Treehouse School

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

Does anyone have a child there?

I've just had a great chat with the secretary and given all the crap we've had lately I'm thinking it may be the best thing for DS.

I'm sure it's going to be almost impossible to get him in , argh.

Why are there not more schools like this!?

sorry don't know the school, but in answer to your question.......money.
hope you are feeling better today after that crap on your thread

As far as I can see the LEAs fund most places.

It just makes me angry there aren't schools like this in every town.

Thanks for the hug, I'm alright, just sad.

I want DS to go here so badly

oh that looks nice, dd goes to an sn school and I think they are wonderful
must be someone on here who knows it

I have heard good things about it at meetings

My knowledge of it is outdated... I worked there in its early days and was in regular contacts with my ex-colleagues for years after I left. LAs do fund most of the places but it was a frustrated group of parents who set it up, initially in Swiss Cottage library, when they realised that their children needed highly specialised teaching.

Hello,

Have a try on [email protected] in reference to TreeHouse.

best wishes,

M

TDWP, do you already run a home ABA programme?

I think (although am happy to be corrected on this) that you'd have a hell of a fight on your hands to get LA funding for an ABA school without first having some data proving ABA works (and only ABA works) for your ds.

I second joining ABA-UK - very helpful.

If you want any ABA help, give a shout - there's a fair few of us running programmes/with dc at ABA school on here.

FWIW, dd1 just started at an ABA school, and we are self-funding while we fight for it to be named on her statement. we have been running a h9ome programme for nearly 2 years. dd1 is 5.5.

whereabouts are you based? London, I take it, since Treehouse is an option geographically. dd1's school is looking to expand, and would probably be easier to get into than Treehouse, if you can make the commute. CAT me for more details, or email on silverfrog 13 @ gmail dot com

DS went to TreeHouse for 6 years before leaving 2 years ago for residential school. There are some awful, moaning parents there (a small number) but also some great, fun parents. As a school I couldn't fault it on anything major, and not much on anything small. I am still good friends with 5-6 TH parents so, apart from my own experience, can always ask for more relevant info if you want it.
People moan about the cost but the main reason for that is the 1:1 staffing, short holidays (its a 43 week year, not 38) and the fact that they have to fundraise for EVERYTHING apart from the direct funding for places from LEAs. Although the cost is high to LEAs it still doesn't cover the new building they've got, the supplies, the equipment etc etc. In fact, if there was a REAL comparison with an LEA maintained school, adjusted for number of weeks provision, the cost isn't that much different, especially as many LEA special schools fund a place at X and then end up funding more 1:1s and even 2:1s at a later date. I did see a true cost of an LEA special school once and it was WAY above the £17,000 they quoted but many of their costs are from other departments so they don't care about them iyswim.
Let me know if you want any specific info.

i run a home ABA program, one of our tutors is from treehouse (she is amazing) and another is from a similar type school called Rainbow (dont know much about it, can ask) and she is similarly amazing.

I have heard v good things about Treehouse from 2 pals with kids there - not least because it has a 1-to-1 pupil/staff ratio and uses ABA/VB methods . I did also visit another VB school recently - Rainbow in Wandsworth - and was v impressed by school and head, though the premises are cramped (but they're moving soon). Certainly it's a battle to get LEAs to pay, but two possible routes which I know have worked for other mums are 1) you're doing VB already and can prove it works above all other methods or 2) you've already got some funding, but the placement is failing, so you want to transfer money to another placement. But out of borough often involves a big legal fight. I can recommend Fiona Slomovic for quick legal advocacy about whether it's worth your while, she knows all about Treehouse too.

tdwp when you come back to this thread can you have a look at the thread I started calling for you|(tis in sn)

Good luck - heard nothing but good stuff.

advocacyandmediation.co.uk/ Here is the link you need for FS and I also highly recommend her. There are a number of ABA schools in the UK, I'm sure there's one in Herts and, of course, Rainbow but it only goes up to secondary and TreeHouse is secondary too (although its new to them). TreeHouse as a charity may be able to give you more info about other ABA schools and you could also join their on-line community which is not related to the school but might be helpful.

P.S. what borough are you in?

No pipin, I am sticking with mainstream for now, but partly I wanted to see Rainbow as I think it's the one that - if I ever did go the special school route - I would send DS to. Ironically, it may also help my case that I have been to see this school, as if the LEA play silly buggers, I will tell them I am thinking of Rainbow and they will hopefully run for cover (it costs them £50k per annum to fund a place there, and most people also win transport on top of that, at about a further £15k!). So all told, they are getting me on the cheap and should try and avoid the day I decide to up sticks and go the special route! I have not heard of anyone winning mainstream independent school, Pip, only ever independent ABA or special schools. I do have a pal who sends her autistic kid to a mainstream private school, with far smaller class sizes, but she has ended up paying for it all herself and lost at tribunal. I have also heard of people finding dyslexia schools surprisingly good for some asd kids. Is there a Treehouse-type near you? sick x

I have always said to people, if you want a home program then threaten TreeHouse, if you want TreeHouse then threaten residential.
Sickof... I don't know when(if) you might consider special school, but just be warned as I said earlier, that Rainbow is primary only. Mind you, I know two kids at TreeHouse that have been here for primary but had to go to Tribunal to stay there for secondary, one lost and one won......