Secondary school help for a Bright Autistic child.

[Ilovechocolatetoomuch]

Hi
my son has ASD he is showing signs of PDA, Dyspraxia and Dyslexia.
he currently attends a mainstream setting he has an EHCP in place. He does not have 1-1 the teacher sort of keeps and eye on him. He is working at or above target for his age level.
We think he would do better in independent for secondary rather than a large mainstream. Has anybody had any success getting the LA to fund it? I personally feel that a sen school is not right for him he just needs small classes and familiar teachers who understand him.

Independent mainstream schools can be funded via the EHCP. You would need to prove the LA’s proposed school(s) can’t meet DC’s needs &/or it isn’t unreasonable public expenditure.

You would also need an offer of a place from the school.

Hi
thanks for replying, what is considered an unreasonable public expenditure do you know?
I’m guessing if not mainstream then he would need to go to a SEN school, Do you know where I can find out how much it cost the la to send a child there.
we do have a school that is meant to be for kids with asd who can’t handle mainstream, in reality it’s full of the kids with behaviour too challenging for mainstream not kids who just need extra attention to stay on track.

There’s no one set amount that is considered unreasonable public expenditure. It is in dependent on the individual circumstances and in comparison to the cost of the other placement(s).

There are different types of SS. There are some SS who cater for DC without VCB and who are academically able.

The cost of SS varies considerably depending on the school. From £15k ish up to over £100k.

However, I suspect the LA will propose a state MS so I would focus on proving that can’t meet needs as then cost is irrelevant (if they do indeed propose a state MS like I expect). Or can’t meet needs without significantly more support (and funding) otherwise the independent MS will be unreasonable public expenditure.

Hi
thank you for the advice. I think me and DH need to go and have a look at mainstream, sen and -SEN so we can work out which is best for DS, then we know what we are fighting for!

I work in a SEN school and though I love my job and think it is absolutely wonderful that these types of schools are available for our young people, they arent necessarily the way to go if your child is academic and you wish for that to continue. Well at least the one I am at is like this and ones local to me are the same (I know staff from other SS), but I suspect there will be different types of SS around also.
Since working there I have found a lot of parents don't really get that their child will follow a totally different curriculum. Classes are so mixed that you find there are children in the class who are extremely academic but then others can't read, write or count past 5. So it's hard to find the balance between the two. We have upset parents who feel their child is being held back due to their needs and lesser abilities of others in their class. Needs in a class can be so vast too, so pretty much each child in the small class has different needs to the next so that makes things abit more difficult to find a nice balance in the classroom.
I'm going down diagnosis route for my son and a SS for me would be a last resort. My son isn't academic and struggles with the basics but can be very bright for other things, but I don't feel he has been given a proper chance yet in a mainstream. Plus I still would like him to access a 'typical curriculum'. Maybe that's me being selfish but we will see. So far the demands of a mainstream have been really challenging on him. But right now his being given the same chance as everyone else.
You know your child best and what his needs are. I hope you find the right setting for him.
The problem is I'm not sure there is a middle ground. Mainstream cant always accommodate a child's needs and though a SEN can, they don't always fit their academic abilities. I'm my school there is a massive push for life skills and independence which is basically their curriculum. It's wonderful seeing the kids gain independence but I'd be lying if I said I feel our leavers are ever ready for the big world after school.

Absolutely worth considering a SEN School but please be mindful to chose one where they have a structure that fits your child's abilities

Thank you for your advice.
DS is managing pretty well in mainstream but he does need somebody to keep an eye on him all the time.
I think I’m going to have a big fight on my hands to get him into the provision which suits his needs best.

OP what support does the EHCP specify? Does it just need to be tweaked to better suit his current needs?

How old is he? Sounds like a good idea to review all the options.

He is in year 4.