Has anyone won a secondary high school appeal?
8 answers /
Last post: 12/04/2023 at 6:42 pm
Please help 😠im petrified. I do not want to let my son down.
We have just moved area with the council because of his medical need and needing his own bedroom and my son is due to go up to high school in September. He has sensory processing issues.
He had an ASD assessment in 2017 with the Multi Agency Autism Spectrum Condition Assement Team that found he didn’t have autism ( his biological dad has aspergers) but had some sensory processing issues. He was on the pebbles curriculum and had an IEP that stopped in 2019 when the new headteacher came and then covid too. On a day to day basis he can manage his Sensory Processing Issues quite well and can remove himself from triggers. These include certain foods, smells and sounds. At this moment in time we currently do not have a high school place for him. He was assigned a school that wasn’t on our preference list, and is 5.7 miles away from the area the council houser us in. As you can imagine getting him there from here would be impossible, especially when I have other to take to school too and I don’t drive. I would not allow him to travel for an hour on 2 public buses (not school buses) as well as having to walk on his own without any peers as absolutely no one else from our area will be at that school as its far away. He has no stranger danger awareness and hasn't done since his assessment that notes this hence why I could not safely trust him on public buses. He would also not have any peers in his area.
We went to look around both of the local high schools and unfortunately one of them is unsuitable for him as the smell of the building triggered him throughout the tour and he kept remarking to myself and his dad that he didn’t like the smell. This is something that I believe will have a big impact on his school learning if it is constantly triggering his sensory processing issues. He is currently on a waiting list for preferred school as he didn’t get in, so we are appealing. I have written all of this in his appeal but I am struggling to get anything to back up what I am saying. I contacted the Multi Agency Autism Spectrum Condition Assessment Team to see if they could write a letter stating that my child has sensory processing issues and how this could affect him, but they told me as his assessment was over 6 years ago I would be better contacting the Sensory Occupational Therapy Team. I have contacted them and they have told me he would need to be referred through school for the team which is disappointing as I know it will take a long time with the waiting lists and his appeal is in May. School are aware of this but as of yet have no provided me with a meeting to speak about this.
As evidence to support our appeal I have his initial report from 2017, stating that Sensory Processing Issues were seen, appointment letters from the dietician he was seeing and a GP letter from his old GP stating that he has Sensory Processing Issues and how this can affect him(although this was for our housing application and not school specific) . If you can think of anything I can do to help us, to provide to the appeal panel this would be very helpful. I feel like I just need a professional who is very knowledgable regarding sensory processing disorders to explain what a sensory processing disorder is and how it effects him.
Thank you for taking the time to read this , I really hope there is something we can do to help my child.
Please be kind my mind is not good at the moment 💔
Provide evidence of his need that the council have accepted already for the house situation
Provide info about the support in year 6.
Is he on the SEND register?
What support is in place for SATs?
Speak to the Sendco of the offered school and any on your options.
Speak to School travel about his need and what they can offer.
Get in the waiting list for as many schools as possible.
Any medical needs should name the school and the reasons why but the panel has more leeway to consider the whole range of information but they should check dates and if the info is up to date.
I would have expected you to have applied for all the closest schools if travel is an issue. If you have not you will be expected to explain your thought process.
They will expect you to have investigated everything, have gone on the bus and tried the route, have discussed provision at the schools, have visited the schools, investigated after and before provision of needed. Spoken to travel so you can answer any questions they may have.
Provide evidence of his need that the council have accepted already for the house situation
Provide info about the support in year 6.
Is he on the SEND register?
What support is in place for SATs?
Speak to the Sendco of the offered school and any on your options.
Speak to School travel about his need and what they can offer.
Get in the waiting list for as many schools as possible.
Any medical needs should name the school and the reasons why but the panel has more leeway to consider the whole range of information but they should check dates and if the info is up to date.
I would have expected you to have applied for all the closest schools if travel is an issue. If you have not you will be expected to explain your thought process.
