ASD child reduced timetable primary school

If DD is not yet compulsory school age, you have the right to send her part time. Point the school in the direction of the admissions code.

We have the opposite problem ! School want dd in full time we are insisting on part time (she also has ASD)

Until there is an EHCP that names a different school, he's on roll at the school named in his EHCP and therefore, they can't just exclude him because he might not cope.

Read the admissions code. It is the OP’s choice whether DS attends full-time or not.

“2.17 Admission authorities must provide for the admission of all children in
the September following their fourth birthday. The authority must make it clear
in their arrangements that where they have offered a child a place at a school:
a) that child is entitled to a full-time place in the September following
their fourth birthday;
b) the child’s parents can defer the date their child is admitted to the
school until later in the school year but not beyond the point at
which they reach compulsory school age and not beyond the
beginning of the final term of the school year for which it was
made; and
c) where the parents wish, children may attend part-time until later in
the school year but not beyond the point at which they reach
compulsory school age.”

The child comes first, I agree. The school clearly don’t think he’s ready yet to cope with full time school so they’re continuing with the reduced timetable. If the OP disagrees then she can send him in full time but I’d rather trust the opinion of the professionals who can see how he is coping in that environment. If he isn’t ready he isn’t ready, regardless of whether that impacts OPs job. I know that sounds harsh but it’s the reality. I’d rather it take longer and he was settled than thrown in and overwhelmed.

She has given consent for a soft landing.

Exceptional circumstances is very subjective. One persons exceptional is another’s normal.

If he is not yet 5 he does not have to be offered full time school.

On a legal front you can tomorrow drop him off and not collect him until the end of the day (bar sickness or health and safety incidents). They’d have to formally exclude him to force you to leave even an hour early.

More realistically, ask for an emergency EHCP review

I don’t understand the decision to delay this increase of hours if he is doing well.

Maybe it’s precisely because it’s going well that they are taking it slow? Remember schools will have gone through the settling in process with many, many kids, maybe it’s because they’ve seen it suddenly go very wrong with other kids when they’ve suddenly gone to full time. Either that or they could be telling you what you want to hear when you get feedback and perhaps he’s not coping quite as well as you think he is?

Either way, speak to school and ask them, and remember even if your DS does have an EHCP that doesn’t mean he’ll just be fine now- it may not offer enough provision, it may not be the right setting. It’s often a long road for ASD kids to find the right place. And even if they do agree full time more quickly, if he’s not coping you’ll have to step the hours back down again immediately.

But on the up side he does have an EHCP which is great, well done for getting that, and he is coping with the shorter school day, these things are really positive. Take the small wins!

My own son did his first year in reception like this. It was meant to be temporary but it was worked best for him. He started this year full time but again has since dropped to part time.

He is legally entitled to a full time education however my sons school are also using this as evidence that they can not meet need to get my son into specialist provision.

Agree with PPs who say not to jump to the assumption that school are doing a slow settle purely for their benefit.
School is a huge exhausting change even for a lot of NT kids and very different to nursery/childminders.
Even if he did cope well full time straight away, you might find he masks all day and home life is unbearable due to meltdowns (this was my daughter and I regret rushing her into it looking back). Hopefully not though if he has a good 1:1 etc.

Maybe find a date to aim for him being FT so you can start to plan for work, and constantly review this to see if it’s realistic based on how he’s settling.
If he is doing well at that point and school are still insisting on a part time timetable, then I would take the advice of posters directing you towards his legal entitlement etc.

Wishing you and him best of luck this term as it’s very hard to manage work and all this x

Schools can still follow due process and show they can’t meet needs. In some cases, it is actually easier to show they can’t meet needs because they have more evidence (including formal suspensions where appropriate).

First off I'm going to say the school are breaking the law.
Now I will tell you our story when ds started school he only attended for 1 hour per day for the first year.
The school could not meet his needs.
During this year the school admitted they couldn't meet his needs and recommended a special needs school him.
Don't know exactly what happened but at his Echp review the named school was changed to the special needs school.

So even though it is breaking the law this is what was best for our child and it showed that they school couldn't meet his needs.

Asd kids struggle with change.
They might have planned it cautiously. If its going well talk to them.

I think we need the context here. What are school saying is the reason? If he genuinely can’t cope with the full day despite what’s in his EHCP then perhaps this is best for everyone concerned? But as others have said if it’s that the school need more support from external sources, or need to review his EHCP this should also be being considered. I’ve known some kids go on to a full timetable successfully but others need to remain on a short timetable right through primary.

