She should be provided with an alternative education

[mychilddeservesaneducation]

(NC in case this is outing with links to previous posts).

DD is about to start year 10. Due to trauma relating to bullying, she's been refusing school for almost a year (she has panic attacks and can't cope with being in lessons / corridors / assembly halls etc). When this first started, we asked the school to consider allowing her to work in a small room or something but they refused. It's normal timetable or punishment for 'truancy' (even if she's in school they count it as 'internal truancy' if she doesn't turn up to a lesson, which happened frequently as she was hiding in the toilets crying as she was too scared to go in).

She's basically had no education since almost this time last year, except a few workbooks at home that we've bought. School won't set work if she's not in school, they won't offer small group teaching if she is in school and for the last term, we stopped sending her in as the stress and punishments were making her severe anxiety worse. Their line is she needs to be in school and in lessons and if she's not, it's an unauthorised absence. We've been threatened with court for her poor attendance.

We've had limited support from an attendance key-worker and have tried a phased return to school a few times but failed as she just panics. The GP hasn't been able to help much and CAHMS refused a referral request. We've paid for some private counselling but can't afford to continue.

After so long, should the school (or council?) not be offering an alternative education for her like online tutoring or pupil referral unit (not sure if this is appropriate to her needs)? The school will just not help at all. We cannot afford online schooling and DH and I have to work full time to pay the bills, so home Ed would be difficult too. I'm so stuck as to where to turn and any advice will be much appreciated.

Managed moves are often done for behaviour reasons but I have taught kids who've been moved away from bullies by this method.

www.southwark.gov.uk/childcare-and-parenting/children-s-social-care/family-early-help-feh/education-inclusion-handbook/southwark-managed-move-protocol-best-practice#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20managed%20move,period%20of%20six%20school%20weeks.

Yes and I think this is probably the most realistic solution. However, we are not well off and so DH and I will have to continue to work full time (outside of the home) and I'm aware that leaving her to work alone all day everyday is not ideal. I'm not sure how motivated she'd be. She'd probably need help. We don't feel capable of teaching GCSE level material to her.

She has a diagnosis (from the GP) of anxiety. The school said this was insufficient for her to access any SEND type support. A referral to CAHMS was rejected. We cannot afford private healthcare (beyond the £60 a fortnight we're currently paying for a private counsellor and that's a struggle TBH).

You may wish to read this guidance for schools on ebsa.

In particular, page 3 no diagnosis should s needed.

Page 5 absences must be recorded as authorised where it is not possible for a pupil to attend due to their mental health

Page 5 the school should have a plan to allow reasonable adjustments for pupils experiencing ebsa

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63ee20a3d3bf7f62e5f76ba4/Summaryoffresponsibilitieswhereeamentallhealthissueeisaffectingg_attendance.pdf

I suspect the school have not been doing what they should (although note this is technically guidance).

This document is the guidance on what to do if a child cannot attend school due to health needs (this is your daughters situation as it is her mental health that means she cannot attend school).

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/657995f0254aaa000d050bff/Arrangingeducationnforchildrennwhocannottattendschoollbecauseoffhealthneeds.pdf

Please note that on page 7 it states that if a student has been out of school for 15 days either consecutively or in bits the school is obliged to organise alternative provision.

(This is sometimes known as section 19 provision).

I suggest that if you email the school attaching these guidance documents and explaining that your child has documented mental health problems and has been off for more than 15 days and that in line with section 19 you want alternative provision then you will get a response.

However if you both work and have no ability whatsoever to get your daughter physically anywhere else then the alternative provision could be tricky,

It doesn't have to be at her normal school and they are often little units here there and everywhere.

@Thatmissingsock Moving home would take a long time (we own - with mortgage - so would have to find a buyer, new home, may not even get accepted for a new mortgage etc ). It's not a quick fix. I have other children who would also be affected by a home and school move. And our jobs too - a move would make it harder for us to get to / from work and fit around the kids. We live in a rural part of the UK so the next closest school is at least half an hour away.
It's not a quick / easy solution.

The school are lying to you.

You need to check out the not fine in school groups and also read my post earlier.

They are not fulfilling their legal duties and are hoping you will go away and leave them alone.

Please do not trust anything they say.

You are not legally required to have a diagnosis to access send support.

I suspect if you start looking like you understand your rights and how to fight for them they will back down.

Incidentally online gcse courses for the basics are not hideously expensive - and I'd suggest that if you do homeschool that she does only maths and English in the first year. They're about 400 each.

@Octavia64's advice is good but I just wanted to add that the Section 19 responsibility lies with the local authority and not the school.

I'm afraid OP that you're going to have to get much more assertive about this in order for the school to do anything.

Just out of interest, when did they last have Ofsted?

If her panic attacks are that bad I would consider homeschooling. It’s awful that the school are being so unsupportive, it’s like they’re completely ignoring her mental health. I have panic attacks, they’re absolutely awful and I couldn’t imagine expecting a child to just sit there and suffer through them during class.

