SEND - children’s needs to be reassessed from year 6 2029?

[missbish]

Are they taking the piss? After the struggles parents have trying to secure support for their child, they’re then going to threaten to take it away once they’re due to go to secondary? Ds goes to secondary this year so I don’t think it will effect him but I am so angry for those it does effect.

I'm not sure that this will really make much difference as EHCP's are already reviewed annually.

i don’t know the details to know if it is a good or bad thing. It sounds like it would be expensive if it is any different to current review. From what SEN parents and school staff here say the money is needed for direct support

I think this already happens really it’s just rebranding of normal transition stuff surely?

I’m more concerned with the proposals to put most of the money into mainstream rather than creating more specialist provision. It’s like putting a tiny plaster over a burst dam.

They’re talking about reassessment, not the annual review.

its suggesting that the need for an EHCP is reassessed at year 6.

I'm a SENDCo in a primary school. I can’t work out how they’d manage the phase transfers into secondary as currently secondary schools (including specialist schools) are consulted in the autumn term of year 6 and placements confirmed mid February. I don’t feel as if this has been well thought through. This would be the worst time to ‘lose’ the right to an EHCP.

If it does result in less support it will likely have a longer term negative impact . Reduced outcomes, more likely to need a Sen school, less likely to be able to work/contribute to society.

Load of old flannel tbh.

EHCPs are already reviewed annually, with a more detailed transition review before the move to secondary education

Parents frequently ask for new assessments of their child's needs, which are never forthcoming unless they choose to pay for independent reports. Part of the reason for this is a national shortage of Educational Psychologists. This shortage also is causing huge delays in initial EHC needs assessments. So I don't know where the money or Ed Psychs are coming from to do full reassessments

Yes exactly it just doesn't make sense with the timescales. And with the wait for an Ed Psych report for an EHCNA already at over 6 months in my LA (despite the legal 20 week timescale), how the flip will this even work in reality?

Dh works for a company that maintains goverment buildings, so leisure centres, schools, library’s etc, he has been saying the last couple of years he’s noticed an uptake in special units in mainstream schools for sen children, some newly built

I wonder if we’re in the same LA?!

But this is a chance of an ehcp being taken away rather than adjusted as a child’s needs change

It's a national problem and I don't think my LA is even the worst affected!

I work in one. But there are nowhere near enough and a unit attached to a mainstream school is not really the same as a proper SEN purpose built school. It’s all down to money.

My son is in Year 5 and it has me sick with worry. He's currently thriving in mainstream but only because of his EHCP.

I worry they will decide he won't need it because he's managing in mainstream without considering that is why he is managing because that logic wouldn't surprise me at all.

Oh that old chestnut.... "Look, they're doing fine now we've put all this extra support in place, that's clear evidence they don't need any extra support because look! They're doing fine! Let's just take away all that silly extra support that they don't need because they're doing so fine"

I feel very very fortunate that my DS will be out of education by the time these reforms kick in. He's in an independent specialist school (with transport in an individual taxi, shock horror!).

There are barely enough Ed Psychs for EHCP assessments as it is!

They are deluded if they think the provisions and atmosphere of special schools can be replicated in mainstreams.

Also, having seen so many SEND posts on Mumsnet over the years, other parents do NOT want children with complex needs in their kids' mainstream classrooms. There's going to be a riot.

Yanbu. It's the very worst time to risk removing an EHCP.

Primary to secondary is usually when things start to go downhill.

Exactly this! It can all deteriorate fast in year 7.

They’re aiming to employ 60k more educational psychologists to address this.

They already were trying to employ more. The one that dealt with my daughter had come out of retirement to do it.

EHCPs can be changed at any point anyway. This sounds like it will be chaos.

Whats the salary for an Ed Psych? A hugely conservative estimate of £30k means an extra 60k Ed Psychs would cost £1.8 billion annually... Or is my maths out 😵‍💫

"Whats the salary for an Ed Psych? A hugely conservative estimate of £30k"

More like double that.

It’s worrying but the fact remains having 700,000 children with EHCPs was never what the system anticipated. The country cannot afford the rising level of SEN need. It feels unpalatable to talk about it in the context of money but ultimately that’s what it boils down to. They’ve realised they’ve overpromised what can legally be provided and now they’re dialling it back.