I have a child with SEN and whilst mainstream is absolutely right for some kids it is absolutely not the place for others- I have seen many kids with ASD struggle on in mainstream for a few years and then things go really pear shaped. Things like not being able to engage in lessons at all, getting frustrated and becoming violent, simply just walking out of the class and doing things like eat berries etc (yes even when very closely supervised). Irrespective of the legal rights/ wrongs there is only so much that an underfunded state school can do for these kids. Sounds like it’s too early to judge for your DS but I would say that it’s better to look for an alternative provision sooner rather than later, for the child as much as anything.

Whether other parents want a part-time timetable/flexischooling/EOTAS, doesn’t change the fact it is OP’s decision whether to send DS full time or part time until he is CSA.

DS was moved to a small unit in a mainstream school for children with additional needs, this was before he was diagnosed with ASD, but everyone knew he would be. He moved schools due to EBSA, so started off with half days and moved gradually to full days, this was with our full agreement as too much pressure on him would lead to a meltdown and not attending anyway.

I think we got him up to about 70% attendance, though some of the absences were due to him being late and missing registration. DH has been unable to have proper full time employment as he needs to be available to drive DS to and from school at random times - he's essentially self employed and trying to earn enough to cover his costs - running the car, mobile phone, etc, while I cover all the household stuff. Currently it would not be possible for us to both work full time, or out of the house. Which is a concern as I'm facing redundancy next year and I don't know how we'll manage as everything feels very finely balanced at the moment.

Complying with the law is not a one size fits all approach. Schools and LAs acting unlawfully is not in the child’s best interest. I do this day in, day out. Sadly, many LAs and school staff incorrectly believe they shouldn’t have to comply because it is easier for them than following due process (including due process where they it isn’t the right setting in the school’s opinion).

The law is looking at a cohort as a whole in line with equality legislation BUT a one size fits all approach does not always fit when you are dealing with individuals. By all means fight with the school and have them take him for the whole day as it is a legal right BUT that absolutely doesn't mean you are not harming the child by doing so.

Many parents of ASD dc are having the opposite problem, getting the school to agree to a reduced timetable. Unfortunately many/most dc with ASD get so drained by the sensory stimuli and social interaction of a normal school environment that they present with meltdowns/aggressive behaviour or total burnout/school refusal. If you can't give up work, maybe the school could accommodate your dc needs for a reduced timerable by letting him learn with his 1:1 in a separate room some of the time, or in theory some of the learning support could happen at home, you could request 1:1 support for partial homeschooling/EOTAS and maybe work from home while your dc is tutored 1:1? Not many dc get a duagnosis and EHCP that early, so he must be presenting strongly and pushing him to do mire than he us able might lead to total refusal of school.

Honestly, and I am ND as are my children - for people saying their kid coped with full time nursery so full time should is OK.... its not the same thing. Its all new, new friends, new environment - a huge sensory overload and a lot of brain power is needed for learning and its exhausting. My son who turned 5 in the Oct of his reception year so one of the oldest was actually almost a sleep while walking out of school one day.
Talk to the school but ignore people who say its for the school's benefit - if your son has being diagnosed at his young age its quite an early diagnosis so he's likely to have lots of traits. You put him in an environment where he gets over stimulated or tired and starts acting up and having meltdowns in front of the other kids they are going to be frightened of him and stay away from him - once this starts happening then he becomes labelled and he will struggle to make friends. I saw this happen over and over and not with just ND children but children who were August born and so acting younger than peers - they were just tired but became labelled as 'naughty' children.
Just speak to the school about slowly increasing his hours if you think he is ready. Better to be cautious at this age and settle him in properly than trigger issues - school is for his learning rather then being just childcare like maybe nursery etc is

Would you consider trying to get specialist education for SEN rather than mainstream. I believe the right school that is set up to cater for children with fairly large additional needs, which your child must have if he’s already on a 1:1 EHCP at reception, can make the world of difference and know a few parents who have changed out of mainstream and are delighted with the difference for their child.

The child is front and centre in the law. Schools and LAs acting unlawfully are not acting in the child’s best interest. Even if the staff at the school believe the setting isn’t the right place, they should still be acting lawfully.

It is easy to loose sight of what is actually best for the child and get caught up in what is legal.
I have seen it many times in work- parents who fight for their child to be included but actually it just isn't the right place and the child needs to be with staff who are specialised in SEN and who actually want to work with those children.

DC whose parents know the system/law and advocate for them get better support. It shouldn’t be like this but it isn’t going to change in the foreseeable future. Enforcing DC’s rights achieves far more than allowing schools to act unlawfully. Statements haven’t existed in England for years. Anyone’s DC who is being unlawfully, informing excluded can challenge the school. They don’t need to accept the unlawfulness. Parents of CSA pupils can also challenge the LA if section 19 provision isn’t being provided. And anyone with an EHCP can pursue that angle too via appealing to SENDIST for more/different provision &/or via enforcing the SEP in F of the current EHCP if it isn’t being provided.