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SEN

Here you'll find advice from parents and teachers on special needs education.

Original poster

EHCP in a private school

102 replies

Acronymsandinitialisms · 09/02/2022 23:05

My son, 8 and in year 3, is on long waiting lists with CAMHS for autism and ADHD.

He's bright, fun and interesting, but needs support with his anxiety and impulse control (hitting other children when provoked and shouting out in class being the most concerning and problematic). I really want him to stay in his current school as I think moving again (he moved into yr2 and this is his first proper year there because of lockdowns) would unsettle him, and he would think/know that it was because of his behaviour, and that would hurt him. Also, small class sizes, buckets of sport and outdoorsiness that work well for him.

A couple of people have mentioned looking into an EHCP. I don't expect this to cover school fees - we are fully prepared to do that - and I'm wondering what practical benefit an EHCP might have in a private school, and whether the school might be able to use it as an excuse to get rid of him if they decide they can't meet his stated needs. They are already talking about needing to find a new school if the hitting continues (it's roughly once or twice a term, usually in unsupervised time like in the playground and sometimes in response to someone hitting him first), and we're working hard on addressing this behaviour at the moment. If the EHCP offers any degree of protection from expulsion or access to additional resources in his current school then I'd be keen, but I don't want to give them the tool with which to lever him off their books.

We are considering private assessments, but this is very, very expensive, we're not rich, and these also have a waiting list, just not as long! Any advice/experiences welcome.

OP posts:
Hellokittyninja · 11/02/2022 07:10

We are applying for an EHCP for my DS and he is currently at an independent MS school. The school have been amazing with support but we have realised that none of our local independent secondary schools will accept DS. We will pay the fees for year 6 and then he will most probably need to go into state MS with support. If you can’t afford a private assessment, you definitely won’t be able to afford specialist secondary fees. His current school don’t sound great either. I was a great supporter of SEN in the independent sector until I realised that my son’s school
Is fantastic but most are not prepared to educate autistic children, no matter how academic or ‘high functioning’ they are.

Imitatingdory · 10/02/2022 09:51

An EHCP can provide support, interventions and therapies in excess of what would otherwise typically be available without the need to sit on waiting lists. OT, SALT, MH therapies, emotional literacy support, TA support, alternative provision etc.

Not all LAs will come to an agreement whereby parents pay the fees and the LA pay the SEN provision, some LAs will say the parents are making suitable alternative arrangements thereby they are relieved of their duties. Some will, some won’t. However, it is possible for an EHCP to cover both the school fees and the special educational provision.

Don’t make your decision on applying for an EHCNA based on whether you think the school will ask DS to leave if he does get one. It sounds like they are on the verge of doing so anyway. In order to name a wholly independent school in an EHCP you require an offer of a place from the school, you will also need to prove either the LA’s proposed school(s) can’t meet DS’s needs or the cost isn’t unreasonable public expenditure.