SEND and Cambridge schools

That's really unlikely to happen. Places are given according to actual age, not according to previous school. There has to be a very strong reason for a child to be placed in a different year from their peers.

Absolutely not an experience I recognise at all. It is 100% about having lots of documentation that shows they have effectively been in the deferred year group their whole (or partial) school career. Documents other than an EHCP can be used. I amassed 16 documents to state the case simply from private to state school. In year application but at the end of the school year is the method.

I don’t mean to be the voice of doom and gloom but you are on a real sticky wicket if you are trying for any Y7 school place in September. You’ve missed all the secondary application deadlines and Cambridgeshire schools are so full that children have been offered places in St Ives or St Neots.

It would take nothing short of a miracle to have an EHCP in place by Sept if you are in the country, and given you aren’t here until June, I just don’t see how it can happen.

That said, most state schools will be familiar with ADHD and will have many kids with ADHD and EHCPs on their rolls. As others have said, avoid the Perse schools unless you have a very academically capable child, Sancton Wood is the Fawlty Towers of schools, and many of the less “desirable” schools may have better SEN provision.

@CambridgeLightBlue it is frustrating when some schools do this. Another situation where the most vulnerable pupils are failed. DC whose parents know the system are likely to know the school isn’t being honest. So, as with many aspects of the current SEN system, DC whose parents are able to advocate for them get better support.

Some schools incorrectly tell parents their DC won’t get or/or doesn’t need an EHCP, but their parents go on to successfully apply themselves

Yes @Headfirstintothewild I have seen this numerous times. Or they say they tried and didn't manage to get one because the LA don't give any when actually they just haven't provided enough evidence.

There is no guarantee being educated in the year group below will be agreed, especially as DD isn’t summer born.

NameChange30 any parents whose DC’s phase transfer EHCP hasn’t been finalised should look at a pre-action letter.

have said the chances of getting an EHCP are slim to none

Some schools incorrectly tell parents their DC won’t get or/or doesn’t need an EHCP, but their parents go on to successfully apply themselves albeit sometimes needing appeal(s).

That's really unlikely to happen. Places are given according to actual age, not according to previous school. There has to be a very strong reason for a child to be placed in a different year from their peers.

I agree about IVC - they follow the middle years IB programme plus they don't decide GCSE options until year 9 so your child would have time to settle before having to choose options.
Also they do seem to be good with students with autism, and should it be appropriate they also have the Cavendish school for students with autism on site.

We live in Cambs, if they give you a deferred place I don’t think they will ask you to skip a year at any point. I’ve never met anyone that’s happened to.

However, I have met quite a lot of people whose children had to change systems and were not offered a deferred place despite English not being their first language. But some who were.

Regarding age in a deferred year. DC in Yr 13 in sixth form - he is a very late August born and was very prem. He’s the youngest by far of all the deferred students we know. There are 2 other summer borns, the others are a mixture of those with a previous history of major health issues and refugees. He’s the only one who has been in a deferred place from Reception year. His early birth was one reason for deferred place, the fact he spent his toddler years abroad is the other.

@GoldQuoter if she is 12yo now then (depending on her actual DoB) she would either be in year 7 now, so year 8 in Sept, or (if her birthday is April - Aug) in year 8 now, year 9 in Sept.

I've not heard of anyone being able to amend this bc of coming from abroad, sorry. No state school IME will allow her to start year 7 aged 12.5 + - she would be at least 6 months older than the oldest in the cohort and at least 18 months old than some. Ad that's if she turned 12 this month.

I agree if private is an option that certainly looks like the best plan. I don't know how easy it is to be out of year in private - I would be making some calls asap (tho not for two weeks as many schools have just broken up).

https://www.impington.cambs.sch.uk/myp/

https://www.impington.cambs.sch.uk/send/

I'd recommend IVC then because they offer the IB.

She won't be skipping an entire year, she'll be changing from one school system to another. Are you coming from a country with a similar school system?

