Where to start home ed with 14 year old

[fafffdri12]

My ds is miserable at school and talk of ending his life rather than go to school has made me massively consider home ed. His attendance is down to 64% and his work is poor. He is under camhs right now thankfully to help but he still refuses to go to school most days. He has severe anxiety and although he wants to learn he just says the environment is awful and loud. He darent ask questions in class and people call him names etc. He is just miserable

If I was to home ed where do I begin ? Hes asked me if this is an option. What about his GCSE's?

I'm reading through lots online as well as the threads on here but just wondered if anyone can break it all down for me for our situation as to what i need or should do. He wants to go to college so it's not like he doesnt want to learn he really wants to do something like joinery or mechanics and likes to find out how things work. Hes very intelligent but school just seems to have knocked all confidence and happiness out of him. I'm in despair.

Can you work out something with school where he's getting some alternative provision? Online learning, alternative provider, reduced timetable? We have some children in local centres for kids who can't access mainstream, we've also got a study unit and have some children there for a period of time on a part time basis. Home tutors should also be a possibility if he can't get into school. Can CAMHS and the school work together to sort something out?

I've tried allsorts over the last 18 months and seem to be getting no where. I feel like school arent listening. In my opinion I do think there is deeper psychological issues causing allsorts of problems right now. People keep telling me hes on the spectrum but no one is listening to me when I suggest this to school or camhs. Everyone keeps saying they are going to see him in school and then nothing comes from it. No one gets in touch with me and no one knows what's happening when I ring up. There are no places available at other schools in the area either so I just feel beaten and lost with it all.

Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 states that "Each local education authority shall make arrangements for the provision of suitable education at school or otherwise than at school for those children of compulsory school age who, by reason of illness, exclusion from school or otherwise, may not for any period receive suitable education unless such arrangements are made for them. The LGO in their report "Out of School, Out of Mind states that after fifteen days absence the responsibility becomes the LA.
Schools and LAs like to deny responsibility and pass the buck because ultimately this provision costs money. In our LA the school fund the first thirteen weeks at a cost of £115pw for five hours tuition and then the LA fund weeks 14 to 38 so plenty of incentive to try and deny provision.
If your child has had fifteen days absence or it looks likely that he is going to be struggling to attend then contact the LA and ask for provision for a child unable to attend school. Alongside tutors there is usually online learning through the LA as well sometimes Interhigh or another provider.
At the same time I would contact IPSEA and SOSSEN and get them to help you ask for a needs assessment to discover where your son's difficulties lie and what support he might need to access an education more suited to his needs (not necessarily in school)

Have you looked at the on line schools? Might be an option to keep him in formal education without the noise and crowds..

There is a really great fb group called not fine at school, I'm sure you would get good advice on there. You have my sympathy, how stressful for you all, I would definitely take him out, you are doing the right thing

Sorry, it's called 'not fine in school'

What about a college? There are colleges which take children for GCSE years and then they go on to A Levels. See if there is a college he can attend in your local area. There are a couple of them in South Devon. Where are you based?

If you can afford it sign them up for InterHigh or Wolsey Hall. We use Wolsey Hall. Expensive-ish but worth every penny. You don't have to do every subject just the ones you want GCSEs in. We are only doing Maths, English and History.

Also he's 14. They'll be hoping he moves on pretty soon and stops being their problem. My children both have autism. The oldest couldn't be ignored and they had to act. He still ended up being home educated though has an EHCP, which I have maintained over the years. My youngest was very quiet and compliant at school so not a problem and they dragged their feet for years. I took her to the GP myself for her autism diagnosis and she was diagnosed swiftly by a multi disciplinary team six months later. Left to the school nothing would have happened. By year five even with diagnosis she was attacking me almost daily and would come out of school screaming so loudly we could be heard all the way up the road. Still nothing as it wasn't actually happening in school. In the end I wrote a blistering letter and report to the SENCO and copied the world and his wife into it. Finally they acted. Assessment and swift award of EHCP in time for secondary, thankfully. She's a different child with proper support.

You need to coldly push and push and not take no for all answer. Have you tried going through your GP?