When Year 7 fails to launch: EHCP/SEN focus

[SleepDeprivedbutDetermined]

Children with EHC plans transitioning from primary to secondary provision don't always experience effective transition to suitable provision. Children with emerging needs without an ECH plan in place can find themselves in a school that doesn't work for them early in year 7.

Did you find yourself with a child you expected to be attending full time secondary provision in year 7 who instead officially or unofficially is home-based instead?

I would be very grateful to hear of your experience if you chose state educational provision but found it was, in reality, unavailable or unsuitable.

When did you embrace the reality of your child not attending school? Did you choose to deregister (electively home educate)? How are you managing your and their time and family resources?

With hindsight what would you have done differently?

If you aren't in this situation and have a child who is happy and settled in school in year 7 what do you think is the most important thing your child gets from attending school?

AIBU to proactively plan for failure to launch school year 7 for a child with an EHCP and no suitable place on the horizon?

Could I have asked this more effectively or is it just poor timing?

I could answer but it feels like you’re a journalist or researcher. What is your view?

Thank you for replying ❤️

I'm facing a massive legal fight which will cost me money, time and energy which should be spent on supporting my child directly. I have no confidence of any positive outcome. The last 10 days have left me feeling ill and exhausted.

I've always been aware of parents who have children out of school not by choice and now it looks like it will be me too. I was hoping to find out if anyone in this position is willing to share about the moment they realised or decided not to put all their energy into trying to make the (probably) impossible happen.

Hi sorry if I sounded snippy. If it’s ok I’ll send you a direct message. I’ve been through this. Hugs, I’m sure you’re doing a wonderful job.

Are you a journalist?

My DD had an extremely difficult time in primary due to meltdowns and bolting out of classrooms but actually wanted to be in school for the social side. Spiky profile demand avoidant ASD. She was in SEMH school from end of year 5 but it was awful. We fought to get her out but her placement in an ASD unit didn’t go ahead. She ended up in a mainstream school not of our choosing (our choice school’s oversubscribed by the time this all occurred).

It worked out better than we could have hoped without a single exclusion in 5 years. Now doing well at college doing a level 3 extended diploma. It worked because the SENDCO and head wanted to give her a chance and the SENDCO was a parent to SEN children herself so got it. She involved us in everything and communicated DD’s needs with all staff. DD shared a TA with another student. Teachers would call us for advice on how to support DD. They were amazing and I feel we were extremely fortunate.

Thank you, Ill take it as a compliment that I sound in any way professional!

Not a journalist.

Oh my God, how fantastic. You have given me a glimmer of hope on a really tough day.

When you say a massive legal fight that will cost you money, what are you meaning?

If you mean appealing to SENDIST, submitting an appeal to SENDIST doesn’t cost money. You don’t need representation. Most parents don’t pay for representation. If you need independent assessments, can’t afford them but aren’t eligible for legal aid, there are charities who can help.

If you mean JR, most JR proceedings are brought in the child’s name. This includes cases where the LA is in breach of the deadline for finalising phase transfer appeals, for example. Therefore they can be eligible for legal aid in their own right. This doesn’t cover the pre-action letter. Legal aid is only possible for that if you yourself are eligible for legal aid.

Personally, I wouldn’t EHE. Not because EHE can’t work but because an EHCP can fund far more support, including therapeutic support, than the vast majority of parents can afford to pay for themselves.

If you are in year 6 currently and have no named place for year 7, you appeal to Sendist. It's the best option open to parents. If your in year 4 or 5 I'd really look hard to find a sen school asap. Ideally move them now if you can. So far I have all kids into the SEN secondary I wanted and it's because I was extremely proactive. I left nothing to faith my LA would be proactive.

Home Ed? I know nothing about. But there's no easy route back into education if you "fall out of education" ie no named place and you wait for the LA to sort it.

I'd think carefully about what your child needs and what you can cope with. I could not home Ed. It would be line in the sand for my MH. But everyone is different

@ExistingonCoffee You are right of course but I'm only just starting to get my head around what those terms mean.

Have you ever done a DLA form (for yourself or anyone else)? If so you know how bloody complicated and knackering they can be. No guarantee of 'success', makes you feel awful doing it. Might have to pay for reports/assessments. I hope this analogy makes sense.

