Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi!
it’s my first time posting on here…
I am a mum of a 5 year old boy with autism. He started primary school in September. we had lots of communication with the school before he attended, as did his nursery to make the school aware of his needs and the importance of him needing 1:1 care throughout the day.
because of his needs, we started the EHCP application before starting school which the they were happy with.
this week we received our letter to say that my son would be receiving an EHCP and the school would be getting funding, as soon as the school got this through, their SENCO asked to have a meeting with us.
i was unable to attend (due to illness) but my partner went to the meeting where they basically said they are unable to meet his needs and don’t have the right resources at the school for his needs and the funding was not enough. They are going to try and get more funding (which is fair enough!) and do ‘as much as they can’ to meet the plan, but they also suggested we look at sending him to a different school!
I am so upset about this, they were fully aware of his needs before he attended and never gave us any indication they can’t care for him until this meeting. I would not have sent him to the school if I believed they couldn’t! The school they suggested is over half an hour away in the car and I can’t drive… None of the other local schools have a SEN school as part of the mainstream school either. He struggles to get settled in new places and I am so scared he will regress if we have to change his school after only a month of being there.
has anyone else experienced anything like this with school?
i just don’t understand why they’ve only just said they can’t care for him… I feel so devastated for him.. it makes me not want to send him back next week.
should we just go to a different school and not waste our time at this school?
any help/advice is greatly appreciated, as we don’t know who to talk to, we don’t know anyone else with kids that have autism…
thank you for taking the time to read this.
Hi NAS89296, thank you for sharing with the community. Please visit our online advice and guidance which explains more about getting extra help in school, assessments, education plans, reviews and school transport.
Extra help at school in Wales
Extra help at school in Scotland
Extra help at school in Northern Ireland
Extra help at school in England
If you require further support, you may like to contact the following organisations:
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
The Children’s Law Centre provides a free legal advice service and legal representation for children and young people.
The NI Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY) and their work is focused on making sure children and young people have access to their rights in their day-to-day lives, so they have the best opportunity to reach their full potential.
England
If you need support with an appeal against a decision about a child or young person’s educational needs, your local tribunal administration may also be able to help:
First-tier Tribunal (special educational needs and disability) in England
Special Educational Needs Tribunal for Wales
Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (Northern Ireland)
First Tier Tribunal for Scotland Health and Education Chamber
I hope this information helps.
Best wishes,
Anna Mod