the same set up at the base. The specialist school has full time SALT and a lot more in terms of specialist autism therapies, toilet training etc.

@JustKeepBuilding That is great to know about the appeal and section F. We are visiting the specialist school again next week, so hopefully that will help us decide on next steps.

If the specialist school has in house therapists then he may benefit from it being more integrated into the day, plus they may have a therapy room (also often soft play areas which are good for regulation) with OT equipment that you won’t get with a visiting OT.

In a nutshell I’m just saying, don’t let thoughts of GCSE’s cloud your view of what is best for him right now. You have to meet him where he is now, not where you hope he’ll be in the far off future. That said, of course you know him best and I’m sure you’ll be able to work out what’s right for your family. Best of luck.

Thanks everyone for your help with this - I really appreciate it.