SCN0647

Written evidence from Parental Submission 161

 

 

Local Authority – [local authority].  School - (Mainstream) [school].

 

NHS Trust – [NHS Trust].

 

  1. I am parent of a 7 year old (year 2) child with Autism. He also has a 6 year old neurotypical brother.

 

 

Assessment of and support for children and young people with SEND.

 

  1. He was first referred for an ASD assessment at 4 years old. He actually had that assessment aged 6 which is quick for our area. The process once finally given an assessment date was quick but staffing issues delayed things slightly. There is also very little support afterwards, you are given a leaflet about autism at best. My main source of advice and information has been other parents in our PCF, it’s proved invaluable.

 

  1. While waiting for assessment he was excluded from school 3 times. Many would think this a negative but it was the only way we could access the support he required in school. It should not take this! Up until this point school could only phone the educational psychologist, he couldn’t come in and do assessments or see for himself. Staff are spread too thinly across [NHS Trust]. We also gained a family support worker & autism outreach through that last exclusion. His school experience has improved somewhat since their involvement. Professionals we’ve dealt with have been brilliant but going on what others in our area & our SENCo have experienced, i think we’ve been lucky!

 

  1. Our SENCo is amazing, most of the school staff do their best. We are very lucky in that many of the teachers have autistic children themselves, our school is one of the most inclusive in our area. The Head is probably the least knowledgeable person in the school but she also has results, finances & Ofsted to deal with. She does find ways to provide staff with extra training where possible but this is limited.

 

  1. I’ve also found that there is very little support for his brother who is becoming anxious & angry. He is in the year below at school, everyone knows both of them so anything that happens in school/public/in view of friends can be worrying/embarrassing for him.

 

 

The transition from statements of special educational needs and Learning Disability Assessments to Education, Health and Care Plans.

 

  1. We have just (Dec 2018) finalised our first EHCP & our experience has been very smooth, we have a quality plan but our educational psychologist was excellent, knew exactly how to word it etc. It very much depends on your local authority & the staff you are given.

 

 

The level and distribution of funding for SEND provision.

 

  1. The notional funding needs to be scrapped. Our school has a minimum of 4 SEND children right now, probably more with invisible disabilities that i’m not aware of. There is no way that our school has at least £24000 spare to support these children. The funding my child has received with his EHCP (on top of the £6000 notional funding) is category A & amounts to £6900. Prior to applying for an EHCP the school calculated that they were spending almost £20,000 on him.

 

  1. The people in charge of the funding should not be in charge of the assessments and EHCP writing. It’s quite obviously a conflict of interest!

 

  1. I also dread choosing a senior school. Choice is an illusion especially when it comes to our children. Secondary schools have no incentive to take these kids on. As a general rule they cost more but get lower grades, higher absence and take far more effort. While schools are underfunded and judged solely on results this will be the case.

 

 

The roles of and co-operation between education, health and social care sectors.

 

  1. I have seen this early on with our speech therapist but only education were involved in our EHCP, only education are providing anything.

 

 

Recommendations

 

  1. SEND funding should be ring fenced.

 

  1. Scrap the notional funding.

 

  1. Central govt should provide 6k per SEND child and any further funding associated with EHCP. Schools should be able to clearly demonstrate how this money has been spent & provide evidence of this.

 

  1. Local authorities to remain in charge or EHCP but more funding for the staff and prevent them from outsourcing EHCP writing to private companies. It should all be done in house by properly trained staff.

 

  1. Change the ways schools are judged by Ofsted (i understand they’re working on this) so that inclusive schools are rightly awarded for that.

 

  1. Emphasis on early intervention instead of waiting for exclusions and crisis points.

 

  1. Secondary schools should all be made to provide full wheelchair access.

 

  1. Special needs training to form part of general teacher training, include different disabilities and also Social, Emotional, & Mental Health. Teacher training should also include a mandatory placement in a special school or unit attached to a mainstream school.

 

  1. Better quality post diagnosis support. When you’ve waited years for an autism assessment, knowing that your child is autistic, you know much more than can be written in an autism leaflet!

 

  1. Everyone involved at all levels needs to remember that these children go on to become adults. Their needs should be supported from the very early years onwards or the consequences can be devastating. There are massive economic costs & it affects the whole of society.

 

 

December 2018