School - BBC 2 - 9 pm

[HollowTalk]

Anyone watching?

Don't get me started on services for hearing impaired children.

I am just watching last nights episode. It makes me so angry how hard it is made to support the most vulnerable children because nobody will provide schools (and other services) with the resources they are screaming out for

As for Jack's mum saying about how you wait for the appointment, then wait ridiculously long after that for the letter about what was said in the bloody appointment and you have to chase absolutely everything - yep. I think we've been waiting 4 months for the last report from OT with my daughter. I run a spreadsheet with who I need to chase up when and it's so bloody draining.

I'm watching it at the moment and Jack seems an utterly lovely lad - they all seem such lovely lovely kids.

Good on the staff for bringing the parents together to explain things rather than leaving it the grapevine.

This is why I am currently fighting to get the support ds needs quantified on his ehc because it is as close as I can come to making sure he gets what he needs educationally

Jack is intelligent. I wish I could help him it will all be okay. Anxiety can be so cruel. Home education would work very well for him however the general status of it in society is that it is looked at negatively. I really think he would thrive without having to go into school and trigger his anxiety every day. There really should be a body that sets the work for these kids and that would take some strain off the schools but more importantly, allow the kids who struggle to attend school to thrive in their education.

Also the decreade in funding for special needs will have an affect on other kids too. It's just a domino effect and just like universal credit it seems like we'll have to just stand and watch it happen. I hope we find a way to get the message across to the politicians who only have cut cut cut in their vocabulary.

Hexagonal - just getting back to this thread... Spent the day pondering, spoken to several grandparents about cobbling together an hour a week of childcare for my toddler and have just left a message with the SENCO at my kids school.... I'm rusty but I'm sure I can help better than, err, nothing!!

Is this the 'Big Society' Cameron dreamed of (🤮)! It's looking pretty cowed and callous to me at the moment. Everyone who knows the truth doing what they can... but it's not enough and education should never be a charitable activity in the 5th wealthiest nation. But here we are.

My god that documentary was so sad. I've worked as an LSA and I've never watched anything so close to home. I actually left my last job due to stress. The programme did very well to cover children with a variety of needs as it just highlights how bloody hard it is for schools. However I would add there are undoubtedly children with less visible or pressing needs eg dyslexia who you can be sure are getting bugger all help and I feel very sorry for them.
The one thing that made me smile was Ollie. What a lovely boy he is. I hope he continues as long as he wants and funding never gets in his way. I loved his parents and I was gutted for his mum when I saw tears in her eyes.

Why are EHCPs even written anymore? It’s supposed to list what the pupil is legally entitled to, yet there is no money to provide it. so many pupils are simply not getting the help listed in their EHCP because schools don’t have the money to provide it. Parents need to start realising this. EHCPs are not worth the paper they’re written on these days

Because an EHCP is a legal document. So if the support is quantified on the EHCP and the school fails to provide it, the parents can complain to ombudsman or go to judicial review.

But schools are often NOT supplying the support because they don’t have the money to. Quite often parents don’t realise this till it’s too late. I know full well that they’re legal documents but they’re not fit for purpose.

But if the parent's complain is upheld (and they usually are, because the law is on their side) then the LA have to ensure the support is provided.

It may be that the child could have their needs best met in a different setting. But I don’t see plenty of spare places in special schools.

Which is why it is often a fight to actually get the local authority to agree to an EHCP in the first place. Schools know the child needs it but it seems local authorities do all they can to avoid going down that route. If they do then they drag it all out. Every stage takes AGES.

School has no choice. LA have to provide top up funding to pay towards the support, the school provide the first 6K from the notional SEN budget. The school can always say they can't meet the pupils needs of course, but then the LA HAVE to find an alternative placement (usually at higher cost).

I've been through the EHCP process twice, both times the LA agreed to assess first time. The first one took 20 weeks which legal timescale, the second took about 35 weeks but that's because we were pushing for a specialist placement (and they were dithering about it). It was DEFINITELY worth it both times.