I think the issue is that the child isn't actually getting to class but hiding e.g. in the loo? That's a huge Safeguarding issue.

Don't go down.the Elective Home Education route unless it is something you really want to do. Speak to the LA about their EOTAS (Educated otber than at school) provision.

Have you approached the governors about the bullying?

Have you considered on-line schooling with providers such as Kings InterHigh or Minerva? Big homeschool community where I am, and we joined for a year or so 10 years ago. Child actors, sports scholarship kids and ND kids like mine used Kings InterHigh and we’ve toyed with using it (actually wish we did for my DS GCSEs given how much he was let down by his school). Their GCSE and A Level provision is excellent. Lessons are live, but can be picked up on recording later in the week etc.

This is for the local authority. Use IPSEAs template letter (on their website) to tell the LA to make alternative educational provision (not ask, tell). It is their statutory duty. The school sounds absolutely useless. I’d also be contacting Ofsted to raise a whole school concern given what you have said about other pupils dying by suicide.

If what I'm going to suggest has already taken place, apologies. Your local authority will have a service that provides impartial advice to parents of children with SEND, you may have to do a bit of googling to find it, each service has a different name in each authority. They can give advice. You may find them under your LA Family Hub page or Local offer page. Contact the school and ask for an appointment with the SENCO and talk to them about beginning the EHCP process. If they are reluctant don't forget that you can, as parents apply for an EHCP yourself. The form will be on the LA website. There are different organisations that can help. Have a look at IPSEA. Ask for a referral into CAMHS. Ask school for an education psychology referral. Or ask your GP to do it.

Your school is talking nonsense.

I am a parent of an EBSA young person .. now in college.

Your child can access SEND support in school without having a referral to CAMHS or an EHCP. You aren’t asking the school to spend money, you are asking them for a plan.

They need to provide you, with a plan, to get your child the education they are ENTITLED to. It’s not your job to battle your child to get them into school, it’s the job of the school & the LA. If thier plan isn’t working, they need to come up with a new one.

It’s pointy elbow time ..

Point out to the school & the LA that they are failing in the legal requirement to provide an education. If you can afford a solicitor, get a letter drawn up.

Put a complaint in to the mental health trust, and keep on complaining, until you get on the list. The Sertraline that my daughter was prescribed, has been a game changer

You are not alone, there are thousands of us.

www.ipsea.org.uk/asking-the-local-authority-to-arrange-alternative-education-model-letter-22

Template letter 22b

…and remember you can request that the LA does an EHCP, you do not have to wait for school, or go through school.

Get a referral for autism i say this just based on her Social anxiety, staying in etc. Usually school have to do this however with her.been home schooled GP can maybe refer?

Get an echp and you will hopefully get funding and extra support or special school you should get one due to length of time had off school. You can do this yourself just google apply for an ehcp and your area.

Is she on the SEN reg at the school she was attending. If not why not? She has anxiety and maybe autism. She also doesn't attend school.

The "local authority advice service" will be called something like SENDIAS and will be listed on the local offer page. Google "your local authority name" plus "local offer". However...many would say these organisations are NOT independent of the LAs. They may even repeat incorrect information.

Let's face it, if all schools and LAs did what they were supposed to, all those reports and guidances wouldn't be needed!

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

Letter to send to the local authority requesting a needs assessment for an EHCP.

You don't need to go through school for an EHCP.

This link explains a bit about what they are.

www.gov.uk/children-with-special-educational-needs/extra-SEN-help

There's also an EHCP support thread in SEN on here that I started (3 of them actually!)

Latest is no. 3.

You can do the EHC plan assessment request and the section 19 request at the same time. Time is really of the essence here if in year 10 and grinding through the EHC plan process can take a while especially if a tribunal appeal is needed.

I have been in a similar situation with my son. The school are taking money because she’s on roll but failing to offer her online leaning, PRU, 14-16 college or hospital tutors. They likely have access to all those but are saving money by not accessing them. The school is not pupil centred, they are clearly not working in the best interests of a child with anxiety and likely to escalate her feelings of isolation or failure. Personally I’d phone the LA and explain the situation and that the school have failed to help her access education and ask what the school should be accessing and providing for a child with anxiety as opposed to SEN or behavioural issues. Ask the LA to advocate on your behalf to the school.

My son was the same also with a diagnosis of anxiety. Eventually I had a private assessment done with him which cost me £500 and everything changed, he went on to also be diagnosed with both adhd and asc. CAMHS had refused to assess him for it before, had refused to support him in any way and School had said he doesn’t meet the threshold for an EHCP and they didn’t think he was neurodiverse.
you are in a catch 22 at the moment. You’ll have local free SEND helplines, is it called Sendias? Basically to get from where you are now to actually getting some intervention You may have to get at least one private report done but it won’t necessarily cost thousands. If necessary, you might want to cut back on the counselling for a bit, having a proper plan in place will be less anxiety provoking for your daughter over the long run.

Change school?

Please don't listen to this poster.
Don't advise a teenager to take diazepam - wtf are you medically trained?