DS 14 not receiving an education for 6 months... what else can I do?

[dontpokethemommabear]

There's a back story - big old thread a few months back - but basically, my son was briefly dealing cannabis. County Lines stuff. I discovered it in under a week, reached out for help via Social Services, Police and his school plus other agencies to support us through this hideousness.

I'm a single parent. 2 DS. Ex is an abusive alcoholic and utterly uninvolved. So I do this 100% all the time, on my own.

By stamping on it immediately my son stopped dealing, engaged with services and has come on in leaps and bounds. He's back to the lovely boy he was before his head was turned and I'm immensely proud of him.

BUT - despite all of the information that has come out subsequently, his school responded by excluding him permanently (nothing had taken place in school, only in the community). It was his first offence but they say they have a zero tolerance policy to drugs regardless of the backstory or mitigating factors.

So today marks the auspicious point of SIX MONTHS out of education.

The Local Authority have a duty to provide him with an alternative provision by the 6th day post exclusion... there has been zero contact from the LA.

After the first few weeks and an appeal to the school governors, I managed to get hold of email addresses for the Head and Deputy of the Education department of our LA and sent an email explaining the situation, that we'd had no contact and that my child was in danger of falling through the cracks. This elicited a response and he was given four hours per week of online tuition.

Since the end of March and today we haven't received any further positive interaction from the LA.

I've sent email after email, made call after call and all we've had is inconsistent information.

I've applied to various alternative mainstream schools, I've found him an alternative provision in the form of a construction trade school.

He's a smart boy. His tutor is predicting 7/8's at GCSE for the maths and English that she has 4 hours a week to teach him.

I cannot believe that I am in the position where after 6 months my child still is missing out on the education he is entitled to.

He made a mistake, in hindsight I wonder whether we'd all have been better off if I'd brushed it under the carpet and ignored the dealing just so he was still in school but of course that is ridiculous. He would have got dragged further and further down the path, into that underworld.

I need ideas of how to fix this situation.

Phone IPSEA for advice.

Have a look at fair access protocol

This is dreadful, I am so sorry OP, and how very badly the system is currently letting your boy down. Back into an education that meets his potential is OBVIOUSLY the best way to keep him back on track.

@prh47bridge is often very knowledgeable on the legal obligations of the education authorities.

@CassandraWebb oh yes! I see what you mean! That's the reality really. Sorry I used to be an advocate so I'd hate people to think that once a child is excluded that's it!

Can’t advise, no personal knowledge.

Just wanted to say what a fantastic parent you are 😊 You absolutely did the right things for your boy. He’ll look back and thank you, again and again.

Assuming this is your son's first permanent exclusion, any school with places must accept him. That is the law. If school 2 has a place available, they cannot insist on attendance at an APA.

The LA has a duty to find a school for your son. They cannot duck this. It is completely unacceptable that he has been out of education for 6 months, during which time, if I understand you correctly, the only provision has been 4 hours tutoring per week. The LA could have used its Fair Access Protocol to force a school to take him even if they are already full.

In your situation, I would make it clear to the LA that, unless they resolve the situation and get your son back into education in the next 14 days you will refer the matter to the Local Government Ombudsman. On the information you have posted, this is a clear case of maladministration.

I remember your first thread OP. If I recall, you had only found a little bit of weed in his room when you reported him to the school and police. Did you manage to get confirmation of country line dealings in the end?

Back to your current issue, have you tried your MP? With elections coming up your MP may actually want to be proactive and help.

I think having got him out of county lines and dealing is an amazing achievement.

I hope they sign off what needs to be signed so he can get his maths and English and go to the trade school.

@MistyHedgehog it was 10g all packed up in individual gram packs.

The police have taken their time to investigate it properly and the intelligence has helped them find bigger guys further up "the line"

I've been really impressed with the way the local Beat Manager has engaged with us and due to my son's realisation that it isn't a world he wants to be part of, they've opted to move him onto a "Reframe" pathway which means he won't have a criminal record.

I have emailed MP and the candidates standing in our constituency. I've got a friend who's involved in local politics to speak to our County Councillor today actually, so waiting to hear if there's any action from that.

@prh47bridge thanks so much. That is an incredibly helpful post.
It is his first PEX and prior to this he had an excellent behaviour record, popular with his teachers and on track to really achieve well academically. 7-8's across the board. Obviously I'm biased but he is a genuinely lovely boy who would be an asset to any school. He made a mistake but it was nipped in the bud firmly and he deserves a second chance.

Thanks to everyone for posting, I really appreciate every idea, suggestion and reply.

Pleased to hear that OP. Well not pleased that you found the drugs but that you’re finally getting some help as it sounded like you were banging your head against a brick wall a few months ago.

Really hope you can get a school place sorted. Sounds like he made a couple of bad decisions and it’s not right that his entire future is jeopardised as a result.

This is awful. Our LA are very hot on making to 6 day deadline. Where the PRU can't accommodate tuition is arranged, often online. Far from ideal, but always "something" and always something in place for keeping in touch with the child for safeguarding purposes.

Can your elected county councillor help?

Quick update

So I have emailed the same department and named people that I've been contacting for the past few months again. I included the helpful info from this thread and basically told them I was at the end of my tether and they had 5 working days to contact me or I was moving to legal action, ombudsman and a sit in... (ok I didn't threaten a sit in... I'll save that)

I did that on Thursday. I has a very wishy washy response yesterday which shows that the person writing had not read my last two emails at all and also didn't reply to all (I'd been CC'ing our social worker, support workers and 3 other staff members of the LA. Hum. Covering ones behind much?!)

In the meantime, I also contacted our local elected Councillor. This resulted in emails from a departmental director over the weekend, I shared the correspondence thus far and she assured me it was not acceptable and it would be urgently investigated.

And now we wait. Again.

If he’s academic and was due to get 7-8s would you really want to put him in a construction programme so young? I agree with previous posters , pursue school 2 or 3 , there might be movement in the GCSE options and not having quite the options he was hoping for probably the least important aspect when the alternative is really narrowing his curriculum with a vocational school. Can you get a reference or ask his tutor or someone who knew his prior behaviour and attainment to phone them (they might be happier to do this informally). Sadly the LA doesn’t have masses of control over some types of schools so it is all quite complicated. I really hope you get something sorted for him for start of school year. It’s really bad that for one brief mistake he’s been out for so long.

We went to IRP and the school overturned the exclusion rather than get the fine. Luckily another school accepted him so we didn't have to go back to that awful school!! So it does work sometimes.