Are funds for children with special needs being cut in Sheffield?

[espadrille 10]

Can any teachers or headteachers out there shed any light on what is happening with special needs provision in schools from September?

I have heard that there is to be some changes that will mean kids with a statement at the moment will be affected .I want to get an explanation but I would like someone to explain it properly please, if you know the facts.

 

Thanks

[pixieguk 10]

I work in a special needs school in Rotherham and I know that they are changing the curriculum content from september for early years. but thats all I know, sorry.

[markwit 10]

I've had a letter from school saying that if a child has a statement already then things won't change for them....

[rachelg 10]

I think there may be some changes about how additional support is funded. I had heard something about the funding being given to the school (as a set amount) and not being linked to specific children who have a statement.

 

So I think this means that the school will have a budget to meet ALL the special needs in the school - including those of children with statements - rather than the school receiving specific funding for identified children who have statements. The implication is that the school may not be able to afford to meet needs which are detailed in a child's statement - depending on how many other kids have needs and therefore how much of their "special needs" budget is left, etc.

 

I could be wrong about this, but was told this quite recently.

[espadrille 10]

I think there may be some changes about how additional support is funded. I had heard something about the funding being given to the school (as a set amount) and not being linked to specific children who have a statement.

 

So I think this means that the school will have a budget to meet ALL the special needs in the school - including those of children with statements - rather than the school receiving specific funding for identified children who have statements. The implication is that the school may not be able to afford to meet needs which are detailed in a child's statement - depending on how many other kids have needs and therefore how much of their "special needs" budget is left, etc.

 

I could be wrong about this, but was told this quite recently.

Thanks

 

Are you a teacher then?

[markwit 10]

I think that a letter shold be making its way to you about from the local education dept. we had a letter home last week(Abbey Lane), which is why i made the comment i did. Keep an eye out or go in and ask at school.

[mrseggy 10]

I think there may be some changes about how additional support is funded. I had heard something about the funding being given to the school (as a set amount) and not being linked to specific children who have a statement.

 

So I think this means that the school will have a budget to meet ALL the special needs in the school - including those of children with statements - rather than the school receiving specific funding for identified children who have statements. The implication is that the school may not be able to afford to meet needs which are detailed in a child's statement - depending on how many other kids have needs and therefore how much of their "special needs" budget is left, etc.

 

I could be wrong about this, but was told this quite recently.

 

 

Ive been told pretty much the same thing by parent partnership a couple of week ago.

 

Personaly i dont see how its going to work to be honest.

[JayneRay 10]

Cost cutting again.Devolved budgets are great if managed properly, but what is a school going to do if it is debt ?

[hennypenny 10]

I have had an email passed on to me about this. I will paste it here, as I was asked to post it on local lists.

 

see message below:

 

Sheffield LEA has introduced major changes to the SEN educational system without consulting parents of or children with autism. Whilst improvements to the service are always welcome, it appears that aspects of the service that are regarded as "good practice" (eg the Resource at King Ecgberts) will cease to exist in their current form. All IRs will only have the children placed for a max of 3 terms then the child will go back to the mainstream within their community area. No Statements will be attached to any child.The mainstream school will refer.

 

Currently no new Statements are being written.

 

The Autism Service (based at Ryegate) that gives advice for children placed in mainstream has already been disbanded. (A copy of the letter that has gone to the press from ACCT, SAPAG and the Sheffield Autistic Society is shown below for your information)

 

Whilst this issue may not directly impact your family there are a number of principles invovled that could have devastating consequences across every aspect of provision for children and adults with autism. Firstly, the Authority's failure to consult when introducing far reaching changes. Secondly, the destruction of services regarded as models of good practice. Thirdly, the removal of autism-specific services and their replacement with generic services.

 

On Thursday 19 June parents are to hold a demonstration about this matter outside an LEA meeting in the Salvation Army building in Psalter lane. If you are free between 9.15 am and 10.15 am and wish to support this demonstration please contact Claire on [email protected] or tel 268 4960. Please pass this message to others who have children with autism or other special needs.

 

 

Letter to press

 

Dear Sir

 

 

 

We are writing to let the parents of children with Autism and Aspergers Syndrome know that the Local Education Authority has changed the structure of the special education system in Sheffield for all children with special needs without consulting either parents, the children themselves or (in any meaningful way) the teachers and schools who support the children. These changes took effect on 1 April of this year when schools received their new budgets.

 

 

 

It is hard to say exactly what these changes will mean to individual children with autism since there has been no meaningful consultation. But it seems that the following changes will, or have already, taken place:-

 

 

 

1 Special school and integrated resource placements will be seen as short-term options for children with autism. The vast majority of children will be expected to spend no more than 1 to 2 years in these provisions before they are placed in their local mainstream school.

 

 

 

2 Mainstream schools will be expected to support the complex needs of all children with autism through a SEN budget devolved from the LA to the school. The new budget does not recognise the financial implications of the existing Statements of Special Educational Needs, (the legal documents that identifies and quantifies the specialist support required for each, named child with autism). It is the Local Authority’s policy to reduce the number of Statements issued and maintained regardless of the number of children with special needs.

 

 

 

3 Specialist services for children with autism (which are already extremely limited) will be absorbed into a generic service serving children with any kind of disability. The “autism service” has already been disbanded.