This website is where you can see the catchment area for secondary schools.

https://maps.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/mycambs.aspx

Are you on Facebook, OP? If so definitely join this group for Cambs SEND parents: https://www.facebook.com/share/uqYJhk2FP2hAGNWv/
You can search for previous posts about schools and EHCPs. There were recent discussions by parents of children with EHCPs who had applied for secondary school places (Y7) and many of them did not receive any kind of outcome by the official date, and no information when they chased it - they still hadn't heard about their children's school places weeks later when all the children without EHCPs, going through the standard application process, got their places. People have been putting in complaints and have not been able to submit appeals in time because they don't have a decision to appeal! It's a mess.

I'm sorry but the doom and gloom posts are entirely correct. If you can afford it, OP, just go private - at least then your DD will be in school while you're having the fight for an EHCP and a specialist placement.

Or move into catchment for one of the mainstream schools with good SEND provision, namely IVC and Comberton.

She definitely could be. When does she turn 13?

There are often issues where children who defer for Reception then have to skip Y6 and go straight into Y7 at secondary thus skipping a whole academic year. Often people choose to send a very young for year child in the right cohort to avoid missing a year of school later on when they are moved to correct year group.

Nowadays it's a lot more possible to stay back a year at school entry time (Reception) if you are a July or August birthday and have prem birth date or SEN, but it's definitely not guaranteed.

Otherwise, if your child is an autumn birthday then they will be almost 2 years older than others in their year group. That can end up with safe guarding issues and also where they can't play sports etc in their year group.

I would definitely speak to the LA urgently about that as it's really not at all usual for children to be out of cohort unless late summer birthdate and coming from abroad won't change that.

Which also means checking which schools choose options in Y8. DD's school do a 3 year GCSE pathway so options are chosen in mid-Y8 and started at the beginning of Y9.

Ideally they'd want a school with a 2 year pathway with options chosen in Y9.

OP also has an additional problem in that DC is already 12 and they are looking for Y7 entry. If DC is already 12 then they should be in Y7 currently

Good point. Op needs to be looking at y8.

Sadly I would agree. I have a DD with severe dyslexia (Dx in place since Y3) and ADHD. The only thing we get is exam access arrangements, no specific SEN provision in class has ever been offered or provided... now in Y10 and well off target for a number of subjects. School still have nothing to offer, no resources and have said the chances of getting an EHCP are slim to none.

OP also has an additional problem in that DC is already 12 and they are looking for Y7 entry. If DC is already 12 then they should be in Y7 currently. So they may have a fight to get a Y7 place rather than a Y8 place, and if they are a late summer birthday and turn 13 before 31st August then I can't see them getting a Y7 place at all.

This article explains the funding problem:

https://westcountryvoices.co.uk/send-the-next-big-conservative-crisis/

I didn’t say OP didn’t have a very long road ahead of her. If you read my posts you will see I have posted OP won’t have an EHCP by September and she may have to appeal, potentially more than once. The law is the same whatever LA you live in. Despite what many LAs think. The first threshold OP needs to focus on, for an EHCNA, is relatively low - a) has or may have SEN, and b) may need SEN provision to be made via an EHCP. You don’t have to prove all other avenues have failed. For an EHCP, you have to prove an EHCP is necessary. The list of SEP OP’s DD is currently receiving is beyond OAP in typical MS therefore if that SEP is reasonably required an EHCP is necessary, but again, she may have to appeal.

Threshold may be different here. You only get an EHCP once you’ve proven all other avenues will fail. OP has a very long road ahead of her.

OP may have to appeal, but if her DD reasonably requires all the provision she is currently receiving she will need an EHCP and would meet the threshold.

There is actually nothing in the OPs post to indicate that she would meet the threshold for a funded EHCP anyway.

The child has a diagnosis of ADHD. That could be very wide ranging.

There’s zero chance she’ll have an EHCP by September. Most applications get refused on the first attempt.