The mess I'm facing is so complicated I need well qualified advice to figure out which route to take then more advice to actually do it. Ultimately if action is taken in DSs name the financial burden is different but even then there would be costs - this isn't a complaint just a recognition of reality.

If I put all that time and energy and money into taking DS to do things that will be of benefit to him we could do a lot. Maybe half a day of Alternative Provision, half a day with a friend, a day of learning at home with me, a day out exploring a special interest.

In my 20s I might have raced about and added in something like this. I'm a lot older now and if I take on a new thing I have to let go of something else.

I would stop using the phrase “failure to launch”. It’s awful at the best of times but in the context of a 10 year old who isn’t getting his needs met, it’s actively harmful.

I have completed many DLA and PIP forms for my DC and others. I have also done many EHCP related things, including appealing to FTT and enforcement via JR, for my DC and others. I know it is exhausting. Sadly, it is often required, though. DC whose parents know the law and can advocate for them get better support. It shouldn’t be like that but it isn’t going to change in the foreseeable future.

The starting point is, do you have a finalised amended EHCP for the phase transfer?

If yes, you need to appeal to SENDIST. A BFI appeal. You need a mediation certificate. Once you have that you can submit that, the decision letter from the LA, the EHCP and any evidence listed in K (don’t worry if you don’t have it all. Send what you have.), the SEND35 form and any other evidence you have to SENDIST. If you need independent assessments and can’t afford them, have you checked if you are eligible for legal aid? If you aren’t, have you looked at charity funding? There are ways of securing evidence without having to pay if you can’t afford it.

If no, you need to chase the LA. Alongside this, look for someone who can write you are pre-action letter. If you can’t afford the rates firms are asking but you aren’t eligible for legal aid yourself, get on SOSSEN’s list. There is a wait but they won’t be as expensive as others. You say “Ultimately if action is taken in DSs name the financial burden is different but even then there would be costs” but this isn’t the case for JR beyond the pre-action letter (which is in your name).

@ExistingonCoffee I honestly appreciate your encouragement to 'fight city hall' and all the detailed information.

My hope in starting this thread was to find parents a year or two further along who had fought the system at the phase transfer point but still ended up with children at home not at school.

@user64788643122 I'm not sure what harm you mean. Perhaps my meaning of the phrase ' Year 7 fails to launch' isn't clear. I don't mean a specific year 7 child failing or a 10 year old not getting their needs met. I mean the transition to year 7 failing eg when there is no school or an unsuitable school. Where a child can't go in at all or very rapidly can't cope and withdraws partially or completely. If you can come up with better wording I'd be grateful and perhaps start a new thread in case there up anyone willing to share experience. What's yours by the way? Hope all good.

I have fought the system and I have DC at home. I have 2 teens DSs with EOTAS/EOTIS via their EHCPs. One has had EOTAS since a very young DC. Although we have had to appeal his package along the way. The other started MS secondary with an EHCP. Transition went well, very well, before the wheels fell off in Y8 and we had to appeal for EOTIS. The appeal was heard when he was in Y9 and he now has EOTIS.

Thank you so much @ExistingonCoffee

I will be pursuing JR/appeal or whatever but I'm no longer expecting there will be any kind of suitable arrangements in place by September so I will spend equal or greater energy on what we will be doing. It won't be EHE (unless DS is threatened in some way). Ultimately perhaps EOTAS will be possible but there are lots of hurdles to jump before being able to make that argument.

Although the EHCP has some significant ommissions and errors I'm not sure any school could really do it fully and I certainly can't. It needs to be corrected whatever happens.

I'm just trying to face reality and make decisions that are kind to DS and to me.

@SleepDeprivedbutDeterminedI mean that describing a child as having “failed” regardless of whether you say it in front of them, is psychologically damaging. As though it’s something he is in control of. It’s an awful phrase mostly used in the context of young adults.
I’m not going to respond with my experience, as your answer contradicts your others and makes me even more suspicious that you are a journalist.

Excellent. You've made me smile.

I don't see the contradiction but I can see you are understanding me differently.

I am certainly not saying any child has failed!