So what the hell do I do now? ASC can’t take DC anymore

[ASCNoUse]

DC is 8, Y4. Has SN (Not ASD).

They go to Breakfast Club 5 mornings a week, and then 2 nights after school they go to After School Club.

In the mornings it’s quieter so DC sits in the hall eats their breakfast, DC then just sits there happily.

After School is a lot more chaotic, there’s more DC there (55 some nights as opposed to only 15 in the mornings) so DC finds it too much. They’ve taken to sitting in the library. ASC tried to get DC to choose a book from the library but sit in a quiet corner or at a table in the hall/classroom (some days they use both) but DC didn’t like it. When asked they said they need quiet and often have brain fog after school and need time to just think (they have dyslexia and dyspraxia)
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ASC have now given me notice to say they can’t safely supervise DC. They gave me notice in January to end at Half Term. They are still taking DC in the mornings. They have tried since January to find a solution to hopefully revoke notice but DC still continues to spend sometimes the whole session in the library.

I’m a single parent, I work from home some days but when DC has been home they just want to talk to me as it’s just me and them at home (no other DC, no pets). No childminders with space near to school – I’ve asked around, we’re quite rural so there’s only a handful to start with. No nurseries or outside providers that pick up from DCs school. ExH won’t have DC in the week (he’s been offered by me, a mediator and the courts and he always says no). No family help.

So what the hell do I do now? Give up my job??

Alternatively has she a friend who maybe she could go to for tea on these dates? (maybe asking mother to help out and reimbursing her)

Headphones and a pop up tent in a corner (maybe you could even supply it and thus choose it, they’re not expensive)
And sorry but your child has to stay in the room. Explain to them that you cannot leave your job and this is a compromise.
After all it will be years before they can be left at home alone.

Noise canceling headphones?

@marcipex has a good suggestion

leaving the room when overwhelmed by the classroom noise and going to a designated space to decompress is part of my child‘s school day plan and always has been. It works because schools have staff in multiple locations during the day. Before and after school though the boundaries are entirely different. We also provided noise canceling headphones.

a pop up tent and headphones, perhaps noise canceling, might work wonders.

"Would echo what a PP has said that it's an issue they need to resolve otherwise they risk breaching equalities act by excluding them even if they need another pair of hands to do so.

The duty is reasonable adjustment and in an after school club run by an external agency this wouldn't extend to paying another member of staff.
I think the options are trying to make the hall work by providing a 'den' or looking for another parent or older teenager to do the childcare.

To facilitate the child being separate the school would need to employ a 1:1. I bet they can’t afford it and wouldn’t get anyone willing either. I go out to advert for jobs where I work and we frequently get no applicants. Getting supply now is tricky - they often don’t turn up. Schools are in a mess but it’s the government at fault.

@rattlemehearties , OP is prioritising her child's needs. Like food and shelter. That's why she needs her, you know , job.

@Tulipvase It’s illegal for schools to charge parents of kids for extra support to attend ASC or other clubs, or to require them to pay for extra support from outside.

I mean, parents of kids with a disability.

Lots of people throwing the Equality Act around incorrectly here. ASC is not education, so they are bound by the same rules as any other service - they have to make 'reasonable adjustments'. As OP says they have tried various things, it sounds like they have done that. It is a really difficult situation for OP, and the sensory tent idea is a great idea to try, but it doesn't help her when posters claim it is illegal to say they can't manage her child's needs, because it isn't. It is allowed for businesses and services to say that they cannot safely meet someone's needs having tried reasonable adjustments.
OP, try suggesting the tent.

It's disability discrimination OP

Why is this suddenly a problem if they have been OK with him until then?

If he just needs quiet would ear muffs work?

How is it disability discrimination? The OP hasn’t even said the child has a disability. Special educational needs don’t mean disabled.

the ASC isn’t run by the school though, it’s a separate business. So school aren’t charging the parents. Perhaps the ASC isn’t allowed to either, I’d have to check.

@Tulipvase It applies to external providers as well.

This came to light with our LA recently - a vigilant parent raised it, the council took legal advice, found that schools and club providers were in violation of the Equality Act and wrote to them telling them they had to stop.

Ah ok.

what happens then when the club can’t meet the needs of a child without extra staff? I wonder if that’s why so many clubs aren’t running any more.

He has SEN, that makes it subject to disability legislation in the same way a student with dyslexia has to have accommodations for them.

Or do you think disability only means wheelchairs?

@SomethingNastyInTheBallPool that's true but it is not illegal for an ASC or other private business to say "but we can't meet your need for 121 support/wheelchair accessible premises/no flashing lights so you can't use our service" if it's not reasonable for them to provide that.

No, of course I don’t think that, ffs. I’m legally disabled myself.

If you get nowhere with school about putting up a partition etc then I’d consider contacting Social Services. They might have some ideas / funding - worth a shot.

"It’s illegal for schools to charge parents of kids for extra support to attend ASC or other clubs, or to require them to pay for extra support from outside."

That is true because reasonable adjustments cannot be charged for but the clubs can still say they cannot take a child because there are no reasonable adjustments that can be made that would make it possible for the child to attend.

This is true - providers can say they can’t meet a child’s needs.

Though if the club is being run in a school that does meet the child’s needs, then it wouldn’t be reasonable for the provider to say it couldn’t.

It would be reasonable because the ASC isn't funded in the same way that schools are.

My local authority supplies 1:1 funding to my child's ASC so they can have someone dedicated to her needs whilst she attends.

Can you speak to them to see if this is an option for you? Your school's SENCO may have the right contacts.

But if it’s the school’s ASC, even if it’s provided by an external company, it’s meant to be open to all the children of that school, not just the economically viable ones. It may result in everyone being charged a bit more overall, but that’s how society works.