My sons school are pushing him out

[Holly03]

My son has additional needs and his school have been pushing for him to be moved to a new school as we have just moved house (the last one was full of damp and mould) and we have struggled with transport. The one journey to school takes an hour and ten minutes then a further 30 minutes after for me to do the nursery run and then back again after dinner. This has been really hard for my son as he has even fallen asleep in assembly due to being so tired and struggling with sleep. We need to be out of the house by 7. 30am to make it on time to school. His attendance has dropped to 72 percent due to this and I’ve applied for school transport but because his ehcp has not been put in yet(school we’re holding off until the autumn term) we won’t get school transport. There are no school places in our area so I’m at a loss as to what to do

Sounds like a really difficult situation for you but the attendance will be an issue in relation to the EHCP.
The local authority aren’t going to be happy with attendance below 80% and this could possibly impact on any possible transport offer. Can they not support in finding a place in another school?

My daughter has an ehcp and transport the council will generally only pay to transport the child to the nearest suitable school. If the school he's currently at is telling you they can't meet his needs they may not agree to being named on his ehcp either. Tbh that amount of travel time is exteme and will affect the child's ability to learn so will possibly now be unsuitable just for that reason alone.

The travel is badly affecting your son. You are struggling to do it to the point that it's affecting his attendance at school.

And you say the school are 'pushing your son out'?!

No the school are telling you this situation is untenable and not in your child's interests.

Which sounds very much like it's a fair comment given your own words.

Apply for local schools. There must be one closer. The local authority is obligated to fine a school.

Have you at least applied to local schools and been put on the waiting lists?

If that is the closest school with a place they should be providing transport. A friend of mine won this for her two children and they had no educational needs. You don't need a plan you need to argue your case to the council.

I don't understand why you would have a problem with your child going to a different school. The commute is too long for him to be able to function at school, regardless of who is driving him. Just work with the school and LA to try and find a suitable school closer.

Getting Sen transport isn't reliant on having an EHCP but they would only transport to the nearest suitable school. Why is your school so far away? It's not clear sorry

Getting a closer school won't be a problem once the ehcp is written, as the school named in it will have to accept him.

I dont see how they're pushing him out tbh
You live an unsustainable distance from school and its affecting his wellbeing and education by the sounds of it. I assume you had no choice in that?

I appreciate moving is difficult if you're waiting for the EHCP but I'd be focusing on finding a school with space and engaging with the local authority to achieve that

I don’t see this as them pushing him out, more them noticing the significant issue of getting him to school because of the journey. Surely even if he did get transport the length of time travelling would still be an issue?

ask the LA which schools local to you do have places, be proactive in finding him a placement he can get to without the impact on his education

The guidelines are two miles distance for under 8 years old, three miles for 8 and above. If all the schools within this distance to your new house are full then you might be eligible to apply for a “fair access” placement.

if you ask MN to repost this on the primary school board you will also find some very knowledgeable posters who know the ins and outs of school applications, and the law, like the back of their hands.

Realistically you do need to move schools as that is a horrendous commute. However I would be wary of moving before the EHCP process is started, or at least make sure the current school pass on all the paperwork.

You can still apply locally if schools are full and they will advise you what to do. It might be they send you a bit further away, but likely not as far as currently. However if he had an EHCP this would help, as he could be an excepted pupil above 30 in a class. Although it will be a long wait for the EHCP, so you might not want to hold off for that.

Update- yes the travel is too long. I’ve argued this none stop but there are no places in my local area as stated in op, we are on waiting lists but this is the closest school with a place before we start having to travel further. The school are aware of this! Also it’s only ten minutes by the car, the reason we take so long is because we have to walk to the closest bus stop and it’s the only bus that comes anywhere close to his school without getting two buses . The teacher is fine as long as he is coming in but the senco wants him out. My son moved to this school when we moved into the area last year unfortunately the house we were in was full of damp and mould and we tried to get a council house in that area but there are none they are like gold dust up there, so the council told me to take the house they offered and appeal it later as mine was uninhabitable and even the school and eyp agreed not safe at all.

So your issue is really that you don't drive and can't pay for a taxi.
Is anybody else willing to give you a lift?

If the travel is 10 minutes by car then surely the most sensible plan is a taxi. I appreciate this is a cosy you probably don't wish to incur but it's a lot more logical than leaving at 7.30 every morning and the poor kid falling asleep I assembly.

I assume you're really rural? As "10 minutes in the car" can only turn into a 1.5 hour bus journey in the absolute arse end of nowhere - 10 minutes in the car in a city would probably take less time to walk!

If there really are no closer schools with space for your son then he should be eligible for transport on the grounds of distance. How far exactly is his current school (in miles, not time it takes to travel there)?

I cannot really follow your posts. I couldn’t see any sign of anybody wanting your son out of the school but in any case with a journey like that it seemed like a change of school might be a good idea anyway!

But with your update, you are only ten minutes away anyway but the problem really is you not having a car. I live rurally and places that are ten minutes away in a car are nigh on impossible to get to any other way as there is one bus a day. The simple fact is, you can’t live rurally without a car. Can you not find accommodation in a town, I thought the availability would be greater? In the meantime, I think you need to budget for taxis.

You said it's too long a journey at 1 hour 10 min, any that school have been advocating your son should be moved to a closer school. Why is that a problem? Surely it's factual, this isn't a workable distance.

I can understand how he might be late, but it isn't clear why his attendance is 72%. That's missing 1.5 days per week. So to scale it that brand one week you failed to bring him in at all on say Monday, the next week you fail to bring him in on say Monday nor Tuesday. Why has that happened?

I wonder whether you are in that exhausted place where you can’t see the wood for the trees .

This school is pretty near if 10 mins drive but you don’t drive and have a child with SEN so buses are a challenge.

Is it possible for you to get a taxi or investigate local volunteer services to see if they can help? Even doing this a few times a week might help.

I think you really have to try to get them to school. We leave at 7:30 evey morning too ( 2 primary school aged children) .

Do you think someone looking for council housing can afford taxi rides 2x a day 5 days a week?

Well it depends on the situation that person is in doesn't it. Council housing isn't just for people on the bones of their arses.

Either way its an expense that I'd personally be prioritising even if I had not much money given the alternative is leaving home at 7.30 every morning and it having a negative impact on his education.

How far away by distance is the school? If it's more than 2 miles away and your son is under 8, you will be entitled to home to school transport - if he's over 8, the distance is 3 miles.

You can apply for an EHCP yourself without waiting for the school. There is information on the SOS SEN and IPSEA websites about how to do it.

Also OP post on a local FB page or NextDoor app - someone may be happy to help

For that distance near me it would be a fiver. Even if it's 2 days a week might help.
Of course people have suggested other options but it looks like the school is not actually too far. I have heard of cases with schools being 30 mins away by car...

Your attitude astounds me.