To send my SEN child to boarding school abroad?

[Aislyn]

My child is in year 6 and we are facing the local council naming a school which is a disaster for her. They have said already that they will not name any of our preferences. She has an EHCP.

Private school in the UK is completely unaffordable due to VAT. I am feeling aggrieved about potential extra taxation due to SEN. It is only due to SEN that I am having to look at private school for her: she requires small class sizes and strong pastoral support, but is very intelligent.

Private boarding school in Ireland is cheaper than day school here. She has an Irish passport.

I am alternatively considering sending her further afield, where we have family.

Any recommendations for Irish schools?

No I wouldn't do this.

Is this her final phase transfer EHCP?

What evidence do you have to support your choice of placement?

Can you afford an independent Educational Psychology Report to provide evidence to back up your view of what she needs in a placement?

You still have time to get a report done and then appeal their decision once they issue to final EHCP by the 15th February via Tribunal in time for next year. I did this with late submission of an educational psychology report as evidence last year and won a special school place for DS.

You would need to appeal section B, F and I at Tribunal. I used Sunshine Support to help me (paid service) with appealing, but SOSSEN and local SENDIASS are also options. Go on this thread for support.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/special_educational_needs/5309128-ehcp-support-thread-no-5?page=38

How likely is it that your SEND child who finds school tricky to handle will cope with being at school 24/7 for months on end?

Have the local council sent out her EHCP for consultation to any other schools than the one they are insisting on?

A lot of local councils are now trying to stop naming schools out of borough but that doesn’t make it legal. If any of the schools they’ve consulted with can meet her need, you can name them.

i’d get in touch with IPSEA as a starting point, explain the situation and get advice about what your rights are regarding naming your preference in the EHCP. Go to a tribunal if necessary (councils overwhelmingly lose at SEN tribunals although it is stressful). I’d honestly exhaust all your options in terms of getting your preference in the EHCP before considering a school overseas.

And I’m really sorry because I know how hard & stressful it is - my son’s been out of education for 3 years due to council faffing and EHCP nonsense. You have my sympathy.

If you can get the right evidence together, it is possible that a council could cover private school fees. We were offered it when there were no suitable places for our child within our local authority. We did not take it up because it wouldn't have worked for our child.

Surely the only question that needs to be considered here is ‘Would she be happy there?’ which is a thing only she can tell you really.

Sending your child away to boarding school is never a good idea- even less so for a child with SEN. I would 1. Fight the decision 2. Home school if no other option.

Absolutely this.

My son has asd and goes to an asd specialist school. Even with the best support there and small class sizes etc he hates school and needs frequent time off at home to cope with autistic burn out (he’s 13). It would be absolute torture for him to be at boarding school.

If she has an EHCP and you don't support the named school, and you have evidence as to why you don't, then you appeal. Yes, it may not be finalised by September but I think having DC out of school for a period of months is preferable to sending them away to school for several years.

No, it's not. Dyslexia is though, as far as I know.

Online schooling? Inter High?

If your child has an EHCP then school fees will be exempt from VAT and so your sums do not make sense

Dyslexia isnt even automatic anymore. They have really clamped down on the Irish exemptions

If you have the evidence to demonstrate her needs and the provision she requires you appeal to the SEND Tribunal. If you don’t have the evidence then you appeal anyway, and get the by paying privately for, at least, a good EP assessment.

The LA will say no without actually applying the law. They want to save money.

Irish boarding schools aren't very common anymore. And they are fussy, and may not be able to take your DC. The old protestant/Quaker Grammar schools (Sligo, Dundalk, Newtown in Waterford) might be worth talking to as they arent academic hothouses. But your child will likely be lonely at weekends as most Irish kids would go home.
Edit to add Irish exemption based on education out of the state to age 12 would apply.

No, it’s not.
There’s also no resource help for dc struggling with Irish, unlike the other compulsory subjects like English and maths, so you really do need to check this out.

Also if you have an ehcp and then decide to remove her from the English schooling system what will happen with your EHCP? If you try it and it doesn’t work you could end up with no plan in place.

There’s also an age difference between uk and Ireland for secondary, so you might end up having to do a year of primary first. Which would mean two major transitions

My ds is in a small private school for similar reasons and thriving but I cannot count the number of times I drove up to the school in first year. I think managing a sn dc transition at a distance would be hellish.

There’s also an age difference between uk and Ireland for secondary, so you might end up having to do a year of primary first.

Yes. Irish children typically start aged about 5 now and have 8 years of primary before secondary. Mine were 13 starting secondary. The youngest in the class will be 12 with a birthday coming up in the next few months.

No I wouldn't consider boarding my 11 year old a flight away, I wouldn't consider boarding my 11 year old at all. Surely being away from home would be more traumatic than the local comprehensive?
If you can't afford a private day school I would home school.

I will go against the grain here and say I don't think it is the worst idea to look into,

The Irish education system is very different from the UK and not all SEN children are the same,

I know of a SEN child who boarded in the Grammar in Dundalk, who is very successful now,

Always worth looking at all options

I think op means that as they won't name her preferred school she will give up on the ehcp and pay for private school instead.

The vat is charged to pupils with an ehcp but the la pays the vat and reclaims it if they have named the school.

I do know some families pay for private school and the ehcp pays for extra bits like the cost of 1 to 1 over the standard fee. I think the parent pays vat on thier bit.

Yes no way.

I wonder if you are being deliberately provocative but perhaps you are just panicking.

Even if LA name a school you don't want, it's not the end. It is just one step in a longer process. ARs for phase transfer happen this early to allow time for appeals, and phase transfer appeals get expedited. Lodge an appeal the day the EHCP is finalised and keep fighting. Engage with the named school and find it why they are so confident they can meet her needs. Get a copy of their full response to the consult even if you have to make an SAR for it (worth getting this in early as it takes a while).

Is the school or schools you want private or state, Specialist SEN or not. If private & specialist is it Sec 41? If private and nonspecialist have they already offered her a place? Parents can and do win a huge % of appeals, so as long as you are not asking for more than is reasonable you have a good chance. There is heaps of very knowledgeable help on the MN SEN boards.

If the child is over 11 years old they wont have to learn lrish.
BUT! Irish boarding schools have normal size classes, often a huge emphasis on academic learning and that's leaving out the sleeping there bit. I genuinely can't see how it could help except it is probably cheaper.

You child needs you to help them decompress evenings and weekends. They need to know you're there whenever they need you. This applies to all children, but particularly to those with SEN.
It would be infinitely preferable for you to move in the UK to an area that offers appropriate education if your local authority won't budge.