Deregestering in year 9, starting fresh in year 10?

I agree with visit the other state schools and read the Ofsted reports. I had my DC go into a “special measures” school because the special measures were due to a failing sixth form, and poor infrastructure (no working toilets, roof leaks, unhygienic kitchen). On our visit we learned that the school had closed their sixth form and the report got around £2 million from the academy trust to renovate the school and the renovations were almost done. In short, my DC started there the same year Ofsted came back and gave them a “Good” rating.

So it can be worthwhile to give them a second look.

Yes she can re-do a year. I wouldn’t do it in the same school because she will be a target for bullying. But yes, repeating a year is allowed for summer born and/or anyone who has missed a lot of a year due to illness, bereavement, injury, or anything else out of their control.

Suspension as a punishment for truancy?! Blimey.

Go and look at the other schools. In terms of state schools I don't think you are likely to get her into a "better" school if you just deregister her than if you do the managed move. One of those failing academies might just have a SEN room she'd be welcome to work from with a bucket more understanding, and less punitive treatment, than she'd get in inclusion. When you look for a place for Y10 you will likely only be offered the same schools as the MM options, without all the extra support and chance to return that the MM offers.

Some time out of school can be necessary but it can also make it really hard to go back, and it's harder to fight your corner when she's on no one's register. We've had a child go through great difficulty attending school and the light at the end of the tunnel was always that he'd be going somewhere different, somewhere better matched to his needs. That promise was a really important part of getting him back in. I think it's very risky to deregister without that plan in place, unless you are up for home schooling.

Is it appropriate to talk to a GP about whether she could be signed off sick for a while, so she gets the breathing space without having to give up her school place? She sounds very distressed.

Can you be sure that the school/s where you might want her to start in Y10 will have a place for her?

Hang on a minute, a school has to make their form of education accessible to the child - especially a child with suspected SEN and on a pathway to diagnosis. If she functions well in inclusion (one space, her own pace etc) why aren’t they offering that as a solution rather than exclusion and detention?

I’m knee deep in similar with my own child and I recommend talking to the head of the SEN dept and taking with you recommendations of what she needs to succeed and what they need to do to make that happen and not how she needs to change to fit their school.

The Ed psych will be on your side and check your local county education department for someone with a title such as ‘inclusion’ and reach out to them for support. If she doesn’t have and EHCP you can apply for one as a parent, the forms will be on the county website and you can state how the school aren’t meeting her needs and the impact on her, her physical and mental health and impact to education and wellbeing.

The school are not meeting her needs at the moment nor are they trying to but trying to get her to change which might not be within her capabilities. Good luck - there’s a lot of angles left to fight this in you DV favour

Even they have said the detentions don't work and she actually enjoys inclusions because she's in one spot and can do her days work in whatever order she wants.

Could she spend the day in "Inclusion" then? Ask her if that would help? I know ds loved being in inclusion because it was quiet and much easier for him sensory wise.

If that gets her through the door and working, then maybe that's the answer. My dc's school had children who standardly worked in "inclusion" and they then worked with them to try and gently get them back into lessons. So they'd ask them their favourite lesson and start by trying to get them into that for half of the lesson, then they could come back to inclusion.

Does she have an exit pass for lessons (meaning she can show it and leave-they should give a place for them to go-without question) if she gets overwhelmed? One of mine used to struggle going into the lessons and would then report sick. When they gave them the exit pass then they had no problems going in, and very rarely used it. Just having the control to know that they could leave made the difference to their mental situation.

My concern with moving her is if you've got a little way along the diagnoses line, then you'll be reset back to zero at a new school.

* @titchy* Jesus, never even considered that. That makes a lot of sense to me. But then I worry I'm just excusing her behaviour. Also aware that if it is all down to ND and isn't purely behavioural then that doesn't matter.

I worded that somewhat arsily so thank you for not jumping down my throat and considering it Genuinely though, if she does work well in isolation that's a really useful pointer to what will work for her - an Ed Psych would be invaluable in this.

Could you argue for the school to at least try this for a week - she goes in for registration then spends the rest of time other than breaks in a room with no one else.

Again an Ed Psych could suggest how the morning routine could be improved (different sounding alarms, minimising tasks like getting school bag ready maybe?)

"Her field of tucks is barren" 👏👏👏 Love that. She sounds like a fantastic character who is stuck in the wrong school.

In terms of a new start, do it now and she'll be fine for GCSE (I'm a secondary teacher) but if you wait until she's started GCSE courses it will be much harder for her to transition.

