How can an EHCP benefit a child with ADHD?

[FourBoysAndAFeline]

I'm in the throes of gathering evidence to support my child who has ADHD.

7 months into secondary school and his attendance has gone from 100% to 57% and is now on a reduced timetable.

The school are not supportive. SENCO is but she only has one pair of hands.

Im evidencing how the school cannot cope with his needs, he cannot cope with school and what's been put in place so far.

What I don't know is how an EHCP can help my son.
can anyone shed light on this? I have googled and googled and googled and called our local charity and emailed SENCO and asked friends.

I thought I'd ask here too.

To be blunt, it will enable you to fight for removal from the toxic mainstream system, so he can access appropriate education. You will not find it in mainstream these days.

Why has his attendance gone down so dramatically? I think you need to look at why he won’t attend before you can plan the next steps in order to get him to attend.

My daughter has a ehcp and it’s not worth the paper it’s written on she was still given mainstream despite the mainstream school saying they couldn’t meet her needs 🤦🏻 so won’t change much imo.

I don't know but am following with interest as I am about to start down a similar road with my DS.

Did you read the bit where I'm gathering the evidence?

Why are you assuming I havent "looked at why he won't attend"? As a first port of call, like any normal parent or school would?
Assuming the school and I have been sat on our butts letting it happen and I've just plucked the idea of an EHCP out the air.

Yes this exactly what I have in mind. All the words you have said is exactly how I feel.

Im trying to write that into my argument and I can't get the words into the right tone because I'm rather bitter about the whole thing.

It may be useful as well when it comes to GCSEs to ask for extra time or other provision. If they go to college it can follow them there and you can ask for extensions and other support with coursework etc

From our experience (my DS is now 16 so we've had an EHCP for about 10 years).

It can help with exam arrangements eg extra time, a scribe, use of a laptop instead of hand written answers, a quiet room, someone to read out the questions.
It can get him/her a teaching assistant. Fully funded.
It can make allowances like joining the lunch queue 5 minutes before the bell goes for lunch.
It can allow for a toilet pass.
It can designate where the DC sits in class. Eg at the front or alone.
Extra transition days when moving onto the next stage of education.
A writing slope.

I'm sure there's more.

That's great, thank you.

Sorry, OP. On a better day, I'd absolutely be more positive and helpful. Like you though, I am decidedly bitter - in fact enraged - at this absolute shit show at the moment. It's utter shit. I do offer my heartfelt solidarity though: this is a draining thing to go through.

It's a legally enforceable document that should ensure there is funding for anything additional that he needs to achieve in school. And ensure the school doesn't ignore their obligations. The reality can be different but worth having.

An EHCP can provide access to therapies DC wouldn’t otherwise receive or more frequently/for longer than they would receive without the need to sit on the normal waiting list. It can also provide alternative arrangements for education e.g. a special school, AP, EOTAS. It can provide 1:1, mentoring such as Mindjam, assistive technology…

Part time timetables should be short term, aimed at reintegration and not used to manage behaviour.

If DS can’t attend school full time the LA must provide alternative arrangements. This should have begun once it was clear DS would miss 15 days, the days didn’t need to have already been missed or consecutive. If that isn’t in place email the Director of Children’s Services informing them of the situation and requesting provision under s.19 of the Education Act 1996. If you are ignored or refused email again threatening judicial review. If that fails contact SOSSEN for help with a pre-action letter.

Is the reduced timetable because DS can’t cope or is it an unlawful informal exclusion?

First the needs assessment is useful as it identifies your childs needs clearly and what could be done to support them. This us useful whether an echp is awarded or not.

Then, if an ehcp is awarded, it is well written, you can enforce that support because its clearly laid out and funded. T

It can be difficult to get an ehcp if a school should and could be providing the level of support your child needs without one, for instance not all support costs money or requires OT to visit. schools are supposed to make reasonable adjustments under the equalities act and the send code of practice talks about best endeveours to support send.

I am in the process of applying for one for my son with ADHD. I'm hoping for it to make Flexi-Schooling or an EOTAS easier and help with 1-1 tutors away from the school because he struggles so much there. The school have been amazing but for some reason reluctant to push forward they claim it is because it won't achieve anything and they don't need the funding but he does need it so I am pushing for it

Sadly some schools often tell parents their DC doesn’t need or won’t get an EHCP but they go on to successfully apply themselves. Many do have to appeal but don’t give up.

That's really helpful thank you.

It's because he can't cope. It's my idea of getting him into school for good quality lessons rather than all day and him wandering the corridors for 3 hours because he's been told he has IE again and I'm clueless to all of it happening until it's over.

The school absolutely cannot prove they have put anything in place for him.

If they have, it has not work.
And if they say they will, they have not carried it through.

For example someone is supposed to take him out of English and History for 15 mins to give him a break. But they haven't got enough people to do this so it's only happened once since it was put in place three months ago.

I would crack on with your application. I think this is the reason so many people need ehcps as its so difficult to enforce support without one.
Theres lots of good advice on ipsea to help you.

In that case the LA must provide alternative education as well or instead of part time school so DS still receives a suitable, full time education. I just wanted to check the school weren’t informally excluding DS.

It is still possible to secure an EHCP where the school could do more, but won’t. It is often harder than if the school was supportive, but don’t give up.

echoing @Spendonsend, the needs assessment process is useful in itself and you don’t actually need much proof to meet the legal bar of ‘may have special needs that may warrant special educational provision’ (not verbatim but along those lines). It’s the trained professionals’ job to assess him and come up with recommendations for support (not that you can’t suggest stuff but it’s not all on you).

The tricky bit at this stage is that your local authority may pretend it has other rules and turn down an assessment initially, so you may need tribunal (long waiting list) or mediation to overturn. But I’d say his diagnosis and school refusal are valid grounds for an assessment.

I am seeking one because it's impossible for a school to claim they didn't know the needs were there if they have one. As they can hardly admit they didn't read/do it...

Following.

There really is no need to be so rude to @Soontobe60. It is possible she meant "have you looked at why he won't attend and what support he needs to remove those barriers because that will inform what you ask to be included in his EHCP" Maybe not, but if someone is trying to help, do you really need to be unkind even where you don't rate their advice?

For example, if he struggles to cope with noisy corridors so stays home, ask for adjustments to his timetable. If he can't see the board and struggles to communicate this to adults so gets in trouble for 'being lazy and not doing his work' so stays home to avoid it, ask for him to be seated near the front. Don't ask for help on a public forum then be rude to people who suggest something you already tried. Nobody's psychic.

If you are refused don’t bother with mediation. LAs use it as a delaying tactic. If the LA is going to concede they will do so whether you actively partake in mediation or just get the certificate and submit to SENDIST.

My DS has SEN and has an EHCP. Professionals involved wrote strategies such as low arousal environment (a classroom without distractions on the wall for example), small classes, sensory circuits, regular movement breaks.