Parents want ms school but professionals insist on SN school - can anything be done?

[KickButtowski]

I have experience of Sn and Statements and my dd is in a ms school with a fulltime 121 but a friend has asked for help and I don't know where to start. Apologies if some details are sketchy but I have the basic facts to go on:

Her ds has some learning difficulties and also very brittle bones, also has severe developmental delay. He is currently in SN preschool 3 mornings a week and ms preschool with a support worker for the other 2 and is doing absolutely fine in both. He has just turned 4 and due to start reception in September. Parents are both adamant that he schould go to ms because his disabilities are mainly physical, but they have been told by caseworked and people at LA who wrote the statement that he must go to Sn school because his needs are to complex, especially becuase he needs access to hydro and physio every week. They are specifying a local SN school with a fab reputation but the parents have a child there already with very severe problems and they are aghast that now their child should be sent there.

I don't expect anyone to be able to comment on the specifics as you / I don't have enough info, but generally I am asking if there is this sort of stalemate what can the parents do? They say they will fight it, but how?

I suggested that they must first find a suitable ms school that they think would work and that would be willing to accept him, but if the professionals involved say absolutely not to ms school, then what can they do? and how?

Any suggestions, please?

if he needs acess to hydro and physio weekly then how do they expect a mainstream school to accomodate that?

Well, my dd has hydro each week - I take her to it and then drop her off at school afterwards. As for physio, it is in her statement and 3 - 4 times per week her 121 worker takes her out of class and does a physio session with her, based on the plan agreed with her physio and me.

So those 2 points can actually be really easily accommodated I think.

The SEN and Disability Discrimination Act 2001 places an emphasis on the inclusion of children with special educational needs in
mainstream schools.

The SEN Code of Practice says that:
'1:35 There is a clear expectation within the Education Act 1996 that pupils with statements of special education needs will be included in mainstream schools. A parents' wish to
have their child with a statement educated in the mainstream should only be refused in the small minority of cases where the child's inclusion would be incompatible with
the efficient education of other children.'

This does not however mean that children cannot be placed in special schools, if that is the parent's preference.

Most Local Education Authorities want children with SEN placed in mainstream schools, because it is normally cheaper than a specialist placement. It all comes down to cost.

Try contacting parents for inclusion for advice.

www.parentsforinclusion.org/pihomepage.htm