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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu SEN dd not allowed to after school club

32 replies

Anon37738 · 08/02/2023 06:36

I'm not sure how I feel but other parents have expressed that they think it's not right so more looking for another perspective.

My dd is SEN and I have been told by the school that she cannot go after school club anymore as they cannot look after her. There are other SEN children that attend who have not been told they are not allowed to go.

I have 2 other children who would like to go club but other dd gets so upset if I say that she can't go that day.

The club is extremely convinient for me basically across the road from my house financially cheaper too and is currently one day a week (the plan was to increase hours during the week as currently I work every single weekend and one day during the week so I get no real time with them)

This is extremely long my apologies just wondering if I should challenge it or accept it and have to drop my working day during the week. I don't have anyone who can help me just to add.

OP posts:
Shoxfordian · 08/02/2023 06:38

Have they said why they can’t look after her?

Dontsparethehorses · 08/02/2023 06:39

Does she need extra support which they aren’t able to provide at the after school club? You say she can’t go anymore so I presume it’s not a blanket no they have tried but can’t keep her/ others safe. You say it’s cheap so I imagine ratios aren’t that high?

Sirzy · 08/02/2023 06:39

You need to discuss with them what the issues are. If they are unable to meet her needs and keep her and others safe as frustrating as it is then you may need to look for an alternative more suited to her needs.

HikingforScenery · 08/02/2023 06:42

They need to tell you why. Does she have 1:1 support at school? Does she need the same at the club?

autienotnaughty · 08/02/2023 06:42

Does she have reduced ratios during the day. If yes then there's an argument that they can't offer reduced ratios so therefore can not offer a place

Sleepyblueocean · 08/02/2023 06:45

Is this a school run club or is it an independent provider? Have they done a risk assessment?

SnoozyVanWinkle · 08/02/2023 06:46

Did they literally say 'we can't look after her anymore' ?

Is it run by the school or an outside group?

Perhaps they just can't find the staff to cover if she has a one to one during the day. Whilst teaching staff aren't paid to do after school clubs, TAs are and often they can't stay as they have jobs as TAs because they have their own children.

itsgettingweird · 08/02/2023 06:46

Is the school club run by the school or a private agency who use the school?

Does she have an ehcp?

Agree with everyone else you need to find out why. But they do have a duty of care to everyone and if they can't meet needs and it's unsafe their current risk assessment is that she can't attend.

If it's run by school and she has an ehcp you can look at extending the support to include school club if it's part of her education and health needs.

If it's private can you ask a social worker about direct funding to provide a carer for her at the sessions.

It shouldn't be because she has SEND diagnosed but because they can't meet her needs for X reason and it has Y impact.

OverProtectiveMumOfPFB · 08/02/2023 06:48

This is why I'm still a sahm. They would have place for DC2 but not for DC1.

Sleepyblueocean · 08/02/2023 06:50

There should have been a risk assessment done and this would need to show that there are no reasonable adjustments that can be made that would enable her to attend.

plumduck · 08/02/2023 06:52

Sleepyblueocean · 08/02/2023 06:50

There should have been a risk assessment done and this would need to show that there are no reasonable adjustments that can be made that would enable her to attend.

This.

Blackeyesbluetears · 08/02/2023 06:55

Currently my son manages to attend after school club one day a week but he really struggles. I think people have no true idea how much it can impact financial stability having an SEN child

sazza76 · 08/02/2023 06:57

My sons school say he can’t attend after school club at the moment because they don’t have anyone to support him (he has a 1 to 1) for the majority of the school day. I’m currently trying to meet with them to see if there is any compremise. I understand he would need a 1 to 1 for any sports clubs for safety reasons, but he doesn’t want to do that, so I’m going to ask if he can do library club as he has several similar lessons during school hours without a 1 to 1.

I think its always worth a try talking to them, find out what their exact reasons are and see if there is any way of working things so their concerns aren’t an issue anymore (hope that makes sense).
It is so frustrating and I find these situations throw up all sorts of emotions, but over the years i’ve found that the best way of getting things in place so my son gets what he needs is to work with them even if your feeling very differently inside. Good luck

RubbishRobotFromTheDawnOfTime · 08/02/2023 06:58

Does your DD have one to one support during school hours? Why exactly have they said she cannot attend?

Shinyandnew1 · 08/02/2023 06:58

My dd is SEN and I have been told by the school that she cannot go after school club anymore

What is the club? What incidents have happened to make them stop her going?

What are the SEN? Is there an EHCP?

GlitteryUnicornSparkles · 08/02/2023 07:02

Shinyandnew1 · 08/02/2023 06:58

My dd is SEN and I have been told by the school that she cannot go after school club anymore

What is the club? What incidents have happened to make them stop her going?

What are the SEN? Is there an EHCP?

Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Education & Health Care Plan (EHCP)

LolaSmiles · 08/02/2023 07:04

Is this an afternoon school club as in a voluntary enrichment club or is it a wraparound care provision (which might be run by the school or an independent organisation)?

Agree with posters that you need to find out why she cannot attend as that will direct your next steps.

Once you know why, you can establish what adjustments and provision would be needed for her to attend and whether it's possible to meet the needs.

GlitteryUnicornSparkles · 08/02/2023 07:05

Shinyandnew1 · 08/02/2023 06:58

My dd is SEN and I have been told by the school that she cannot go after school club anymore

What is the club? What incidents have happened to make them stop her going?

What are the SEN? Is there an EHCP?

Ignore my last response I’m clearly still half asleep and misread what you asked! 🙄

forwhatitsworth22 · 08/02/2023 07:07

It's possible that her 1-1 support isn't able to cover after school clubs, if she has one. My School cancels after school clubs all the time due to staffing.

Busybody2022 · 08/02/2023 07:09

Not all SEN is the same, some may be able to manage the club and others can not.

They have a duty to make reasonable adjustments. Due to not being school hours there is allowed to be a cost consideration on what classes as reasonable. As a parent you could offer to accompany her or fund 1-1.

Morph22010 · 08/02/2023 07:10

Unfortunately this is why a lot of parents with Sen children end up having to give up work as there is no child care available. Disability discrimination means reasonable adjustments have to be made but health and safety trumps this, and if it’s a case of having to have a 1-1 it may not be a reasonable adjustment if it’s not financially viable. You could possibly get some funding from the local council to pay towards a 1-1 but I wouldn’t pin my hopes on it being any time soon or paying the full amount if at all. Unfortunately our kids do end up having to miss out on stuff and ultimately that’s just life, as mine has got older I’ve tried to find more inclusive clubs he can join rather than the mainstream ones

HJ40 · 08/02/2023 07:19

Does she have a level of support required stated on an EHCP?

Without anymore info from you, it sounds like they have tried and can't safely meet her needs and those of everyone else. If she does receive additional support, that will only be funded for school hours. After school clubs work extremely hard to keep costs to the bare minimum to keep them accessible to as many people as possible, and that means using the minimum amount of staff.

Xol · 08/02/2023 07:19

Does she have extra support in school during the day?

Bleese · 08/02/2023 07:20

Is this childcare or extra-curricular?

Badleg87 · 08/02/2023 07:25

Our After school club is run separately and have previously told a couple of parents of SEN children they cannot attend as they'd need to pay an extra member of staff to act as 1:1 and they couldn't afford it