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Here you'll find advice from parents and teachers on special needs education.

SEN

Rejected for funding

2 replies

GentleOtter · 15/05/2008 12:02

I had to phone our local council today only to discover they are refusing to fund education at a special school for my child.
They maintain that a good level of sn ed could be provided at the local grammar yet they cannot guarantee the safety of my child at break times etc hence my refusal to put her to this (very rough) school. My daughter is extremely vulnerable.

Does anyone know of how to go about getting a grant or approaching a trust fund or something - anything- ?

Has anyone ever been refused funding by their council only to successfully appeal (especially in Scotland )

I am utterly demoralised and do not have an awful lot of time left to try and set something up thanks to the wretched council's procrastination but would be hugely grateful for any advice.

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ancientmiddleagedmum · 15/05/2008 17:39

Is the appeal system the same in Scotland, if so you should call SOSSEN or IPSEA and mount a legal appeal asap. You could do it on health and safety grounds, as your DD might be at risk if left alone, or might run away if bullied. You need to prove that what they are offering is not "suitable" (ie they don't have to offer top-notch, just suitable) and you could argue that the school will open themselves to health and safety issues if they fail in their duty of care to protect her. You may need to play up the dangers she might face - eg running away if left unsupervised, has she got road sense?? The IPSEA helpline was fantastic for me, but you have to ring and ring and ring till you get through, but when you do you get a lawyer on the line with free and very practical advice. I do feel fo ryou as when it comes to the teenage years, there's no way the council are sending my DS to the wrong school. I would fight legally, then threaten the local press if I didn't win, then threaten the national press and then, if all else fails, I'd home educate. Good luck, we're all with you in your fight.

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GentleOtter · 15/05/2008 23:31

Thank you so much for your reply ancientmiddleagedmum. It has been such an awful beginning to the day and it irked me enormously to have to chase the council up for a response. They did not even have the courtesy to write and tell me.
My daughter has absolutely no road sense and as we live in a very isolated and remote area where there are no other children for miles then her 'street savvy' is non existent. She simply could not cope with the violence, drug taking etc that goes on in the big city school and she WOULD wander off. I would never put her in a situation whereby her safety and happiness would be compromised just because it fits in with council policy.
None of them have even taken the time to meet her so they cannot possibly understand her vulnerability.

I shall get in touch with the above associations tomorrow and ask them to help.
Many thanks.

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