They will expect you to have investigated everything, have gone on the bus and tried the route, have discussed provision at the schools, have visited the schools, investigated after and before provision of needed. Spoken to travel so you can answer any questions they may have.
Thanks for your reply Linda. There are 3 local schools with school buses to the school from our area. 1 is the school we are appealing for. 2. Is the school he cannot attend due to the smell and 3. He cannot attend due a safety issue with his biological family. The school he was allocated that's far away transport is not an option as I would rather homeschool him than send him there, it would be less detrimental to him. But of course not ideal. I will look into the points you've made. Thanks
You will be asked why transport is not an option? You will be entitled to help over 3 miles to a non selected school. They have the provision to offer taxies etc based on need.
They will ask for information about smells, what they are, the previous schools, how he copes day to day.
Home schooling has no effect on the waiting list or appeal and may be an option.
You will be asked why transport is not an option? You will be entitled to help over 3 miles to a non selected school. They have the provision to offer taxies etc based on need.
They will ask for information about smells, what they are, the previous schools, how he copes day to day.
Home schooling has no effect on the waiting list or appeal and may be an option.
I won't allow him to travel on public buses to the school as he would have to get 2, on his own as its completely out of area. And he would also have to walk around town on his own to get the other bus. He is very naive and because of his stranger danger he has absolutely no stranger danger. If they were to propose a taxi for him that is 30 pound a day. I personally feel resources could be spent better. That's 150 a week. Regardless of travel I don't want him at a school where his peers would be at the other end in a different town to him. That would be absolutely no good to him and would cause him to be an outcast more so than he always will be there. He has already moved school once this year. Yes homeschooling will be the option if they can't find him a place although again I think this would be detrimental to him in other ways
I won't allow him to travel on public buses to the school as he would have to get 2, on his own as its completely out of area. And he would also have to walk around town on his own to get the other bus. He is very naive and because of his stranger danger he has absolutely no stranger danger. If they were to propose a taxi for him that is 30 pound a day. I personally feel resources could be spent better. That's 150 a week. Regardless of travel I don't want him at a school where his peers would be at the other end in a different town to him. That would be absolutely no good to him and would cause him to be an outcast more so than he always will be there. He has already moved school once this year. Yes homeschooling will be the option if they can't find him a place although again I think this would be detrimental to him in other ways
That was meant to say because if his sensory processing issues *
That was meant to say because if his sensory processing issues *
If he has moved school this year the panel should be asking how was this school chosen and what was put in place to support the change. Any issues and if any academic or pastoral support is in place. Does he partake of the full curriculum, after-school activities, and school trips and any risk assessments or mitigating factors that are in place and travel to trips? How he traveled to any previous school and how his independence skills are being supported and this might follow on with holidays abroad. When was the last time you were called to school for an issue and any letters of support from previous schools about the support that was provided and why.
The starting point is all schools can cater for all SEND unless you prove otherwise. Transport is a parental responsibility unless you prove otherwise. Saying you don't want him to travel that far etc needs a rethink.
Hello the school appeal will be based on evidences just like the housing issue, you need valid evidences from professional multiagency to support an appeal , it can’t be just hearsay or what you think , the panel won’t actually meet your child and there will be many kids fighting for those very remote places .. the best thing you can do if he has said medical needs is get him on the sen register and contact the local authority for an EHCP assessment ( in order for him to have reasonable adjustments in place and right to certain specialist provision to meet his needs e.g. sensory processing , sensory sensitivity ( smell , noise etc) , evidence is not based on what you the parent thinks but what professionals recommend. The EHCP process includes a psychologist assessment . Prior to this you could speed things along and secure the EHCP assessment by having a private assessment of his sensory needs ( Google local private OTs- this will not be cheap however) . Technically by February / March -school places for the next academic year will have been allocated , these should have been applied for well in advance and the fact that you were not living in the locality at the time may have hindered this and put you at the back of the queue hence why you need the crucial evidence to fight for any over subscribed place that possibly does not exist as most schools are well over capacity ……