I'm trying to make up my mind about whether to apply now for a statement for DS or not as he's approaching 2. I've been making enquires on the grapevine and it looks like I'd be in for a good hard fight with the LEA that could go either way - they could quite reasonably argue that his present needs can be catered for on SA+ and his visual prognosis is uncertain at this stage (can they argue that?).
DS is partially sighted and in a good, supportive, school would be OK on SA+ for the first few years - sitting near the front with larger print and blinds on the windows. In the future, his vision could improve to near normal, in which case a statement would be premature and overkill or it could stay the same, in which case I think he'll need one to get the technology he'll need to keep pace later; or it could get worse, in which case he'll need one sooner.
He will not cope in a rowdy environment as he needs to hear what the teacher's saying and tends to get overwhelmed anywhere it's noisy, but the only two schools we're in the catchment for are very rough and don't have the resources to cope with all the children without SN but with very high levels of social deprivation; they will not cope at all with a bright, sensitive child with a sensory impairment and he won't cope with them - everyone's trying to get their kids out, bullying's rife, staff turnover's high so moving would be a no-brainer if DS didn't have and SEN.
I don't want to move house as everything else is fine, I can afford it and DS is happy here.
Is there any other mechanism for getting a more appropriate school? or is my best option to fight tooth and nail for a statement, but move if I fail?
or should I accept that if DS had no SN, I'd have to move anyway? so get on with it and leave the statement for later. I'd kick myself if I was having to work all hours to pay a whopping mortgage, then he still needed to be statemented and travel to a school with a resource base.
I've wondered about just applying for a good, but undersubscribed, school that's miles away and just paying a taxi to take him myself?
Sorry, this is much longer than I expected!
Any thoughts?
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SEN
Is there a way of getting a child into an oversubscribed primary on the basis of SEN without a statement?
5 replies
crimplene · 06/05/2008 15:01
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