Managed out of independent

[gentileschi]

My 5 year old son is being managed out of his independent school, we effectively have 2.5 weeks to get something for Sept or come up with home ed plan. Any advise on how to navigate this? My son has an ASD diagnosis with PDA profile. He is not a school refuser and is up, washed and not in burn out or anything which is all I see advise for on pda sites. He just won't do anything he doesn't want to or isn't interested in. He is bright curious and interested in the world, his learning is coming along steadily. I can't see any places at any school let alone consider if he would fit there. Can online learning work at 5 years old? Is there a home education governing body? Who is supposed to look after us? Can you give advice on what I should be doing?

SEN consultants can’t write EHCPs. If an EHCNA hasn’t already been requested, you need to request an EHCNA from the LA. You can do that yourself using IPSEA’s model letter.

Personally, I wouldn’t EHE. Parents find it easier, although not easy, to get support when DC is in the system. Crudely, by being in the system, you are someone's 'problem'. Whereas if you EHE it is easier for professionals to sweep DC's needs under the carpet. If you don’t EHE the LA is responsible for education. And if it isn’t suitable for DS to attend school, there are alternatives. If you EHE the LA will say you are making suitable alternative arrangements.

Don’t take advice about EHCPs from social care. LAs often give incorrect advice.

If you tell us a bit more about how he presents and which bits school has struggled with people might be able to make some school suggestions. PDA is a really tricky one to get right and you might need a specialist school but mostly those start at age 8.

We've been dumped so I've no choice. The consultant writes the letter for you and I send it I'm my name. It's been done correctly as the process had been started. The la said they will give a school place if there is one but we've no idea what kind or where.

When he's regulated he's neurotypical presenting. I had so much trouble before I worked out he was pda (age 3) then I got the hang of how to speak to him and he's tough but we move forward fine. At school he won't comply if you demand or if he's not interested. A teacher recently decided to put him in time out facing the wall for 10mins and it all went wrong. He get dis-regulated and acts out. He scraps but no more than others, he's a big lad which doesn't help.

A 10 minutes time out, facing a wall, from a teacher is completely unacceptable and that alone would make me pull him.

If by the process had already been started you mean an EHCNA has already been requested, what is the consultant letter for and what week are you on?

You do have a choice. You do not have to EHE. You can contact the LA and request they provide an education. If appropriate, that will be in a school. If attending a school is not suitable, there are other options.

A 10 minute time out facing the wall in reception is really odd. When you say it all went wrong is he being violent toward staff?

I think the consultant is writing the EHCNA request letter? @gentileschi it really isn't necessary to pay someone to do that. All you need to do is follow the IPSEA template letter https://www.ipsea.org.uk/making-a-request-for-an-ehc-needs-assessment

Who diagnosed him as PDA at 3? Who did his ASD dx?

@Lougle I wondered that, but OP said the process had been started. Which would mean another EHCNA isn’t necessary.

I did. And we started low demand and it was life changing. The school called in the ed psych to report who agreed pda and he just got his formal ASD with demand avoidance mentioning pda at age 5.5 and registered disabled. Many people do not know he has a diagnosis. The school obviously have such an issue as they can't give him the exact care. I get it, I agree it's too much for them. More notice would have been appreciated.

Private schools generally won't tolerate behavioural issues and are focused on results. It's sad and they have failed your son. You might find he gets more support in a state school.

For info about home education: www.educationotherwise.org/

A teacher recently decided to put him in time out facing the wall for 10mins and it all went wrong.

What world are we living in that this is even a ‘punishment’ for a small child 😱 Way to teach them how to regulate their emotions and behaviour in a healthy way 🙄 Have we not moved on from the Victorian era of how to raise and educate children!

It’s very hard for posters to advise you when you haven’t described his behaviour.
I have taught a child with PDA, he was a couple of years older than yours and it was a very, very tough year. I dreaded going to school. He utterly dominated the classroom - he was physically intimidating to children and staff - he had a one to one (who he bit) but a few examples that stick out were him trying to hit a child over the head with a hole punch and threatening staff and kids with scissors. He would run round the room shouting while the rest of them were working. This was in a school that was doing everything suggested to care and support him.

I’m not suggesting your child is like the boy I describe but if he hurts people or disrupts lessons then that is a very different situation from just quietly refusing to do his work.

Yep, PDA often presents violently, as my son used to.

I think op is in denial about her son and that's why she doesn't want to state his behaviours.

I've taught in primary schools for 20 years and have never seen this type of punishment. It's unacceptable

OP do a SAR on his old school. Ask for everything but specify the incident reports. I see you said the LA will try find him a place but you are not sure they will find a suitable school. When my son was kicked out pre EHCP the LA just tried to place him in another mainstream school and when I said that's not appropriate they tried to wash their hands of any responsibility for his education. I refused to accept this so they did do the EHCP (not worth the paper it was written on) and they named a mainstream. I took my son for a visit and let them experience him. I then gave them the incident reports from his previous school and his support plan they followed. The named school absolutely refused to accept him and I backed them. Just been through 18 months process of getting the EHCP actually assessed and then through tribunal. I e won EOTAS for my son (which is home Ed paid for by the LA). Not that they have bothered to put anything in place and I'm going to have to do court again and seek compensation for the missed education (to pay me back what I e paid). But those incident reports along with evidence of all the support that was in place that couldn't prevent the behaviour has been essential in getting his needs/behaviour taken seriously.

Also if your child does have challenging behaviour then include in your reasoning for specific supports that it would be damaging to the education of other children to put him into a school as this is a legal criteria schools can use to refuse a place and when you use it they can't ignore it. It's hard to face our kids act this way and are so disruptive to a classroom but accepting it and working on how to get him an education around this fact will lead to much much better experiences amd outcomes for your child.

It is important to note EOTAS is different to EHE. The LA is responsible for the former and it can be enforced via JR if necessary (subject to the EHCP being written correctly). Parents are responsible for the latter.

In reception my dd was frequently sent out of class or to the other parallel class.
There would visibly be several sat on the floor in the parallel class.
Im.not against strict class management but overall the youngest (sen aside) are the ones in trouble. The youngest un dc2 class was getting in trouboe a lot -y3 now and had whole class being kept in. The dc has now switched schools. Its ridiculous really teachers love my dc2 but she is very tricky at home. Other kids constantly told off. I mean i can see why some are teachers pets but this other kid wasnt sen just young oacking concentration and imo its unhelpful in multiple class intake schools as youngest seem even less mature.

My eldest was diagnosed with PDA at 5. It was anxiety, not PDA.

Regardless, you need a specialist school and those are run by the LA. The school are doing the right thing for your son because they are not able to handle his behavior.

Get moving with the LA. If you have nothing sorted by the end of July, go in person to your MP. They will be able to help push the process along.

When my ND godson was school-less after a disaster kid independent prep school issue the local authority sent a tutor to his house each week for 2 terms before he putting in place a transition programme for him to join a state primary.

I didn't realise he would also have to fail at state to access a special ed school

This isn’t the case at all.

SEN consultants don’t write the EHCP. You need to google the process in your area.

First, either you or the school make an application - EHCNA.

Then the local authority decides whether to assess or not at a panel.

If yes to assess, an educational psychologist will come out to do an assessment and write a report. You can ask for other professions to also assess him eg SALT, OT.

Then all the evidence is considered at a second panel and the LA decide whether to issue EHCP and at what level of funding.

Then they will start to consult with schools.

Problem is there is huge demand and a massive shortage of EPs so very few LAs are hitting their statutory deadlines.

The school called in the ed psych to report who agreed pda

EPs can’t diagnose autism / PDA.