Yes you can de register her.
But, have you looked into an in year admission application?
The application form goes to your local authority admissions department who send it to your preferences, if these schools refuse (and they can only do so on quite narrow criteria) then it's likely the application would be referred to the fair access protocol.

If you did decide to de register, then you would make an in year admission application just before you wish her to return, but be very aware that places may not be available and is it going to be more difficult for her to slot back into school. Also remember that the school and local authority have no obligation for her education.

What have current school done? Have you or they sought advice from the local authority behaviour advice team? It's called different things in different areas, normally is within the SEN advisory teams and the child doesn't need an EHCP to access it. Apply for an EHCNA if it's not already happening, she needs this doing and the waiting list for assessment is unfortunately long in some local authorities (though they have a statutory obligation to fulfil the assessment in x amount of weeks)

If the school permanently exclude, they have to provide alternative education by the 6th day. This would normally be in a referral unit or such like, sometimes for children like your daughter, this can be beneficial as the unit can push through the EHCNA etc. Children who are permanently excluded are still the responsibility of the local authority and must be reintegrated into school, though obviously not the school she has been PEX from. The referral units also have much smaller classes.
Do any of the managed move schools have behaviour support/alternative provision units?
Have the current school looked at inclusion support or alternative provision (equine therapy, farms etc) Would they look at a college placement for year 10? There are more options than just a managed move.

she's in one spot and can do her days work in whatever order she wants.

If you have resources for private school, consider a Montessori school. The set up there is very much like this.

Even they have said the detentions don't work and she actually enjoys inclusions because she's in one spot and can do her days work in whatever order she wants.

Poor kid - sounds like the adults who should be responsible for her education have failed her so she's had to find her own solutions to her problems - which she has by self-excluding. That's a real positive - it's a shame no one recognises that (including you tbh though I recognise that's through frustration.)

I would get the assessment done privately ASAP. Ask the assessor to consider burnout which is very common in children this age with unsupported ND, and to write a letter recommending she be signed off long term sick for the rest of the year.

Then I would move her to a new school to start Year 9 over again.

But right now without a diagnosis she can't access the relevant support.

Support in school is based on needs, not diagnosis. Obviously ADHD medication is a different matter though.

DD should have an IEP. Follow up verbal conversations with emails so you have a paper trail should you require it.

Personally, I wouldn’t deregister now. Parents often find it easier (although not easy) to get support when DC remain on a schools roll, even when they can’t attend full time. When EHE it is easier for professionals to sweep DC’s needs under the carpet. Whereas, if DC remains in the system the LA have a duty to provide education even if DC can’t attend school.

Make sure any suspension or exclusion is formal. Rather than the school informally excluding DC. This is important as it provides evidence of unmet needs and means it can be challenged.

You should request an EHCNA, IPSEA have a model letter you can use.

My DD is year 8 and has been moved to a behaviour unit for the rest of the school year to try to reset her. It's so hard. She is exactly like your child, truants and dawdles. She is angry and nasty to staff though. It's horrible because she is also 'that kid' and it breaks my heart. She is the most amazing loving girl but she just doesn't suit the school environment, she can't sit still and concentrate. She just won't let the teachers in to get to know her, they are the enemy. She doesn't want to be angry and is begging for help but until she is diagnosed with adhd she isn't going to get the help she needs. I have been signed off with anxiety in the past from the stress of it. I had to ask them to stop calling me because I was starting to panic at 2pm every day waiting for the call

What does she need to attend the lesson? I am not saying deregistering is a bad idea but unless something else changes the same thing will likely happen again. You may also have a child who knows that you are prepared to deregister her if she doesn't want to go. Can you home school her? Will she work independently? Will she sit down and watch videos and access online learning?

In parallel you absolutely need to push for her ECHP - pay for an Ed Psych assessment if necessary.

If she's ND which you've indicated her behaviour is probably due to that - or at least due to the effects of her neurodiversity. So punishments won't work - that would be like punishing a kid with cerebral palsy for not walking in a straight line. Her high achieving school clearly isn't able to differentiate enough. One of the poorer ofsted ones may well have much more experience of ADHD/processing disorders/whatever she has and will have procedures and techniques they use regularly with others. A MM May well be the best course of action - it means her current school keeps the responsibility for her education and it will be in their interest to arrange something that works. Get in touch with these other schools and see what they can do.

Does she have an EHCP?

Nothing stopping you applying to schools now. They don't take into account current school information because a) they can't access it and b) shouldn't even try to access it before admission.

It's also better to try and get her in whilst the options are still being finalised.

EHE won't help her or you, though. Whilst she's on roll at a school they have the obligation to keep taking action to find her somewhere else/go through procedure - take her out and it's not theirs or anybody else's problem anymore.