Pls help-deferring school place ASD

[Aswad]

Apologies for posting here but I feel completely lost and overwhelmed
My daughter’s almost 4, completely non-verbal, limited understanding, not potty trained and doesn’t have a great appetite (will often refuse to eat at nursery)
I don’t think she is ready for primary as she will struggle with such a massive change and the bigger environment. She currently attends a small nursery.

1. My understanding is this: we HAVE to apply for a school place by the 15th of this month otherwise we miss the deadline and she gets any school with a space?
2. We can defer but the Head can turn this down?
3. There are some local primaries in my area with a resourced provision (specialist units within the school for children with ASD) but we’re talking a handful of places. What happens if I ONLY apply for these but I don’t get any as we’re not close enough?!
4. She doesn’t have an EHCP but we’re waiting for an assessment (waiting list here is 2+ years)
5. Do you think I’m being foolish by deferring her place? She seems settled, it’s a smaller setting. I know she’s not getting 121 but I’m not sure she’s ready for the academic side of things

I really, really appreciate any input, no matter how small. This is all so mind boggling and I feel like I’m drowning in hopelessness Thank you.

I can’t help with many of your questions but didn’t want to read and run.

How close to four is she? Before or after 31/3? That will have an impact on whether she can defer and start school in reception for the next year.

Apply anyway…you can always delay her start or defer but you must apply or you may not get any choice at all.

When you say you're waiting for an assessment do you mean for autism or a needs assessment for the EHCP?
I would apply as normal with your local school as your last placed school and your preferred schools above it.
Then worry about deferring.

Apply for an EHCP now, then at least you would broaden your options into both mainstream and specialist provision

Absolutely defer. School is too much too soon for many entirely NT children.

Op, I have an older primary school child with ASD, they have additional needs and get support at school (have EHCP but not 1-1).

I would defer if you can but check what happens later in years? You may want to explore specialists schools, but will need a diagnosis.

You don’t need an EHCP to get extra help at nursery/school , a good provision will provide it until extra funding in place (doesn’t need a diagnosis for the plan), parent can request it or nursery. Once you apply the local authority have certain time to respond, it’s not 2yrs (is that for diagnosis?).

Get the ECHP now, you can review once diagnosis in place.

Explore best environment for child. Forest school? nursery, reception, part time school?

An EHCP says what school you want.
With SEN you are not restricted to local schools.
Good luck…
I’m planning secondary schools…

Talk to your nursery, they should be able to help advise you.

I think you’re best to apply for places at the normal time, and then ask to defer. Apply for the schools with the provision you want on medical grounds, but put your local school on your list as well. It’s time to start the EHCP process, and hopefully if your dd goes to a local school there will be plans in place to meet her needs.

There are very knowledgeable people on the education and SN boards that can give good advice.

If you are in England look up SosSen or Ipsea. They will help you apply yourself for an EHCP....it is not a waiting list, it is an appi to the local education authority....parents rather than the school can do. 40 weeks max I think in England. Start now.

It's good you live near schools with units, that's a start 😁.

Apply to the school with the base - apply stating the medical reason to why. State clearly on the form you have applied for a EHCP and your child has medical needs.

Good luck!

Why have you left it so late to make this crucial decision?!

I don't understand why you are saying there is a 2 year wait for an EHCP. Have you actually applied for a Needs Assessment? They legally have a duty to reply in a short time frame (I can't remember how long). You don't have to wait for anyone else to apply for you.

The EHCP process is separate to the diagnosis process and is needs based so you don't need a diagnosis to get your EHCP (which will change over the years in any case).

In the short term apply for the schools you want in the order you want e.g. SEN specialists at the top of the lists and when you run out of those, other local schools. It will become very clear if she needs more support once she starts and may help your case. In any case, as I understand it, the school are required to provide the appropriate support that a child with ASD needs as though they were diagnosed while they are waiting for assessment... but that means you need to be very clear with the school that you are waiting for an ASD assessment/diagnosis so they don't say they didn't know so didn't need to provide support.

Also, sadly it is a long and difficult journey getting the right setting for these children and very hard work. Definitely go and look at the IPSEA and other sites and post here in the special needs section rather than AIBU so more people can see your post and help who have been through it.

Resource provision is normally reserved for children with an EHCP so applying for thise schools in the hope your daughter will be able to access it is not a surefire way to get her support. Nothing to stop you applying there and it may mean the staff in general are more clued up on on autism.
If your daughter is born on or after 1st April you can request she defers Reception until September 2023 however this needs to be agreed by the schools/LA if community school. They dont have to agree it unfortunately. Your daughter doesn't have to attend until the term after she turns 5 in any case.
I recommend speaking to the organisations mentioned above . It might be a wait to see an EdPsych but there isn't a waiting list to be assessed for a plan, there are quite strict timescales

You are sort of right on your first message.

