Setting up a 'Free School' for high functioning children in Plymouth

I wholeheartedly support this proposal!

I am currently faced with the concerning & growing uncertainty of my child's future at Secondary. He is currently part of special provisions ASC in primary mainstream. We have recently been through the EHC process with a band 5. Due to the lack of provision at recent Panel we have been referred back to Panel & are waiting to hear back from the LA. It looks as if we are about to be hit with our greatest fears with the options being the extremes of special school or a very large City mainstream with out provision. My Son has been part of the ASC support unit since year 1. How he would be expected to function in a busy mainstream without special provision is beyond me. On the other hand we are being adviced by Head Teacher of provision we will loose him to specail school!! I am very excited by the prosal for a well needed ASC school for high function Autism. As I know many well deserving children who would benefit.

I am currently faced with the concerning & growing uncertainty of my child's future at Secondary. He is currently part of special provisions ASC in primary mainstream. We have recently been through the EHC process with a band 5. Due to the lack of provision at recent Panel we have been referred back to Panel & are waiting to hear back from the LA. It looks as if we are about to be hit with our greatest fears with the options being the extremes of special school or a very large City mainstream with out provision. My Son has been part of the ASC support unit since year 1. How he would be expected to function in a busy mainstream without special provision is beyond me. On the other hand we are being adviced by Head Teacher of provision we will loose him to specail school!! I am very excited by the prosal for a well needed ASC school for high function Autism. As I know many well deserving children who would benefit.

i need a school for my daughter!

i need a school for my daughter!

we really need this school come on guys we need lots of help it is for the children we can do this

A lot of children with learning difficulties would benefit greatly from a school of this type. Too many slip through the network and left to struggle. Parents need more support to help their children.

Having worked as a TA supporting children with learning difficulties as they approach the transition to "big school" it's hard to think of a better use for Free School funding - wishing you very good luck.

Really need this in the area

A school like this is well overdue

Fantastic idea, I hope this is successful. After undertaking my placements at a mainstream school with children with autism, and then a support centre for children with autism, I can see how, through comparison, children with autism cannot always receive the support they need in the mainstream. This will be so fantastic. All the best

Great idea hope it gets off the ground.

I dream of: Sensory and quiet rooms that both delight and relax the children's senses. A hydrotherapy pool. paediatricians, speech therapists, clinical psychologists, sensory integration therapists, family workers and parents alongside our children at school. Counselling. A family worker who works both at home and school with our children in order to replace chaos, anxiety and sleepless nights with respite and relaxation. An environment where alternative therapies, Pets as Therapy animals, de-sensitisation programmes, dance and music therapies can be further explored through research and collaboration. I have a dream That all the above will be available to our children through adolescence and adulthood should they need it. I dream of retiring and knowing that I played a small part in making my dreams a reality. Glyn Forster

All done

This would be awesome for the children .. Just what they need

Good luck.

There has long been a gap in provision for children with high functioning autism. A review undertaken in Plymouth some years ago, highlighted this gap and recommended provisions should be put in place to. These recommendations were ignored and unfortunately Plymouth continued in a piecemeal level of provision which resulted in every parent having to fight for an appropriate education for their child. Unfortunately within Plymouth recently, there seems to have been a further leaning towards an either/or approach, where the child will either be in mainstream or special school despite there clearly being children for whom neither of these are appropriate. When there is a condition that exists on a spectrum, common sense would seem to indicate that there needs to be a spectrum of provision to meet these needs. This is not news to LAs, they are aware of this, but they wilfully choose to ignore it

I used to look after a little boy with autism and it would be great to see added help for these very special children xxx

Plymouth could do with a school like this. Even kids with hearing lost have to travel to Exeter to go school.

There is so much need for specialist schools for these children and their parents which offer the support and care that will give them the opportunity for a wonderful and bright future they rightly deserve.