Please can someone help RE: SEND/EHCP/School placement

[Sleepdeprivedmamma]

Just hoping anyone might have some advice.

DD is 4 - has had her EHCP since she was 2 - a diagnosis of autism at 3 - has full time one to one at nursery as stated in her ehcp.

i dont know how much weight this holds but every professional who has met her has said she absolutely needs to go to a specialist school.

So short story is - panel decided DD does not need a specialist school they will name a mainstream school of their choice and our only option is to appeal but this will take a year and in the meantime she has to go to the school they will name.

ive reached out to SENDIAS for advice what else can i do??

long story

she had an amazing ehcp co-ordinator who then went on maternity leave. I called to ask who the new co ordinator was and spoke to a woman who said it would likely be her - this was in october - i asked when the pannel was to discuss what school DD would need - she told me February and asked what setting we would like to put as parental preference.

december nursery called to query some funding issues and book her EHCP review - no body was returning calls or emailing back
January i called myself and was told DD didnt have a co ordinator as so many people were off long term sick. I said this was unacceptable I asked what date in feb pannel was was told the date and i said but if DD doesnt have a co ordinator will she be discussed - the woman said she definitely will be let me check the list - oh no - her name isnt on the list - im sorry - so
if i hadnt called DD wouldnt of been discussed at panel ?? They tried to assure me they would correct this she would be added to the list. I wasnt filled with confidence and complained to all of the managers / the director. Nobody answered so i emailed my local mp and copied in the managers and director again. I had a reply 10 minutes later from the director

we had an urgent review of DDS ehcp and in the meeting they said that basically due to members of staff being off on long term sick they didnt have acess to childrens files so had subsequently’lost’ them - the ehcp co ordinator said ‘they are now all coming out of the woodwork’. What a way to talk about disabled children.

panel was last week ive pestered for the decision since was ignored untill yesterday when i was told the specialist school we wanted is full so look for an autism base in a mainstream school.

today i was told that actually they will be naming a mainstream school on DDS report. What do i do???

sendias have advised a corporate complaint with regards to ehcp/send team

feel like i have failed my DD i am so so worried

First of all, you haven't failed your dd. The LA has.

The LA is in such a state because the Government has failed every child with additional needs out there.

Firstly, make sure you put everything that is said to you on the phone in an e-mail the same day with "Just to confirm.....you said...X Y Z". If they don't challenge it straight off, then it is a record of what has been promised.

today i was told that actually they will be naming a mainstream school on DDS report. What do i do???

Appeal. Go to Tribunal.

Then, go directly to one of the many big charities set up just because this is such a common scenario - which tells a tale in itself. I mean, unfortunately, even they are inundated, but they have more teeth than SENDIASS.

SOS SEN

IPSEA

Contact

Special Needs Jungle

Sunshine Support

I'm sure there are others

@UsingChangeofName thank you so much for your reply!

yes so i plan to appeal - when i said this they said that we can but the dates for appeal are a year away so in the meantime she will
go to a mainstream school of their choosing

DD is in her third nursery currently- they are amazing! But the two nurserys before she had to leave as they couldn’t meet her needa. I just can’t understand how they think she will cope in mainstream

Meet her needs**

Do you have anything in writing from any of the professionals that says she needs a SS placement? If not, can you contact them and ask them for something in writing? It will help. Has your DD's nursery written a supporting statement too?

Providing the SS you've asked for isn't fully independent, being 'full' isn't a good enough reason for refusing to admit her. There are very few reasons a school can refuse a DC with an EHCP.

Ipsea has the legal info here:

www.ipsea.org.uk/choosing-a-schoolcollege-with-an-ehc-plan

And also info on how to appeal.

As @UsingChangeofName has said, I wouldn't use SENDIAS. They are paid by the local authority so I would question how independent they can ever be.

Are you happy with Sections B and F of her EHCP? Is all the provision she requires quantified and specified? You can appeal those sections at the same time too.

I would also email the director of children's services for your LA again. Lay out exactly what's happened and all the errors they've made so you have it in writing. Also state that you're going to appeal. A tribunal judge is not going to be impressed by how they've messed up. You never know, it may not need to go to appeal.

I don't know if this is still the case, but I had heard that the appeal courts will try and prioritise DC who are due to move to a new phase of education - but yes, the wait times are long atm.

Speak to your DD's nursery. Some can keep DC until the term they turn 5 so depending on when her birthday is - she may be able to stay in nursery until this is sorted. Just a thought.

Appeal to sendist.

If she's moving to reception, this is a phase transfer case and should be prioritised by the tribunal. It will still be months, but hopefully less than a year.

Appealing doesn't have to stop ongoing dialogue between you and the LA in the meantime. Sadly, it is the only way to ensure they are listening though.