My son is struggling at school

[ST110287]

My Son started school in September and each day on pick up I dread it. He’s either been aggressive towards others, been throwing stuff around the room or generally just not listening. He has always struggled in a large group environment and is currently waiting for a PDA diagnosis. I feel very judged by the school even though they knew about his situation before he started and am really at my whits end. He tends to be just fine at home. I took him in today and they said they won’t be battling with him and will call me to pick him up if he gets too much. I really don’t know how to handle this. Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks

They clearly aren't meeting his needs. Is he on the school send register? Is he receiving any additional support from them? Calling you is not an acceptable solution. Does ds have an ehcp? Has he turned 5?

Sorry for all the questions but I need some additional information to advise accurately.

Thank you. As we have not yet had a diagnosis he is not on the register and no ehcp is in place. He does not have a designated support which is why I believe they are struggling. He thrives when they are able to support on a 121 basis. He’s due to turn 5 in January.

It doesn't matter if he has a diagnosis or not, you can still apply for an ehcp. You can apply for an ehcp needs assessment yourself and that's the only way you will get guaranteed support. The link below has lots of information on how to apply for an assessment.

www.ipsea.org.uk/ehc-needs-assessments

The bar for assessment is incredibly low. A) Whether the child has or may have Sen. B) Whether they may need special educational provision to be made through an ehc plan.

If they ask you to collect him you can refuse. They may use the fact he is technically below legal school age but that isn't an issue for much longer if he turns 5 in January. I'd ask them to put the reasons why in writing though, you can use this as evidence his needs aren't being met with current provision. Every time he is displaying violet behaviour they should be filling out the relevant paperwork. I would also use these as evidence of unmet need. Any messages they send you regarding issues etc can all be used to illustrate your point.

Google your local send iass. They can be a little hit and miss but they should be able to give you support with the school situation and ehcp process. Ipsea and sossen also have helplines if you need advice.

Thank you so much. I’ve asked for a meeting so will bring all of this up. I will also get the ball rolling for the ehcp. Really appreciate your advice and help.

You don’t need a diagnosis for an EHCP, to be on the SEN register or for the school to provide support. The school must make their best endeavours to meet a pupil’s SEN diagnosis or not.

Apply for an EHCNA yourself. IPSEA have a model letter you can use.

While going through the EHCP process the school can apply for high needs top up funding if they need more funding to provide more support.

I took him in today and they said they won’t be battling with him and will call me to pick him up if he gets too much.

Unless they are going to formally exclude DS this would be an unlawful exclusion. If they call refuse to pick him up unless they formally exclude. The fact DS is below CSA is irrelevant to this.