Schools becoming academies

[sweetmum4]

How will this impact our children with sen? Any thoughts please share because I am very confused.

I work in an academy which is to open in september. The funding agreement for academies states that they have to be inclusive and our two predecessor schools we about 40% SEN with one currently in special measures.

There are academies which actively discourage some SEN and to prove that we are different, some people agreed to admit a child into year 7 who has cp and is still in nappies. I understand that his parents want him with us because his friends will be here too. None of our current TAs will take up the one to one so I am trying to find out if his current TA is willing to resign and join us. If we have a few more of that and no funding, there will have to be TA redundancies in the near future. We have already been told by the DCSF /YPLA/Dfe that the funding will be reduced next year for start up grants.

We have been charged with finding more efficient ways of running things. So far we have used our personal credit cards to pay bills, buy stationery, buy software, set up websites and email exchange and then claimed it back from the government afterwards.

I have been to the LEA who will not be funding his statement, the NHS is trying to bill us for all his equipment which I have refused to pay for. We have no showers except in the sports hall if he should need one.

The last time we had a child in nappies, he was bullied horribly by HFA kids who didn't know better, sometimes he had to be taken out of class to be changed and saddest of all, the friends became teenagers and were embarrassed to be seen with him. Teachers complained that they spent less time teaching and too much time managing behaviour and it was disruptive to the class. And that was when it was a maintained school with funding.

For our SEN set up, we visited Treetops School to get some advice and hope to visit a few others. Our local authority is one of the sponsors and wants us to have an SEN unit but they have said anything about funding it so far.

IMHO, academies are a cost cutting exercise in a pretty package and many schools will not realise it until much later. We have been told how studies have shown that classes with TAs (not the 1-1) under-perform those without, some academies have had to get rid to teachers pay and conditions and the Burgundy book to get everyone working more hours. the new mantra is 'more for less'

Finefatmama - Would you be prepared to speak about this anonymously?

I don't mind.

Can you CAT me - press contact a poster?? I've tried to do you but it says you don't accept messages

I have tried and am getting the same message for you. I have amended the options so you should be able to CAT me now

Thanks. I've sent you an email.

I haven't seen it yet. can you re-send pls?

I've CAT you again. Let me know if you don't get it.

Just wondering how this all fits in with the Lamb inquiry.......hmmmm....it doesn't really does it?

What is the point of, for example, the Lamb Report making it possible to complain to the Local Government Ombudsman about Local Authorities SEN services,if it is the Government's ultimate aim to make academy schools "the norm". To Quote Michael Gove, Education Secretary.

I have looked at the Bill and it barely mentions SEN at all.

According to the Press Association the Bill is expected to "receive an unopposed second reading in the Lords today, as is customary in the upper House".

So is the Lamb Report and its recommendations destined to just gather dust on some parliament shelf?

I know - I think that is a really important point because the Lamb report had a lot of interesting things to say about partnership with parents and a more accountable approach. The report suggested increased oversight in this area and we face the opposite.

I think Lamb also made recommendations about Ofsted which will fall by the wayside now too (isn't the suggestion that these 'outstanding' schools will be exempt from inspections?)

Really, why would you take a child who is going to cost you money? The thought of putting heads or teachers 'in the driving seat' is horrifying. Take children with ASD,most teachers know nothing about it and view the support they offer as not reading and writing and therefore not part of their job.

Getting my son's needs is difficult enough. If his school turns into an Academy, even a statement won't secure his provision.

At the moment I am going through a very stressful time, fighting the LEA to get proper provision in DD's Statement, which means that I am having to go to Tribunal.

The Academies Bill makes my wonder why I am bothering!

I am also very fearful what the future holds for my daughter's education.

There's an interesting letter in the Guardian today (from a prof at the Institute of Education) about the funding of academies. They will get a topsliced extra amount from the LEA budget. But because the LEA will still be running the majority of schools, the extra funding for academies will not come from cuts in administration, it will be taken from areas such as pupil transport, SEN funding and so on. So those schools which don't become academies will get less because academies will get more -- even though they are likely to have the vast majority of children with higher needs. The result will be (let's see, who couldn't have predicted this) to deepen funding inequalities between schools and to further erode the provision for SEN. Fantastic!

I agree wholeheartedly MT. I am about to embark on the same path and I think - what for? Schools are allowed to get away with doing whatever they like already regarding SEN if a child hasn't a statement. Their budgets are not even ringfenced for SEN provision. There is precious little in terms of accountability at SA/SA+ status and you spend your life chasing provision.

So, you go through the misery and personal hell of trying to secure a statement, with all the horror stories you hear on this board but you could end up in a school which sets its own unaccountable targets and priorities and decides that children like my son are just far too much work. Efforts may be made to ensure they reach 'average levels' but after that? Forget it. The money is better spent elsewhere

niminypiminy - bloody super! It just gets better!

I know. Let's just go back in time and see if we can re-run that election, eh -- this time with me fixing the vote .

I am campaigning and letter writing like mad about this at the moment!

Very worried about the speed that this Bill is being rushed through - Don't understand why is has started out in the House of Lords, is that too speed up the process?

No, bills can start in either house but it will have to go through the House of Commons too.

1st reading
2nd reading
Cttee stage
3rd reading

The repeated in HC - I think!

Gove's new slogan - tough on SEN children, tough on the parents of SEN children!

How much more popular with the 'outstanding' schools be though without the drain on resources brought about by those time and cost consuming SEN kids?

Thanks for the explanation Debs, so there is still time to improve the Bill in relation to its impact on children with SEN, if we all get lobbying!

Yes, I think we need to rally the troops. I'm not sure the best way of doing it as the NAS seem to have gone all wet on it.

How could we do something together to raise awareness as parents??

In that case, the first thing may be to protest that future academies should NOT be incorporated as limited companies and registered charities - that's where the concept of independence comes from.

It used to take 9-12 months to set up an academy so this should be interesting.

www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Library/guidance/spirp.pdf

hi debs, have sent you a response.

Have you seen this, debs? Academies bill is anti-democratic

and this: Michael Gove's academies plan 'will exclude poorer children'. It doesn't mention SEN, but it's well-established that there's a correlation between FSM and SEN figures.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/10294526.stm