The S Glouc council in the programme is looking at deducting the extra money they need for SEN from the general school budget, as they have no other way to address the deficit: article in local paper - the consultation has been pitting the two causes against each other. No way should it be one or the other.

Parents in nearby Bristol took the LA to the high court to reverse the cuts they were planning to make to SEN funding. The case has set a precedent, and I believe parent groups in other areas have started similar proceedings here

“The school provide the first 6K from the notional SEN budget”

And herein likes the problem. Schools AREN’T given that 6k PER CURRENT SEN PUPIL. Local authorities give schools a notional amount based on a formula (I’m not 100% sure but I think it’s based on data from past years and covers different things like EAL pupils, numbers of pupil premium children etc)

So if a school has a sudden large Intake of SEN pupils s one year into year 7 then they don’t suddenly get an increase in funding for that year for their main SEN budget. And they’re not allowed to turn down applications from children with extra needs.

So it means that there simply isn’t enough money to give 6k to cover the needs of each individual SEN pupil that needs it.

THIS is why schools are floundering and not having enough money to provide for SEN pupils.

The problem is compounded by the local authority comknf into schools to look at ways to reduce the funding they have to give schools. So they’ll come in and look at the SEN register and tell schools “this pupil’s needs aren’t severe enough, they need to come off the SEN register.”

Somewhere down the line the fact that the SEN register has been pared right down will have an impact on SEN funding given to schools by local authorities.

It’s not a good state of affairs.

If I was a parent of a child with SEN and applying to secondary schools then ALL my questions directed at the SENCO and head would be about SEN funding for that school. In their opinion How well funded is each child on the SEN register. Are all the needs of the current SEN pupils met out of their current SEN funds. How many EHCPs does the school apply for, hoe many are successful? How many TAs have been made redundant in the past 5 years/not replaced etc. How many interventions have had to be stopped due to lack of funding? What is the SEN funding looking like for the coming academic year etc etc.

The school provide the first 6K from the notional SEN budget

Ah, yes.

Otherwise known as the ‘fictional SEN budget in my school.

curly I didn't wait for school to apply for my children's EHCP. I did it myself both times. I've found teaching staff tend to put parents off, because they know it will cost them money, and they know they're legally binding. They will only apply once things are really dire, usually when it's too late for the child

Both my children get top up funding, I know the amount because I've seen the paperwork. The school have to provide detailed provision maps, with costings etc to claim the extra amount, so I know how much the school is paying, and how much extra they get from the LA, and exactly what that's paying for.

And schools can't just take children with a diagnosis or disability that means they have SEN off the SEN register

And not every pupil on the SEN register will require an extra 6K in support, many will need a lot less.

I'm not arguing that schools aren't short of money by the way, I'm just pointing out the legal responsibilties of LAs and schools towards children with an EHCP.

I agree with you, I wouldn’t wait for my child’s school to apply for an EHCP either. Not in this climate. Unfortunately for many SEN kids they have no-one at home able to fully advocate for them. Often you find a child with a learning difficulty has a parent with difficulties too. These kids tend to fall through the gaps now in a way that they didn’t used to.

“schools can't just take children with a diagnosis or disability that means they have SEN off the SEN register”. I’m not talking about pupils with a diagnosis or EHCP. sometimes pupils are on there for emotional difficulties/anxiety etc but don’t have a diagnosis. Then you have outside agencies who are also struggling with funding eg CAMHS telling you that the latest assessments of those pupils, or their progress in school, means that they are no longer being impeded by their anxiety/other Social/emotional/behavioural difficulty.

It’s really really hard. For everyone concerned. I don’t even blame the local authority wirh being so strict with their criteria. They have their own shitty budget to have to work within. I totally blame central government policy.

For anyone feeling strongly about this, schools in Gates head have started a government petition. Our children deserve so much better.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/232220

Just watching this now. Really glad to see the school getting the parents together, they can at least get support from each other if they know who they are. The parent that said ‘the government only cares about the kids who are going to get Cs and above and go to university’ was spot on.
I have 2 DC with EHCP and was fortunate that the primary school was very supportive with the application process.

Anyone else tuning in...