 

 

 

Parents, in collaboration with teachers and schools, are the first to recognise that there is a need to improve educational services for children with autism in Sheffield, and that the ideal scenario is for children and young people with autism to be successfully and happily ensconced in their local school and community. However, the barrier to this ideal is not organisational and structural change within the LEA offices. The real obstacles are the need to recognise that autism is a lifelong developmental condition that impacts on every aspect of everyday life, the need to recognise both the quantity and expert nature of support required to work effectively with children with such a complex condition and the need to understand that effective services are planned round the child, not dictated from some remote office.

 

 

 

It is difficult to comprehend how the Local Authority intends to make progress with such a complex matter without involving the real experts – the children themselves, their families and the teachers.

 

 

 

Yours faithfully

 

 

 

Sheffield Autistic Society, SAPAG (Sheffield Aspergers Parents Action Group),

 

ACCT (Aspergers Children and Carers Together)

[espadrille 10]

I have had an email passed on to me about this. I will paste it here, as I was asked to post it on local lists.

 

see message below:

 

Sheffield LEA has introduced major changes to the SEN educational system without consulting parents of or children with autism. Whilst improvements to the service are always welcome, it appears that aspects of the service that are regarded as "good practice" (eg the Resource at King Ecgberts) will cease to exist in their current form. All IRs will only have the children placed for a max of 3 terms then the child will go back to the mainstream within their community area. No Statements will be attached to any child.The mainstream school will refer.

 

Currently no new Statements are being written.

 

The Autism Service (based at Ryegate) that gives advice for children placed in mainstream has already been disbanded. (A copy of the letter that has gone to the press from ACCT, SAPAG and the Sheffield Autistic Society is shown below for your information)

 

Whilst this issue may not directly impact your family there are a number of principles invovled that could have devastating consequences across every aspect of provision for children and adults with autism. Firstly, the Authority's failure to consult when introducing far reaching changes. Secondly, the destruction of services regarded as models of good practice. Thirdly, the removal of autism-specific services and their replacement with generic services.

 

On Thursday 19 June parents are to hold a demonstration about this matter outside an LEA meeting in the Salvation Army building in Psalter lane. If you are free between 9.15 am and 10.15 am and wish to support this demonstration please contact Claire on [email protected] or tel 268 4960. Please pass this message to others who have children with autism or other special needs.

 

 

Letter to press

 

Dear Sir

 

 

 

We are writing to let the parents of children with Autism and Aspergers Syndrome know that the Local Education Authority has changed the structure of the special education system in Sheffield for all children with special needs without consulting either parents, the children themselves or (in any meaningful way) the teachers and schools who support the children. These changes took effect on 1 April of this year when schools received their new budgets.

 

 

 

It is hard to say exactly what these changes will mean to individual children with autism since there has been no meaningful consultation. But it seems that the following changes will, or have already, taken place:-

 

 

 

1 Special school and integrated resource placements will be seen as short-term options for children with autism. The vast majority of children will be expected to spend no more than 1 to 2 years in these provisions before they are placed in their local mainstream school.

 

 

 

2 Mainstream schools will be expected to support the complex needs of all children with autism through a SEN budget devolved from the LA to the school. The new budget does not recognise the financial implications of the existing Statements of Special Educational Needs, (the legal documents that identifies and quantifies the specialist support required for each, named child with autism). It is the Local Authority’s policy to reduce the number of Statements issued and maintained regardless of the number of children with special needs.

 

 

 

3 Specialist services for children with autism (which are already extremely limited) will be absorbed into a generic service serving children with any kind of disability. The “autism service” has already been disbanded.

 

 

 

Parents, in collaboration with teachers and schools, are the first to recognise that there is a need to improve educational services for children with autism in Sheffield, and that the ideal scenario is for children and young people with autism to be successfully and happily ensconced in their local school and community. However, the barrier to this ideal is not organisational and structural change within the LEA offices. The real obstacles are the need to recognise that autism is a lifelong developmental condition that impacts on every aspect of everyday life, the need to recognise both the quantity and expert nature of support required to work effectively with children with such a complex condition and the need to understand that effective services are planned round the child, not dictated from some remote office.

 

 

 

It is difficult to comprehend how the Local Authority intends to make progress with such a complex matter without involving the real experts – the children themselves, their families and the teachers.

 

 

 

Yours faithfully

 

 

 

Sheffield Autistic Society, SAPAG (Sheffield Aspergers Parents Action Group),

 

ACCT (Aspergers Children and Carers Together)

 

Did you get a response??

[blue-kat 10]

hennypenny has forwarded the above info. If you want further details or wish to join the protest against the changes please contatct ACCT :

 

On Thursday 19 June parents are to hold a demonstration about this matter outside an LEA meeting in the Salvation Army building in Psalter lane. If you are free between 9.15 am and 10.15 am and wish to support this demonstration please contact Claire on [email protected] or tel 268 4960.

 

of ACCT ( Aspergers Children and Carers Together) http://www.acctsheffield.btik.com/

[espadrille 10]

hennypenny has forwarded the above info. If you want further details or wish to join the protest against the changes please contatct ACCT :

 

On Thursday 19 June parents are to hold a demonstration about this matter outside an LEA meeting in the Salvation Army building in Psalter lane. If you are free between 9.15 am and 10.15 am and wish to support this demonstration please contact Claire on [email protected] or tel 268 4960.

 

of ACCT ( Aspergers Children and Carers Together) http://www.acctsheffield.btik.com/

 

See other post on As.Mods.can you merge this with others?