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Dual Placements?? - Do they exist?

SusieL

Been thinking so much about Jack's education and spoken to many people and am now wondering if dual placements exist ie: Half week in mainstream setting and half week in Specialist School.

The reason I wonder this is that we don't have any mainstream schools with an ASD Unit in our area. Jack's teacher made an arrangement with a nearby special school for Jack to attend a Social Communication Group every Friday morning. This works great but now I wonder if he would benefit from more time there IF we can't take him out of the mainstream school that he's in and change to a Special School.

I know the school is given funding for providing Jack with extra help and they have to decide what areas to use the money in so he can get the most out of his education. Would it be impossible to fund time in a special school? Jack loves the noise social aspect of his primary school but I worry that they cannot provide the right 'learning' environment for him. He would benefit from time in both settings. 

Does this sound crazy or has anyone else ever thought about this? I'm going to suggest it to Jack's teacher and would love to be able to tell her that it works elsewhere.

I think the Council will freak out when I suggest it! But no harm in asking.

  • Paula, I agree - when you're going through all these experiences it's easy to feel you're on your own isn't it. Even though I have a few friends with autistic children, we all seem to have different experiences and needs - but it's always good to talk about what's going on.

    Hope to hear from you soon

    Take care

    Sue

  • It would be good to chat with another mum on this matter and keep intouch with our experiences!

    Kind regards  Paula

  • Hi - I'm so pleased you replied with all this info - thank you! your son has had exactly what we want for our son. A few days in mainstream and a few days in SEN setting.

    Jack needs a specialist TA to help him learn in a way he can understand and at his own pace! He needs learning tailored to suit his needs - we think he'll be lost in 'normal' lessons - they won't mean a thing to him.

    However, we know he is thriving on the social side of mainstream school and wouldn't want to take this away from him.

    It's so interesting to learn that dual placements have happened in Scotland - it at least proves it's not impossible with the right people and LEAs supporting it. My discussion on this posted twice for some reason and another member has said that dual placement has happened in Northamptonshire too (albeit in secondary school). It's nice to know I can at least drop this into my proposal to Jack's school. I'm feeling confident that Jack's teacher will at least enquire into it being possible. With her at it and me asking the SEN dept of our LEA we must surely get an answer - and I'm hoping it'll be the one we're hoping for.

    I wish you lots of luck with your move to England - whereabouts are you moving to? We're in East Yorkshire. I'm sure if you start out asking for SEN provision that you'll probably be successful. Please keep in touch and let me know how you get on and I'll update you with anything I can find out too. Sue x

  • Hi

    I am currently in Scotland and I can say yes indeed in Scotland this happens.  In England I am led to believe this generally does not happen. The issue is that the NICE guidelines recommend wherever possible that a child should be included into a mainstream setting. 

    Our son was originally in mainstream but then they advised us he needed more focused support due to his (still to be diagnosed Aspergers/ASD).  They then placed him in a wrap around for three mornings per week which was a behavioural unit adjoining another mainstream school which was some 30 minutes drive away and he then was brought back to his mainstream school in the afternoons.  This worked initially but quickly it compounded issues.  The main ones were - as you rightly said - when in mainstream his "support" although was great as they made him secure and safe, did not challenge him educationally and isolated him due to his behaviour within largers groups of children.  He needed a highly specialised support worker who was trained in ASD and not just a general support worker with the usual half day training session under their belt.  In the behavioural unit he was placed with other children who had emotional problems and not ASD in the main.  Our son then took on board that he was a bad child and that he was going to a school for naughty boys (which soul destroyed us at first).  There was a very committed teacher however within the unit who tried so hard to understand our son and work to develop him educationally.  Then - with the cut backs this provision was told it was shutting down.  Then we were directed to SEN provision and initially though we were horrified that our mainstream son would be placed in an SEN setting, with his anxiety and poor perception of school up to this pont we have agreed that he attends for three whole days in SEN setting and the other two days in a mainstream.  Then two weeks ago my hubby was asked to move to England with his work, so now I am looking into whether we can replicate the same in England. All of the research I am doing seems to indicate that regardless of the setting it is the quality of inclusion and support that is given that makes successful outcomes.  I think for our son personally - rather than now move into another wrong mainstream setting I would like to find an SEN provision with some experienced and trained ASD professionals, so that he would have the best chance of being welcomed and included into the school system and begin to enjoy his experiences.  Once he enjoys where he is we can then start to look at how we can integrate him back into a mainstream setting somehow.  Hope this helps. Let me know if you are in England what you find out will you?