Hi, my name is joyoga!

joyoga

Looking for advice to help daughter find a suitable secondary school for grandaughter currently in yr 5. Local secondary very large and not great reputation. Although they have lifts frequently out of action. Grandaughter in wheelchair most of the day so needs accessible school. Academically very capable. Current primary sympathetic but relies on other students to assist. She has EPHC which will need updating as needs have increased. Has anyone got a master list of questions to ask? Having approached several schools making appointment to view has been a challenge. Really need to know how accessible it is practically rather than theoretically and how willing to adjust a school would be. Any advice welcome TIA

durhamjaide2001

I would advise that she goes to a mainstream secondary school with a SEND unit attached. I wasn't treated very well as a Special Needs School. Or I would suggest homeschooling her..
 

I would also like to give you a warm welcome to the community. 

joyoga

Thank you, definitely Mainstream ,she needs the academic challenge, just finding somewhere rerasonably local that is really accessible and supportive

durhamjaide2001

Where abouts do you live in the UK?

joyoga

Grandaughter in Surrey

durhamjaide2001

Unfortunately I don't know that area very well but hopefully we have some members which know the area very well. 

chiarieds

Hi @joyoga - & welcome to the community. I wonder if your daughter has tried contacting IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice) to see if they can help. For example there's some info here (& IPSEA do recommend having a look around there website before perhaps using one of their helplines, for which there's a link at the bottom of this page): https://www.ipsea.org.uk/choosing-a-schoolcollege-with-an-ehc-plan

They may also be able to advise on updating your granddaughter's EHCP.

There's also some info here: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/schools/admissions/child-with-a-ehcp

Scope's main website also has info on schools for a child with a disability: https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/families-with-disabled-children/school/

Hoping some of this may help.

joyoga

thank you very helpful

durhamjaide2001

Your welcome thank you to @chiarieds for stepping in and taking action. 

L_Volunteer

I would recommend identifying what support would look like in an ideal world for your granddaughter. From there, you can visit schools and narrow them down based on what provisions they offer.

Also, as your granddaughter has an EHCP, any school would legally have to provide the support outlined in the EHCP so, hopefully, this widens the number of schools you can contact and visit.

I think the most important questions that would be in my mind would be:

• Does the school provide the resources my granddaughter needs?
• Is my granddaughter happy visiting the school and calm speaking to the people?
• Does the school usually cater for the needs similar to my granddaughters?
• What do I want my granddaughter to achieve and what are similar statistics like for this type of achievement? (whether academic, social, long-term careers outcomes or well-being and mental health)

A decent school that is aware of the needs of your granddaughter and her EHCP would be more than willing to talk to you and arrange a visit, though there may be particular times of the year which are preferable for this.

I hope this is at least semi-helpful. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s anything else we can do to support you 

 

joyoga

thank you , although she has an EHCP her current primary rely on other children to help her and do not understand the need to modify it in light of her deteriorating condition. They are concerned about the cost of any support she may need but do appreciate the ramp that was installed to enable access to her classroom

L_Volunteer

It is legally binding for them to follow the EHCP @joyoga! Therefore, their concerns are not valid. Please raise it with the SENCO/senior leadership team followed by your local authority.

How are you feeling about everything at the moment? We appreciate this does not sound easy but we are here for you if you would like to talk about it, if you have any questions or anything we can do to support you   

joyoga

SENCo in school is deputy head who has the issue about grandaughter not having educational needs. It is an academy so I presume there must be a superior within the organisation with responsibility for special needs?