Yes, you have to apply for a school place by mid January, unless you are planning to home educate.

Once you have received and accepted a school place, you then arrange to meet with the headteacher to discuss deferring the place for a year.

However, there is simply a 'right to request' to defer. It's not a given, and is down to the head teacher and local authority to make the final decision.

Most important is that you put in a parental request for an EHCP. There is a 20 (I think) week deadline for a response.

Without an EHCP, I don't think your child can access a special school at all.

I don't mean to upset you, but if your child is non verbal, with an ASD diagnosis etc, then their nursery really should have been on the case long ago.

Join the Facebook group ‘flexible school admission for summer born children’

You’ll get the best advice there.

If you don’t want her to go to school this year, you don’t have to apply for a place. But next year she may be placed in y1 if not Summer born or if you haven’t agreed a deferral with the school.

Get her in a school, any school. Once school see how big her needs are they will request an educational psychologist report in order to get an ehcp. School can be your biggest asset in pushing this faster.

Thank you everyone for replying, really appreciate your input.
@PastMyBestBeforeDate good luck with your child’s secondary application. I can’t imagine it’s easy doing it all again?

@Dithercats @WhenZoomWasJustAnIceLollythank you, I hadn’t heard of these organisations

@BigotSpigot apologies, the wait for a diagnosis is that long

I’ll request to have this moved into SEN

If your daughter is born from 1 April to 31 August join the Summerborn group on Facebook. My son is, we started him at CSA (aged 5). He also has ASD, things improved dramatically from 3-5 and he now attends mainstream school without additional support very successfully. Even if she is not Summerborn you can defer her school place until the term after she is 5 and you do not need anyone's agreement to do this (although obviously it is good to talk through with the school). I think funding might be an issue if you keep both a school place and the nursery place though. Nursery should be on the EHCP now.

You need a place at a school that will help her, are you sure nursery can? My dd is autistic so I was in your position but I had her at a specialist nursery, she had daily therapy- early intervention is proved to help outcomes. My dd developed speech at 4.

You can always defer her place nearer the time but with Sen you have to consider if waiting a year will help

@mucky123 my understanding is the head can refuse the deferred start. I’m applying as she’s a summer born child. There’s also a legal right to delay but she misses 2 terms which might make settling in more difficult and impact negatively on other children. I think that’s what you meant by I can defer and they can’t say no? @gogohm I’m just worried as she’s really not ready for big school, even with 121. She struggles with transition and a specialist school won’t take her without the EHCP.
thank you both for giving me hope.
@

Regardless of whether you defer or not, I too think you should apply for an EHCNA. You don’t need to wait for a diagnosis or an assessment by an Ed Psych. You can do it now, IPSEA have a model letter you can use.

Some LAs have specialist early years assessment places, where an EHCP isn’t necessary to get a place but the EHCNA is undertaken whilst attending. Some only cover nursery age, but in some LAs they include reception too.

Has the nursery spoken to the Area SENCO, and if it’s needed have they applied for early years inclusion funding?

I deferred my son's place and kept him in preschool another year. He could only manage a couple of hours a day, and there was absolutely no way he would have coped in a busy mainstream school. It was long enough for the ehcp to go through, and to secure a special school place. The special school was the best thing we could have done, he's in a class of seven with tons of input and interventions. He's six now and still in nappies and non-verbal, but school is his salvation, he loves it there.

My son sounds very similar to your daughter - he’s currently at a school nursery which has a resourced provision but not until Y1.

He has a diagnosis but his EHCP is currently being applied - school have led and are excellent.

His SENCO has said to apply for a mainstream place as you can’t apply for a specialist place until the EHCP is in place.

They are happy for him to remain in nursery during Reception until the right placement has been identified.

Might that be an option?

My son is a bit of an unknown quantity currently so I think finding the right setting will be tough.

You 100% can and should apply for an EHCNA.

She sounds similar to my little boy (now I'm reception) and he started school with a fully sorted EHCP. There is no waiting list for an EHCP

If you defer, I would be concerned that she stays in a nursery setting which doesn't seem to have helped or advised you properly to apply for an EHCP. Are they actually doing any interventions etc. with her? You may well be better going to any school so that things get underway and you and her start to get better support.

@esloquehay

Why have you left it so late to make this crucial decision?!

Helpful!!!

I would defer. You will be giving her a huge advantage if you do. There are so many children in year groups that they just aren’t ready for . They struggle every single day of their school life. It’s soul destroying and the biggest part of the education system that I loathe.