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[ExistingonCoffee]

A thread for all who have DC with SN. The thread is deleted and 90 days and doesn’t show in active. The fire is on and the bar is well stocked.

Yes, I had to initiate JR against my LA in the May of Y14, because they just ignored the transfer to residential college completely. (They had agreed to fund a Y14, I assume because DD1 had spent two periods of months out of school during secondary, when the schools couldn’t cope with her epilepsy and we had to find another one)

The residential college told me my LA often didn’t make a decision to fund a year there, until the September of that year. I don’t know what would have happened, if all the beds had been filled by then, because it takes too long to travel there, as a day student in rush hour!

It's all very destablising, isn't it?

I'm now having to try and think what DD2 could do next year. An EOTIS package based around animal care would be helpful, but I don't know how to achieve it, and she is going to need some qualifications to progress on to veterinary nursing at some point in the future, but also some massive input to get her to the point where she can cope with people.

She said that the college felt too much like secondary school. She couldn't cope with the big group, and found the group work stuff too hard to cope with. She said that it sounds stupid, because it's an inanimate object, but even having to write on a mini whiteboard made her feel stressed and uncomfortable.

I can't believe that once again, I'm in April and have no idea what is happening for my children! I don't even know if DD3's place at her current school is going to be approved for next year yet.

@Lougle I hope calm has been restored! Happy birthday to DH for the upcoming week.

The LA should have finalised DD2’s amended EHCP by 31st March. Did they? If not, chase the LA while looking for someone who has the capacity for a pre-action letter.

The same applies to DD3. If DD3 is to move from one post 16 placement to another in September, the LA would have needed to finalise an amended EHCP by 31st March.

For animal related EOTIC provision, you could look at:

• The City Farm in one of the cities near you runs AP.
• There is also an animal AP in your LA. Their normal offer is up to 18 but it is worth asking if they can offer something bespoke. It is the one who opened a primary school.
• You could look at animal assisted therapy - either general animal assisted or a specific animal e.g. there is an alpaca assisted therapy company in your LA.
• There are a few different equine APs.
• SENshine tutoring has animal courses online. From general animal care courses to shorter more specific courses such as Canine First Aid.
• The College of Animal Welfare does an online city and guilds level 2 course.
• The Reptile Academy does some remote AQA awards relating to animals. Their in person offer isn’t in your area, but you can still work online with them.
• Some of LCB’s education boxes are animal related.
• Pawsitive squad has different options. Some leading to qualifications.
• SRUC runs an online distance learning course.
• Add in some work experience or volunteering if DD would cope with it.
• And add in some additional therapies DD needs.

But, you will need evidence, so you may need independent reports.

Thank you! DD2's and DD3's EHCPs have been finalised without setting. DD3 is intending to continue at her current setting but funding decisions don't happen until later in the term.

@Lougle if DDs’ EHCPs have been finalised, you need to appeal. Don’t let your right of appeal lapse. Don’t rely on the LA amending at a later date. They may not or they may do so but not to a satisfactory standard.

Is section I completely blank or is there a type of placement named but no specific placement?

Ask the LA how they intend to fulfil their s42 duty come September.

I’m back to thinking about maintenance loans and UC. DD will have completed 90 credits towards a certificate of higher education. October she will study the final 30 credits towards the certificate (120 in total) plus 60 credits towards the next stage a diploma in higher education. So studying 90 credits in total from Oct 2026.

She was not eligible for a maintenance loan this time but will she be eligible from October 2026. 🤨. Oct 26 it will include 60 credits towards the diploma in higher education (first year of the degree level) but it’s 50% towards the first year.

Has anyone got experience or advice please?

im assuming UC payments go completely and if eligible she will get the same amount in maintenance loan but have to pay it back.

Really difficult day with DS yesterday but all back to normal today - I took them both to church on my own which is sometimes tricky, but they were both mainly fine. They both like ringing the communion bell, DD sang a couple of the hymns with me, though DS doesn't usually, and the vicar has asked DS to help carry the cross in at the start and DD will carry a candle along with another DC.
This afternoon DD went to watch stock car racing with DH and DS played out on our private road with next door's 8yo DD. I stayed out of the way and had some peace and quiet to read a book and make some snacks for work!

@drspouse nice to finish the weekend on a high.

Hope your DH has a lovely 50th @Lougle

Glad things improved @drspouse

@HedgehogsAgree I think the loans are only repayable once earnings are over a certain amount. Higher education is very expensive though, we will give DD £58,000 for the course fees, 3 years accommodation and living expenses over the three years to avoid her needing to take loans. That is the one good thing about DS not going to university a year after her. I believe PIP can continue.

DD has gone back to university today and is already rowing. She'll be back end of June. Got the new tap for upstairs bathroom and I managed to work out how you remove the toilet seat which is wobbly I suspect after DS. DD was trying to get her washing out of the drier just before going and DS wasn't letting her in, think as DH and DD were down there and he could not get to garden without passing them. After several attempts DD said I told him off and then he came right past me and let me in so all washing was got in the end. I cleaned the upstairs fridge which DD uses and she made a black sacks of rubbish and lots of plates appeared from her room. DS has been walking round the garden sticking to paths. We've had a Chinese.

