Boarding school for child with draft EHCP

[CAMHady]

Looking for a boarding school who are inclusive and with a can do attitude. Son in year nine has EHCP in draft as no named school, was excluded after hitting a kid who called him the N word, we are appealing this. He’s been exploited by county lines so we want him away for everyone’s safety: he’s very very bright and wants to go to university. Was predicted 7-9s at GCSE. We can look at state boarding schools with LA paying or we can possibly access CEA funding from the military as we are a military family

Hi OP. Have a look at the Royal Hospital School in Suffolk. Diverse student body. Brilliant facilities. Lots of forces families and lots of financial assistance available to apply for.

I would look at all those on the Military list - lots of options

Christ’s hospital springs to mind

others I know that will take an EHCP
bloxham
bredon
shiplake
pangbourne college

Gosh, how worrying for you. Presumably you’d want him to move even if your appeal should be successful? It does sound as if a nurturing school far away from past influences might help him.

But two things.

Would he be happy to board and could he cope - generally and in terms of his EHCP needs? Presumably he wasn’t boarding at his former school? Has he boarded at any other stage of your military life? They are usually quite robust places where pupils really need to be able to shrug off the everyday irritations of living amongst others 24 hours a day. It’s a ‘learning experience’ even for those without any diagnosed educational issue. I know you know this - what does he feel about it?

The other thing is that you’d really want somewhere close enough to where you live for you to be able to see him often, ideally every week. And in yr 9 /10 it’s likely there’ll be compulsory exeats every two to three weeks at a full boarding school. Or were you thinking of weekly boarding? My point is the ideal school won’t be ideal if it’s at the other end of the country - unless you have very loving relatives who could commit to very regular visiting, sports attendance, taking out for tea or weekends.

I would look at private if that's possible rather than state because the numbers of boarders tend to be small and they will have been in situ mostly since year 7. Many private start in year 9 so it will be easier to slot in. Dd state boarded and had lots of freedom, something you may not want

You can get independent schools funded with EHCPs, they will probably have smaller classes too which may help your DS.

He’s keen to board, wants to sort things out and do well. You’re right about somewhere close but not too close!!

we have have found been told that despite being together for years, my son being estranged from his dad and my partner raising his as his own we are eligible for boarding school funding. Which leaves on state boarding. I think the LA only fund independent special schools listed under section 41 (?)

if he was reinstated I don’t really know what to do, he wants to return, I think the school head is shocking in managing racism. I also want him away from here due to the exploitation

Sorry - you are, or are not eligible for funding?

I think the LA only fund independent special schools listed under section 41 (?)

This is incorrect. Wholly independent schools can be funded via EHCPs. Although the rules are slightly different to section 41 independents and non-maintained special schools as with wholly independent schools you have to have an offer of a place from the school and prove the LA’s proposed school(s) can’t meet needs &/or it isn’t unreasonable public expenditure. LAs can’t lawfully have a blanket policy of refusing to name wholly independent schools.

Sorry we aren’t eligible :-(

that is interesting about fully independent schools: we have had three ask us to apply and meet up but I wasn’t sure there is any point as I cannot fund the place

@CAMHady my DS is at an independent non section 41 school. He had trial days and then they offered a place which they said they could hold for a limited period of time. We had to start the appeal process to get the place funded - very likely you will have to as well.

How long for the appeal? We are told it’s 12 months here, he needs to be in somewhere before the end of the academic year to do his GCSEs.
I’m so tired of fighting

Appeals are taking around a year everywhere at the moment. If DS is out of education it will be prioritised, but still unlikely to be any time soon.

People have suggested a trial, it’s hard if they except that he get his hopes up and then the appeal is unsuccessful

Have you looked a Wellington Academy? It’s a state boarding school, with mostly military families. Boarding fees are very affordable. Looks like they are supportive of kids with EHCPs.

I have no personal experience of the school as such, but my daughter did a weeks music residential there in the holidays a couple of times, and the residential part was cosy and buildings and grounds were very nice.

