SEND and Cambridge schools

I’m a former St Bede’s parent. Our DC not send but I can report that St Bede’s and Impington are the 2 schools that typically take those with send requirements or looked after children. I’m afraid I don’t know what’s needed for an EHCP, I do know that most of the dyslexic and dyspraxic kids didn’t qualify for one, but I don’t know re ADHD.

Re academic schools and send - generally they are better for send. Parkside not great at the moment, I’ve heard.

The EHCP process is taking about 50 weeks in my LEA

Even though LAs don’t think the EHCP timescales apply to them, they are statutory timescales and can be enforced if necessary. Where LAs breach the statutory timescales parents should threaten JR, send a pre-action letter and then pursue JR proceedings if necessary.

The EHCP process is taking about 50 weeks in my LEA-unless Cambridge is massively different, I think you may need to adjust your expectations here.

she can manage in a 'normie' school with adjustments

My LA would read that and probably also say that her needs can be met with Ordinarily Available provision and she doesn’t need an EHCP at all.

What provision does she need that’s additional to and different from?

Are you a crown servant overseas or forces?

Cambridgeshire might agree to start the process ahead of arrival if you can prove you will be resident in the area, but even so you're looking at a long wait with multiple appeals. If you are forces you will fare better. Other crown servants there are ways of pushing the council to start the process early.

Documents from overseas have no legal standing in England I'm afraid.

Parkside is extremely competitive admissions and achievement levels there are high. Students there are mostly children of academics. SEND provision is limited although they did have nurture groups up until a few years ago.

What adjustments does she specifically need?

Most schools will offer extra English and maths to lower attaining students usually via a system of them dropping a language.

Cambridge secondaries are generally oversubscribed as there is a shortage of places; some children in Cambridge in the current admissions round have been given places in Huntingdon.

An actual EHCP would get a place in the named school without having anything to do with the waiting list process.

Here’s a better link to acceptances for y7.

I thought I’d seen a table of vacancies in all years at Cambridge(shire) schools at some time in the past, but I can’t find it now.

“In year” seems to mean at some time after the general school entry in September for y7/aged 11.

I would be very cautious about Chesterton in your position - it's not seen as a great fit for those with ASD at least; it's very grades driven with a lot of testing. Friends live in catchment, and still had to appeal for their child (with ASD; the ECHP was granted during Y6) to get a suitable place elsewhere - they wanted either St Bede's or Impington

Here’s a link to the Cambridgeshire page on in year admissions. It’s a bit inconsistent but says that applications for September 2024 will be accepted between 2 May and 7 June.

If you scroll down this page you can see acceptance rates for y7 (age 11) entry in September 2024.

Without an EHCP to put you at the top of a waiting list, you might need to look at which schools have spaces - which is probably not Parkside or Chesterton. The Cambridgeshire in-year admissions page currrently says "Please note that Cambridgeshire is currently receiving higher levels of In Year school applications than spaces available."

What year group are you looking at?

Restriction on class size is not something I've seen in mainstream - although where there is setting, the lower sets tend to be smaller.

If you are moving in June, you will not have an EHCP by September.

The EHCP process takes 20 weeks if you don’t have to appeal. LAs often think they don’t have to stick to the timescales, but they are statutory timescales and can be enforced if they are breached. However, many parents do have to appeal, sometimes more than once, and the wait for Tribunal is long.

If DD was moving within England and had an EHCP, the new LA would become responsible for it and the EHCP would continue (although reviewed and potentially amended, reassessed or even ceased - which would get the right of appeal), but as someone new to England you will need to submit an EHCNA request when you move and the 20 week timescale applies. The LA does not have to adhere to the plan (which isn’t an EHCP as that is an English legal document) DD has now from abroad.

Just to manage your expectations, I can’t see you having an EHCP in place by September - you’d be lucky to have one by Sept 2026, unless Cambridgeshire LEA is very different to all others in the country.

When will you be back in the UK? I assume you’d need a residence before you could apply, but I’m not sure. I believe the LEA would want to have an EP observe your child in an educational setting which they won’t be able to do until they’re in a school in their local authority area.

Just a diagnosis of ADHD is unlikely to get you an EHCP as the LEA will argue that all
mainstream schools provide a certain level
of support for kids with ADHD without needing specific provision set out in an EHCP.

My son is diagnosed ASD and ADHD and has been on the SEN register at school since he was 7 but was still refused to be assessed for an EHC needs assessment at age 10. You have to fight the LEA every step of the way, EHCPs take most parents years to obtain, and the school will want to see a couple of terms evidence before supporting an application. So in all reality you are years off an EHCP, if you manage to get one at all.