Parent Question:

My son has spent five years in a special school BESD (Behavioural, Emotional & Social Disorder) primary. He has just started a mainstream secondary school. There have been a lot of incidents. According to the school he is fine which I don’t think is true. His behaviour at home is terrible as he saves it up some days. They say he is educationally bright.

I would like him to go to a BSE school again. The only one suitable is in special measures at the moment. How can I get them to agree this school? If not what are his other options regarding school? Dual placement or out of county? Will he get into a special school again? They are saving money by sending him mainstream.

IPSEA Answers

If you are not happy with his current school placement then you need to first find out exactly what is or is not happening for him. You need a meeting with the school to discuss this. Ask the school for confirmation in writing of what SEN Support he is receiving in school.

Some schools are still calling their records of what support is being provided IEPs (Individual Education Plans) but your son’s school may now be calling it something else, such as an SEN support plan or a pathway plan. Either way there must be a written record to tell you exactly what support they are putting into place for him, when, how and what individual targets they have set for him and his progress to date. Raise your concerns and then confirm in writing to the school. If he only joined them in September this year it is still early days and a settling in period for both him and them but that does not mean they should not be working to support him.

Once you have this information, if you still want him to change school, you need to identify where you want him to go and ideally why. You can look at any school you want and you are not restricted to schools within a LA’s geographical area. Once that is clear you can start working towards him making the move. I strongly suggest you get individual advice on the process of how to do this before you start. The approach you take will depend on the type of school you want.

If your son still has a statement (this is not clear from your question) then you need to involve the LA in this as they are responsible for ensuring that the special educational provision in a statement is delivered. If you are not happy with the school named in the statement then the statement will need to be reviewed.