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Changing SEN Unit

Mumof03

Hi Everyone,

I’m new to the forum and new to reaching out for help in general!

My Son is 9 years old and started at a mainstream school but was quickly moved to a SEN provision in a mainstream setting after 6 months. He has an EHCP and has been at his current school since reception.

At the time he joined this SEN provision they had multiple SEN trained TAs and two SEN teachers (one for infants, one for juniors). Since then there has been a high turnover of teachers, TAs, SENCOs. He is now in the junior class with a main teacher who, while he is great, has no SEN training that I’m aware of, and two TAs.

For the last year my Son has refused to go into school. I’m not sure what happened but he absolutely hates it there. To the point he has only been doing three hours a day for the last 8 months and 5 of those months I have had to sit in the classroom with him. Before that, he was not going in at all.

Since sitting in the class I have noticed how poor the education is that he is receiving. The TAs have their hands full and I had to insist another TA be present (there was only 1 teaching 4 children at one point) as two children were always left doing nothing while they were seeing to the others. When I then sat with them while they were showing him the work I noticed that what they were showing him was not even correct. The TA is lovely and I’ve no doubt they care about the children, but I do not feel he’s getting an education there. I just don’t feel they have the experience. I am still taking him into the classroom in the mornings and settling him for sometimes an hour before I can leave! They have no ideas or advice of how to help.

Also, he runs out of the classroom and at one point managed to almost get out of the school. I have asked them to close a gate that they have open which allows access down to the main reception/office door and have asked why it isn’t shut anyway as it’s a security risk, but they haven’t provided me with any reason why they can’t do this. This has made me feel uncomfortable leaving him there when he’s having a more difficult morning as I’m worried for his safety.

He is in Y5 now but I’ve really had enough and feel like I should look for a better SEN provision and ask for an immediate change to his EHCP as this just isn’t working anymore. Am I likely to be able to do this? He only has a year and a bit left until he’s leaving anyway but that’s a lot of time to waste when it comes to his education!

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Comments

L_Volunteer

Hi @mumof03

Welcome to Scope's forum. It is great to see you have joined us.

I am really glad to see you have already found the courage to reach out for our support. I am sorry to hear things are difficult for you and your son at the moment.

I am just wondering if you have managed to talk to the senior leadership team or SENCO about the difficulties you are experiencing? They will be your first point of call. If you don't find them supportive, I would encourage you to make contact with your local authority.

Yes, you can get the school changed in your son's EHCP. Scope has a useful article about this which you can find at https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/named-school-ehc-plan-ehcp/.

I hope this helps but if you have any other questions, need anything to be clarified, or need any further support, please don't hesitate to reach out to us again soon

Mumof03

Hi,

Thanks for replying so quickly!

Yes I regularly speak to the SENCO and they are well aware of how difficult my Son is finding it to adjust. They are accommodating and have allowed me to come and sit in the classroom with him and they have reached out to others for advice on how to help him settle.

I don’t think it’s through lack of trying from the SENCO but rather lack of knowledge of how to deal with an autistic child from the whole SEN team. Which is disappointing as they have a specialist unit.

I don’t think he needs to attend a specialist school (he will be going to a specialist secondary school soon anyway), I just want to try a different SEN unit within a mainstream setting. I didn’t want to waste people’s time having a look around different schools if it was unlikely I would be able to move him but I’m so unhappy with the education he’s getting at the moment and don’t feel they can fulfil his EHCP because of their lack of qualified staff.

L_Volunteer

Hi @Mumof03

You are more than welcome. It is the very least you deserve.

I am really glad to hear the SENCO is being supportive! Hopefully, reaching out for more advice will help them too.

It can be disappointing when settings with apparently specialist units cannot accommodate their needs. I am autistic too so I can hear your frustrations.

Your son's education is a basic right! Keep fighting for it but know that we are here for you too

Mumof03

Thank you, that really means a lot!

L_Volunteer

You are more than welcome @mumof03. It is the very least we can do. If you have any more questions or need any further support, please don't hesitate to reach out to us again soon! Until then, I will look forward to seeing you around on the community forum

russelln

Halfway through year 5 is probably not a great time to change SEN placement.

Reason being that when you go through process of identifying and visiting schools, calling an emergency review to request a change of placement and then going through the rigmarole of consultation, even if things go smoothly, that's at least 3 months, so a move won't happen till around the start of year 6.

Except where there's bullying, most children find it unsettling to move around the start of year 6. There are so many leavers experiences that year 6's get to share and it's not the same experiencing it in a place where they don't know the other children.

If the school put another TA in at your request, it would seem like they value your opinion. The issue about the quality of the educational offering is an important one but one that needs strategic planning, supervision and training over time. Speak to the Headteacher and see what can be put in place. It is in their interest to address this and hopefully it will mean a better year 6 experience for your child.

L_Volunteer

Hi @russelln

Thanks for your response. It was great hearing your support. Your support within our community is really appreciated and valued. Please remember we are here for you too though if you need anything!

Danielle_2022

Hi there @Mumof03,
I just wanted to check back in here and see if there's been any developments since your last post? It sounds like you're doing everything you can, but we'll support you however possible, too

Mumof03

Hi,

Thanks for checking in. I have had a few chats with the SENCO and we are looking at different ways we can try and make my Son more comfortable at school. She has also tried her best to reassure me that he is safe and they also have another TA there. I think as someone else had said, it doesn’t really make sense to uproot him when he’s so close to moving to secondary school. I just need to work with the school as best I can and pick up where they’re lacking by working with him at home. I am so grateful for the advice on here though. Thanks so much everyone.

L_Volunteer

Hi @Mumof03

Thanks for your response. How do you feel about navigating this with the SENCO? I hope you are finding them supportive. Ultimately, you know your son best. Please never forget that!

Danielle_2022

@Mumof03,
I'm glad that your son seems to be in constant contact with a TA, I'm sure that is really invaluable, especially on the chance that other pupils might be an issue. Speaking from personal experience, something that I always found really helpful during my time at school was going to "lunch clubs". Really, this is just a space where everyone without many friends could hang out in the safety of an empty classroom without worrying about being overwhelmed by everyone else. Maybe your son's school has something like that set up? It was a little difficult to adjust at first, but ended up being great fun! These things are never easy, but you're taking all the right steps and I have faith that you'll get there