Special Schools - catchment areas imposed by LEA

[donkeyderby]

Our local authority has just decided, without consultation, to impose catchment areas for the two SLD schools in the City. This is purely and simply because they want to reduce transport costs. Parents therefore now get no choice in schooling for their SLD children.

The Local Authority did not go through the board of Governors at either SLD school before imposing the catchment area. They maintain that legally, they don't have to. What is shocking is that they say they only have a legal obligation to go through the Governors if it is a mainstream school and that special schools fall under different rules.

Does anyone have any expertise on this, or an idea of where I should seek advice?

Advie would be SOS!SEN I think, they'reopretty good

They do thast here though, you can go elsewhere but you take the child or if there is an existing bus, contribute towards it. We were 'lucky'to get a choice as our village doesn't fall under any one school, but almost everywhere 3else does and friends ahd a bad time around this and have found themselveslumped with a bill 6to avoid a school they didn't think was suitable

Hmmm, this doesn't sound legal as it should be based on a child's needs. My own DS has gone to 2 schools out of borough due to his needs. I think Meerkats knows a lot about this sort of thing. You could ask IPSEA?

Yes Riven is right

DS3 attends a generic unit,severallocalschools have them and theya re vcatchment based

More specific resources however are available to children regardless of catchment- the ASD unit, PMLD school, SLT unit, AS class... but you have to prove a very clear need first (and they really do only cover the most severe- ds3 didn't end up at the ASD unit for example becuase all the children there are non verbal, we could have opted for it but it wasn't really suitable).

Do you mean you have several SLD schools in your borough and your child has to go to the closest? How ridiculous.

Gawd that could be disastrous if that happened here. They did try to combine the 2 SLD schools here, but they did have to go to consultation and everyone was very against it as although they are similar on paper they are not in reality. So for the moment at least they've backed down (although I did hear on a grapevine it might be back on )

I guess IPSEA would be the first organisation to talk to.

There are two SLD schools. Up until now, you could chose between both. They are similar in many ways but also have quite marked differences.

My question is not so much about accessing the out of area school, but was the LEA within it's rights to suddenly impose a catchment area without going through the schools governors (or anybody for that matter)?

Will try the SOS SEN and IPSEA - good ideas. thanks

It definitely sounds dodgy!

I have had a very brief google and it looks as if in England there should no longer catchment areas for any school because parental choice means you can apply to any school you wish. Children are then prioritised according to distance from school. So although there is an area in which you are likely to be accepted and an area from which you are not in an oversubscribed school it is not an official catchment area as such. Unlike Scotland which does have catchments.

Having said that my LEA appears to have drawn up catchment areas for its schools! But whether there is a legally recognised definition I don't know.

here look - this suggests there is no such thing as a catchment area in England

Thanks, Saintly. Interesting. Maybe the LEA will let people apply to either school but then only give them the nearer school. Not sure if either are oversubscribed.

this has suprised me as I always thought that the schools were all diferent and catered for different sn iynwim
the LEA really are trying it on arn't they..
has any one contacted the evening argus?