To deregister my daughter

[Findingthisweekhard]

My 5 year old is being educated out of cohort so she’s in reception but year 1 age. We did this because she struggled to cope, socialise, leave me at nursery. As well as very severe asthma and a heart condition.
Well reception has been awful, her attendance is 80%, school aren’t managing her asthma at all and twice after I’ve collected her I’ve called an ambulance and she’s been admitted to hospital for a few days.
Shes cried every morning going to school this week and I’ve had to carry her in, have her peeled off me and then walk away. And every day there’s been an incident where she’s been pushed over, excluded, laughed at and today she was told to fuck off, she’s 5!
Continuing like this actually feels like abuse 💔

When my ds was in crisis during secondary school, they sent the ‘truancy officer’ (what the school called her when they were threatening me, I’m sure that wasn’t her real title!) and she was lovely and helpful! She could see we had a genuine issue and advised me how to get help and deal with the school, who she said weren’t being helpful. Don't be frightened by someone being sent from the council. I agree with others, follow your instincts.

Are you able to keep her home ? Do you work?

Yep me too. It’s only in retrospect that I realise how normalised we’d become to school power vs child mental health.

This. I would complain to anyone that would listen but move your child immediately.

get a full EHCP if not already done

find a better school

Grab the space at the other school if you can and move your Year 3 child immediately. Get your younger child moved up the waiting list. You have to do what's best for your children.

As for the rest of your post, this is what schools have been complaining about themselves: they can't get the support they need because the pay is crap and/or they don't have the money for it. Schools don't have magic money trees either, and willing replacement teachers/tas/midday supervisors are non-existent in some areas.

Our school has been unable to find 1:1s for several children because no one is applying, and we lose TAs at the end of every term because the pay isn't good enough for the responsibilities. We lose good teachers at the end of every term who are leaving teaching entirely because the behaviour of the children and the support of families is getting worse every year and no one wants to put up with it any more as we get no support.

We have children with asthma who we don't have the manpower to support for any length of time ... most of our classes don't have an extra grown up (TA) and you can't take away another child's 1:1 TA for long or everything kicks off elsewhere, so parents have to be called in.

It's not great in a lot of schools, and it's hard to turn it around with current funding levels, morale levels, etc. But if another school is managing to retain staff better, please move your children.

OP, please do not worry about attendance officers. My teens attendance was down to 30% after an autistic burnout and despite school threatening me with all sorts, I assured my daughter I wouldn't force her in. We're led to believe school is essential and our children must attend at all costs. But your child's health comes first, always.

The role of an attendance officer is to look at the reasons why a child isn't attending, and that includes whether the school is meeting her needs. Your daughter's asthma is severe, and the school safeguarding is insufficient. You have proof of this.

They also don't pop up a week after you've stopped sending your child. It will help your cause if you can raise a formal complaint as others have suggested. And if your GP can write a letter so you can get her absence recorded as medical authorised, that buys you time too. But really, please don't worry. You are making the right decision in protecting your child.

Different schoo!

There is no reason to keep her registered at that school. She's 5. There is nothing you need help with to home educate her, until she gets a place somewhere else. At 5 she should be learning through play. What help would you hope to get if you went through the hassle of keeping her registered? She doesn't need a tutor at 5. She just needs to be home and safe with you. You'll find lots of tips for learning at home online. At 5 it's mostly play based.

I think episodes of not being able to breathe have an emotional effect too. I notice my 5 year old is much more clingy and anxious after we’ve had to call an ambulance, and also panics even at a slight cough. Usually picking him up for lunch for a few days helps, but this probably wouldn’t be enough if the school were how you describe.

You can apply direct to the local authority yourself for an EHCP needs assessment. The criteria are simply whether she may have a learning disability and may need support through an EHCP. A learning disability can include physical disabilities like asthma which have the potential to keep her out of class if not properly managed in school, as well as problems like social communication and anxiety.

If the assessment is refused, you should appeal - well over 90% of those types of appeal succeed.

https://www.ipsea.org.uk/making-a-request-for-an-ehc-needs-assessment

Do you want to move your older child? How settled is he where he is?

If you have time to put some sort of home education in place for your daughter, it seems sensible to go for that.

Pull her out with immediate effect.

Contact the lado.

For an ehcp contact your la send department.

If this carries on she will be traumatised and never want to go to school show her it's not right and that things can get better.

That’s not quite accurate. The threshold for an EHCNA as set out in s36(8) CAFA 2014 is a) has or may have SEN, and b) it may be necessary for special educational provision to be made via an EHCP. Has or may have SEN is not the same as having a learning disability. DC do not need to have a learning disability, which is a diagnosis of its own.

To add to what a PP said, her asthma and heart condition can be grounds on their own for an EHCP if they need a lot of management. I assume the poster who asked what your grounds were for an EHCP thought that you only get one for learning support, maybe in the past it was like that but there is a whole section in an EHCP dedicated to describing a child’s health needs (I’m a little rusty on the exact wording). My son is NT but has one for health and physical disability reasons.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3

There should be a written plan
This can be done whether or not ehcp

Put her in another school and quickly. Visit some first and ask what support they can offer

It would be best to deregister from the school, rather than keep her registered and not send her, that way, you are protecting yourself from fines and prosecution. If you have no intention of keeping her at that school then deregister with immediate effect, report them to Ofsted for safeguarding concerns.

There will not be fines and prosecution for child with a diagnosed health issue.
Keep on roll and take it up with school and lea
Ask for meeting with lea officer in Charge of children with health issues each LEA has to have one. as this is something likely to continue and in future years you need to know that person to access home tutors or other provisions

worried this will become a battle with attendance officers, fines etc? But we might get more support with learning at home

You will only get support at home if you stay in the system
You ask LEA for meeting with the lea officer in charge of children with health issues
Ask them what is on offer
She is entitled to education
You have medical reasons and records of hospital attendance so you will not be fined for authorised sickness absences

https://www.gov.uk/illness-child-education

The government has issued Statutory Guidance called Ensuring a good education for children who cannot attend school because of health needs.
If your child, of compulsory school age, is too ill to attend school, the Local Authority must arrange suitable full time education (or as much education as the child’s health allows). The Local Authority should attempt to arrange this as soon as it is clear that the child will be away from school for more than 15 school days (consecutively or cumulatively), although there is no statutory timeframe. For long term medical conditions, education can be provided at home or at hospital.
The Local Authority should have a named officer who is responsible for the education of children with additional health needs and their details should be made known to the parent.

If no response, have you written to the head? And if no response from them, have you written to the governors?