School

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Thank you: I’ve now been in contact with Wellington Academy. They came to see families in Germany before we were posted out. We had interview with boarding house which went well and we are considering our next move. Only 30 odd children board which put us off a little. Fingers crossed something comes through but we’ll visit them if not. The director of boarding was amazing and we really liked his attitude

Look at Brymore Academy they definitely take ehcp.

Christs Hospital seems an obvious fit - it is very diverse and they have a lot of children from backgrounds where county lines etc could otherwise be a risk.

they both look like amazing school. Thanks you. He wouldn’t go to a boys school and Christs Hospital looks too selective. :-(
we are still stuck with a home tutor and no where is sight, he feels dejected and unwanted. Sadly went missing again which increases his need to be somewhere but reduces the chance. We are only looking at state boarding schools now due to cost (I don’t know how to persuade LA to pay for public boarding), I did have two public boarding schools want to meet him (Royal hospital and another in Suffolk I forget the name) I just don’t know how to persuade the LA (education and social care to find this). Royal hospital feels dangerously close to home though

And now the EHCP that was written in March last year was finalised but it’s already too out of date and makes him look so much needier. They have put SEMH school which I’m appealing. He refuses to go to one and I refuse to send him. His needs are not that great and seeing regular behavioural issues is likely to be traumatising to him. Fight fight fight but I’m so tired

If the schools want to meet him, then take him. Private schools have these things called bursaries (discounts on school fees, size of discount varies according to your income), so it might work out, you won't know if you don't go!

Oh, goodness - have we ignored the possibility of a bursary? You seemed to be focusing on other routes so I somehow didn’t notice that bursaries hadn’t been mooted.

Yes, all well established boarding schools should have generous, means tested bursaries. The bigger and richer and more outwardly ‘intimidating’ in reputation, the more money will be available. And they’re quite keen to offer it to needy parents.

You have to apply in the year they offer them. Otherwise all the bursary funds will already be allocated for that cohort.

You need to be eligible in terms of income and assets.

They have to really want the child to attend. Bursaries aren’t always attached to scholarship level academic attainment - but they will want to feel a child brings valuable qualities to the school community.

If you haven’t already investigated this possibility, you really should - though nothing is guaranteed.

OP is likely to need the school named in section I of the EHCP otherwise even with a bursary she is likely to be left with a hefty bill for the SEP, which independent schools mostly charge extra for and it can be very expensive depending on what is needed/in F.

You can force the LA to fund independent boarding via appeal.

If the EHCP was written last March why was in not finalised until November? You could have forced the LA to finalise sooner.

Your argument to get it named in Section I would be that the school you have chosen would be not significantly more expensive than the LA meeting his needs at a different suitable school (or EOTAS I imagine?). For independents they would also need to have offered him a place.

The costing sounds like a very high bar given how much boarding fees are, but SEMH schools are expensive, as are long daily taxi rides to far flung day schools. It might be winnable but only if you find him that school place yourself, and if you can make the numbers work. Some LAs will negotiate on fees, so you might be able to come to an arrangement like you cover the cost of his board (as you'd be feeding him etc if he was at home) and they pay the rest.

You seem to have a very high number of constraints, and bluntly I'm not sure you'll have the luxury of keeping all of them. Are all boys' schools everywhere really unable to meet his needs, or has he just felt unsafe at one or two and is extrapolating from that? You don't want him to have a trial and get his hopes up... sure, but you and he both need to get your heads round this being necessary if he is to find a school. Whatever hoops are involved, just do it.

LAs can concede long before the tribunal date comes up, especially (I would hope) with a GCSE student who is out of school, and something like 95% of appeals are successful. , including where LAs have conceded before it got to the hearing. Just get the section I appeal lodged soon so the dates start ticking down. It is a shedload of work though, it really is intimidating and just HARD. But people really do win them.

Thank-you, I will do that. Sadly no bursaries but if I can get LA to pay!

Thank you so much. I have looked at every school’s bursary and nothing would be suitable. He’s bright as hell, too bright but huge gaps in knowledge so not likely to perform to get the bursary. There was one for social reasons but the charity who organised this refused to take him as he is not in a school (royal spring board)