Reduced school timetable due to medical conditions

[Buntingsmum]

I posted in SN children yesterday and didn't get many responses, so trying here. My DD has a rare disease and isn't well enough to attend school full time due to fatigue and headaches and just generally feeling 'meh'. She's been like this for 2 years and I don't see it changing. We are getting pressure to make her increase her hours above the 5 mornings per week she currently does. We've just had a draft EHCP through the post today, and despite me trying to explain that full time school won't work, the sensory/physical leaning outcome in part F is there as 'to attend school regularly and eventually full time'.

If she was an adult she'd have to get signed off work due to ill health! In my mind it should be possible to accept that an ill child can't do school full time too and we shouldn't be getting pressure about this, but I don't know how to get this agreed. All her medical letters say that she is missing loads of school but I've not got anyone to write a report to say that she should keep the reduced timetable that she is currently doing. I can try to ask for that.

I need to work how to get this learning outcome off the EHCP! I read the government guidance about 'supporting pupils at school with medical conditions', but even that is all about how school should be full time. I get the fact that they are trying to protect all children's rights to a full time education, but what about when it is not right for the child to do full time?! would love to hear from others about their experiences with part time school due to ill health (and even this aspect in an EHCP if possible).

Sorry so long . Thanks for reading.

Thanks for sharing your experience dratsea - interesting.
Thanks for the tips klaptout.

cestla - you are right and that is logical and makes sense. I guess I've got a bit of a baggage though. We were given a return to full time plan at the start of this year and attendance became marked as unauthorised when she couldn't do it. We also had an EP report about how we were evil parents for not letting her out the house to do social stuff (that's my paraphrase but there were definitely bad parenting insinuations). I don't want educational welfare and social workers to become involved. Not that that's been suggested, but I just fear that if we have a legal doc, EHCP, that says the aim is for full time then we have trouble and hassle ahead. It is difficult too for me to imagine her health improving when it hasn't for so long. Anyway, thanks for pointing out the sense in this - thinking it all through helps build my argument in my head at least

jelly - thanks for the idea.

The day hospital school on paper required full time attendance but dd built it up slowly.

I presume you have the Lea officer for medical issues on board ie not educational welfare?

They just néed to tick the correct non attendance code when she misses school eg education otherwise or sick.

Ds (also 8yo) was working part timetable for most of last term for what sounds very similar.

The school was generally very helpful-indeed they suggested it. He did mornings only for the first half of term-and that's when he was there.
When he had recovered a bit, they suggested he stayed until afternoon registration. So he'd have lunch, then get registered and come out then. That meant his absence record looked much better, but he still didn't have to cope with a full day.
He's doing full days now, but if he starts not coping then he'll reduce back again.

I know this thread is a few days old but wanted to add I have a DD with ME and no she doesn't just have to attend school. In fact she has been unable to attend at all for nearly 16months - she has home tutors provided by school twice a week for 1 hour at a time (and sometimes this is cancelled) we are currently fighting to get an echp assessment! Which is ridiculous in itself as she needs provision for college years!!

Quietly, are you appealing to the tribunal against refusal of assessment?

Augusta I have a meeting at school this week to discuss options but yes I will appeal! My DD is yr9 and only doing 2 maybe 3 GCSE's so I HAVE.to have provision in place for college just in case she is still unable to manage 20hours (local college minimum for funding) otherwise I could end up paying myself at the cost of £1500-£2000 per subject. I'm used to fighting and paying for what my dc need for their various issues sadly!