Child being sent home unofficially

[Penguinsetpandas]

My DS with suspected Aspergers on special needs register but no EHCP got sent home for 4th time since September unofficially again today. DD also told me school lost him completely - she thinks for around an hour though school have said nothing about this. They said he ran out of maths (maybe around 10am)and DD said they asked her if she knew where he was at 10.45am and lots of senior staff were looking for him and told her he was lost. We were called to pick him up at 11.30am and take him home, no mention of him being lost. The school isn't secure - you can get to main road and a river and adults can also get undetected into school grounds. He does have good sense of road safety, can swim etc but still. They are not offering him any help, just telling me to apply for EHCP and saying they have no money to help him. I've called LEA, put complaints in to school and governors but where do I go from here?

All other schools are full - I don't think we would get an EHCP unless the school have tried to help first. We have got a meeting with SENCO tomorrow but he's pretty useless - just been told to apply for an EHCP ourselves and take him to the doctor. Thanks.

[KateGrey]

Academy or maintained? If academy complain to the trust. Then I’d make as much noise to the LEA as possible. Back up everything with emails. You can self apply for an ehcp I did for two of my kids. My youngest was illegally excluded everyday from an academy school. They had no timetable and basically treated him like a piece of dirt. He wasn’t even allowed to start at the same time as the other kids. Keep records, make sure you put all of it in emails so you have proof and document everything! Senco should be sorting an ehcp as they’ll need information from the school. I really hope it improves. For my youngest it was obvious they didn’t want him so we removed him and went specialist which is so much better. Check out the structure of your LEA and involve all you can. I even went to our MP at one point.

[Penguinsetpandas]

Thanks very much. That's a good point, its an academy. I am e-mailing everything but getting impression they are not trying to find a solution.

[SpringerLink]

My DS got lost from our school. The school alerted the LA to a lapse in safeguarding, alerted Ofsted to a lapse in safeguarding, reviewed their procedures that allowed him to get lost, arranged for the Executive Head and SENCO to meet with me and explain the lapses, the changes and how they would like me to support them and DS in future to make sure it never happens again.

I think you can expect a response one that kind of level. .

[Penguinsetpandas]

Thanks for that, think school are trying to hide it but I have just reported it as its potentially dangerous. Sure it will annoy school but am quite annoyed they didn't tell me.

[cakesandtea]

You might look at this in another way. In his best interests, if your DS is not coping with school that well without support, he needs the diagnosis and the EHCP, which provides legally protected support and resources. As I am sure you are aware, without the right support children on the spectrum could reach a crisis, crash out or be excluded from school. At that point the damage to your DS will be higher and options forward much less palatable.

Unofficial exclusions might be the way in which the school is building the case for EHCP. In my experience, statutory assessment could be the only practicable way for your DS to be seen by an EP and other specialists. Rather than waiting for 'his turn', your DS will be fast tracked to be seen ASAP. In your situation I would grab the opportunity by both hands.

I have seen that you have misgivings about EHCPs relative to his good SATs, but there is no contradiction. My DS had an EHCP in a grammar school. After assessment his needs will be known, he will not have an EHCP if he does not need one, but he might get the support he needs. Without the support in MS he might not reach his potential in the way you hope.

[OneInEight]

Just to make absolutely clear this is an illegal exclusion. The school, absolutely are not allowed to do it. You could ask for help from the local authorities exclusion officer in reminding the school of their responsibilities (our HT also did not realise that she was not allowed to do this). The thing is if the school are not recording the sending home's formally you will have no evidence to support any EHCP application & your ds will go on for longer unsuported.

[Penguinsetpandas]

Thanks very much. Yes they are illegal and he's being recorded as in school so no use for an EHCP. I have contacted the LA and some people there are helping. Also complained to Head and seem to start to be getting support for him and they are going to get Ed Psych in and apply for funding for a TA. They are adjusting his timetable next two days. They are saying they are continuing with illegal exclusions which I am not happy about but if they put other support in don't mind so much.

[Volant]

Write to the Head and say that you are not prepared to condone illegal exclusions and will not be collecting your child unless he is formally excluded, which will require him/her to send a formal letter every time he imposes an exclusion. I strongly suspect that they could find support for your child in the interval till they get extra funding if you don't give them an easy way out. Use your right to ask the governors to review each exclusion.

[Penguinsetpandas]

Thanks very much. SENDIASS returned my call from a week ago and also recommended refusing to collect unless formal saying the LA will only take into account formal exclusions and informal ones go unrecorded.