Ami right in thinking that you don’t need to take the maintenance loan money but the UC payments will end if eligible?

Also is the LCWRA UC amount also reduced by maintenance loans or is that separate? I’m looking at the Gov.co.uk site but finding it complicated. Has anyone had the LCWRA reduced?

Has anyone had a special support loan or grant instead of a maintenance loan?

I’m making sense of it. LCWRA remains open but is reduced £1 for £1 same as rest of UC. £110 allowance in each period discounted but if ML entitlement is very high some months there will be zero UC. difficult bit is now working out how much maintenance loan DD is entitled to.

@HedgehogsAgree if it is a Diploma of Higher Education, I’m not sure DD will be eligible for a maintenance loan. A DipHE is eligible for tuition fee loan but not a maintenance loan unless it is a DipHE in dental hygiene & dental therapy or operating department practice. See here.

If DD’s course is eligible, she can get a maintenance loan. Most part-time students studying via a distance learning provider are not entitled to a maintenance loan, but that doesn’t apply to disabled students who can’t attend a brick university because of their disability. See here - “If you’re a distance learning student, you can only apply for a Maintenance Loan if you cannot attend your course in person because of a disability.”

If DD is eligible for a maintenance loan, whether the maintenance loan wipes out the UC award depends on various factors. How much is deducted is complex. It isn’t the same for all.

1. You need to know the maximum maintenance loan the claimant is eligible for. This is the total possible even if it is reduced because they didn’t take it all or because it is reduced due to parental income or their income.
2. For some, there is an additional step of disregarding the special support element. The special support loan isn’t instead of applying for a maintenance loan.
3. You then need to know how many assessment periods the maintenance loan is supposed to cover. This differs depending on the course and the claimant’s AP dates.
4. Then you divide the maintenance loan amount by the number of APs the maintenance loan covers.
5. £110 is then deducted from the amount in no.4.
6. The remaining amount is then deducted from UC £ for £ each AP the loan covers. The LCWRA element is subject to deductions just like other UC elements. The deduction can mean some end up with no UC because the deductions have wiped out their UC elements.

@ExistingonCoffee thank you for including the phrase ‘it is complex’. I think there is no choice to be made so we just wait for the decision. DD has decided to pay her tuition fees directly to the OU. I wonder how a maintenance loan is generated if she is not applying for tuition finance. I guess she applies for a maintenance loan separately?

@HedgehogsAgree yes, you/DD would still apply to SFE.

DD2's was 'finalised' on 27 March to add 'Other FE' to her plan from September, but I didn't get an official letter with the right to appeal, etc.

DD3 had a review date of 16/01/26, with a decision 'keep as it is' but no final EHCP was issued and the EHCP date is still dated 03/04/2025. It still names her current independent specialist school.

@Lougle for DD3, if you had the formal decision letter saying the LA was maintaining as is, that is the decision. There won’t be an updated EHCP because the EHCP is not being amended. The placement is to stay the same. To change the placement, the LA would have had to amend rather than maintain as is.

For DD2, if you didn’t get the formal decision letter, you need to go back to the LA and request they provide one. If they don’t or delay, you need the chase them again whilst looking for someone with capacity to do a pre-action letter because they are frustrating your right of appeal.

Ah yes, the EHC hub is a mess so it contradicts itself, but I've now found the letter that says DD3's EHCP will be maintained. I have also found the letter that says DD2's EHCP is finalised and I have until 27th May to appeal that.

I'm hopefully going to talk to the SEN Caseworker this week. She emailed me at the beginning of April to see if we could talk about how things were going, but when I told her I was free, she didn't reply.

@Lougle I would appeal DD2’s EHCP ASAP. It is a phase transfer appeal so will be prioritised. However, pressure on court time is immense. SENDIST is swamped. The longer you leave it, the more likely it won’t be resolved before the start of the academic year (and potentially months into it). If the LA agrees to what is needed, they can concede the appeal.

Thanks, I'll contact the LA SEN Caseworker and if she can't sort something asap I'll appeal.

We have to choose "options" (there really isn't much choice" for DS. They all do Maths, English Language and Biology (even though the booklet describes physics and chemistry). I'm asking if they can do double Science, not because I think he will get 4 subjects at GCSE but because I think if all the aspects of science are studied in less depth he has a better chance of getting some form of qualification, even if it's Entry level.
I'm not going to show him the booklet itself because it's very complicated and at times just plain wrong. Some topics are missing entirely, some described wrong, and some presented as available when they are not. There are two subjects missing from the choice grid, and one that the school has told us is two separate subjects but it's described as one. Incompetent doesn't even begin to describe it!

Tonight DD returns to studying by setting a ridiculously high self imposed challenge on her Switch. If avoidance was a course module she would ace it 😆 my crystal ball sees many late nights for the next 6 weeks….

Honk honk honk here ends this thread 💕