How many hours of support can be awarded on a statement?

[huffyhuffystompstomprahrahrah]

Hi there - my partners dd is changing schools as her first primary school was not meeting her needs and generally not interested. It was all going ahead but the proposed school has now said that they wont take her unless the provision on her statement is increased. She currently has 25 hours of 1:1 on her statement but the school is asking for a further 19. This would make 44 - can they ask for more hours than there are in the school week??? Can they ask for the xtra hours as preperation time even though they have outreach services that are supposed to do this??? Are they just making it impossible for her to go??

She doesn't need 2:1 as she is tiny and has no aggressive challenging behaviour although she can be quite rigid and head strong. We wanted her to change schools because her last school just wasn't right for her - she didn't want to go, had no friends, was starting to soil herself, was excluded from her peers by the approach of the teachers etc.

Help as the lea/advise that we are being given is rubbish and confusing!!

My ds has a 30 hr statement. The lea informed me that it is classed as a full statement. ie mon 8.40 to fri 3.15
But, mon 8.40 to fri 3.15 is not 30 hrs.
Kent lEA told me, that anything over 28 hrs is a full statement.

They are playing you. Contact your sdd's aen, she/he will be able to help you and your partner see where you can go next. also look at this website here

Schools get money based on the severity of a statement. This money does not necessarily go to help the child. They are looking for ways to get more money, more funding into the school to help all children.

Have a good talk to someone about this and make sure all options are covered. I can understand where the new school are coming from, as they may have to start from scratch building up resources etc. But they should also not refuse you access to the school because the statement isn't high enough. Maybe discuss other funding options as well.

Hope that helps.

i think if the school are asking for the extra hours then that puts you in a very strong position to get them. i can't see anything wrong in them applying for them if you feel dd needs the support - can't do any harm, most people moan about lack of input not too much if you have any issues speak to IPSEA - google it - they are very good but hard to get hold of.

good luck