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transition to secondary school-seeking help and advice

3 replies

chatee · 29/04/2010 20:54

hiya all,

i can't believe that i am coming on mn to ask for advice about my dc who is y5 and starting the transition(wrt statements)for secondary school
(i first found mn when she was only 3)
dc has cp quadriplegia and is ambulant but uses a wheelchair for trips out of school,long days if she is feeling tired or if she is having problems with afo's(can not stand or walk unaided)
so does anyone have any tips or handy hints?

how to secure secondary school of choice?

transport issues due to disability?

everyday tasks that (you hadn't considered )but are issues for your child?

will be back later thanks xx

ps have also posted in special educational needs but this part of sn is busier...

OP posts:
cory · 29/04/2010 21:39

My dd also needs to use a wheelchair from time to time (Ehlers Danlos syndrome).

We started by visiting all the local secondaries to find out what they were like, in purely physical terms and in the feel of the place. It turned out there was only one local school which was wheelchair adapted.

Then we made an appointment to speak with the SENCO and head of Yr 7 at the school we thought would meet her needs. We explained about dd's situation and mentioned various situations that might cause her problems, and found them full of helpful suggestions. They obviously couldn't help with the actual application; this was more to confirm that they would be the right place.

We then applied for this school and adduced dd's medical needs ticking the box for special reasons. This is where we went slightly wrong as we did not provide enough professionally backed-up evidence of how dd's specific needs were matched by this school and this school only. So we were rejected and had to appeal. We won the appeal.

The evidence we won the appeal on (so what should have gone into the initial application) was:

dd needs to use a wheelchair from time to time (backed up by letter from GP and paed)- this is the only nearby school that is wheelchair adapted

however, she should walk as often as possible, and as her walking is not very good, she needs a small school(backed up by letter from GP and paed)- to avoid massive wheelchair adapted school

she needs frequent medical appointments and therefore has to be near surgery (letter from GP)- to avoid wheelchair adapted school at other end of LEA

she suffers from chronic pain issues which means she cannot travel long distances on a daily basis (supported by letter from paed and GP)- to avoid wheelchair adapted school at other end of LEA

she suffers from emotional health problems regarding her disability and needs to attend a school where her friends are going who can explain and help her make friends (backed up by letter from CAHMS)

On this we got in. We then applied to the LEA for transport and got it. However, because the distance was less than they would usually provide transport for, I had to provide medical evidence as to a) why she could not go on public transport (disability) and b) why I could not drive her myself (no driving licence due to poor eyesight)- the GP saw to that.

chatee · 29/04/2010 22:06

thanks cory

OP posts:
sugarcandymountain · 29/04/2010 23:34

Does your DD have a statement chatee? If so, your application process will be different from the standard route (which seems to be described above with the medical tick box).

If you have a statement, you should discuss secondary choices at the Yr5 annual review. Then in the autumn term of Yr6, you'll be sent a form asking for your school preferences and the statement should be amended to name a school by February of Yr6 - slightly earlier than those without statements, so that you'll have time to put transition plans in place or appeal to SEND.

I agree with the above advice about visiting all school options as early as possible and talking to Sencos. I would also talk to the Senco at your current school and other local parents/local SN groups.

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