Home Ed or alternative provision

[J9p]

Hi
my DD was given a mainstream high school for this September which I have declined as she needs a specialist school.
we have been to mediation and currently waiting on for the tribunal.
She has ASD and a low learner currently at at year 1 - 2 level.
the specialist school we have requested are full.
my plan was to home educate her whilst we’re waiting for the tribunal the LA have mentioned EOTAS and they have also mentioned that the mainstream high school could put an alternative provision package together….
does anyone have any advice on what would be best?
I feel like everyday is a study day atm having to educate myself on so much I wasn’t aware off 🙈🙈

She has ASD and a low learner currently at at year 1 - 2 level.

she is 12?

Wrong thread

She’s just turned 11 on the 28th August

School has started already
So the current plan is to wait for the tribunal? Do you have a date for that?

My DD doesn't go back till tomorrow. Other schools locally are Thursday.

I assume she has a place at a mainstream school? And has an EHCP? Is the specialist school a local authority school?
You have various options:
Elective home education (but this involves withdrawing her and they may decide to wash their hands of her).
The package they are suggesting (what does it involve?)
Does the school have a nurture class (for those who are working at a lower academic level like your DD)? Some have this for Y7, some throughout school, some not at all.
If you want the LEA to provide for her (through the in-school and AP package or through specialist) then you may be better off waiting till tribunal to withdraw her from school.
If she doesn't cope with the provision in mainstream you can ask for her to be signed off due to health reasons, but keep her on roll.
If the school is LEA they will likely direct them to admit her as for these schools there is no "full".

I would wait for the tribunal date and just let her have a nice rest from school at home. I assume you have good reasons why the school she has been given is not suitable (sounds like you do) and why the specialist school would be good. Once you get to tribunal rhe tribunal can force the school to go over numbers to give her a place if it is the best place for her to go.

A nice rest?

she’s had two months off

she’s starting secondary

this is her education we’re talking about!!

Thanks for your reply ‘s

The tribunal date is next July 😩
I thought it would be sooner Oct or Nov latest.Which is why I need a new plan I was planning on keeping her off until then and doing my own thing with her but as it’s so long away I doubt I would get away with it that long without a fine would I?

I would say send her to the high school and they will have a duty to put things in place for her whilst not perfect it is only once she is there that they will understand her needs and hopefully be able to move things along.

This

Otherwise this year will be likely another year of her just falling more far behind and make any return less likely

Thanks x
What worries me with the high school is they’ve been really honest and told me they wouldn’t be able to meet her needs and it will be her mental health that will suffer if I was to send her there
she struggles to retain information hence why she’s so far behind she’s had countless tutors / teachers try and work with her! The last EP report had her at the working memory of a 6 year old so mainstream high school definitely isn’t an option! I wasn’t sure what alternative provision would look like has anyone done this before?
TIA

Lots of mainstream high schools do take children with learning disabilities like your DD but as I have said they usually have a nurture class or similar so they are not floundering in a class of 30 doing complex maths.

Firstly, have you requested an expedited hearing on the basis DD is out of school?

Is your preferred placement wholly independent? If not, being full is not enough of a reason on its own to refuse to name your preferred option. The LA has to prove they are so full it is incompatible with the provision of efficient education for others or efficient use of resources. Now there is a point where they can do this, but it is a far higher bar than LAs and many schools admit. It has to be something tangible and specific and is more than an “adverse effect”, “impact on” or “prejudicial to” rather than the vague and woolly excuses LAs often rely on.

Personally, I wouldn’t electively home educate. If you do that, the LA has even less reason to concede the appeal because EHE relieves them of their duty to provide DD’s education.

EOTAS/EOTIS isn’t EHE. The LA retains responsibility. EOTAS/EOTIS via the EHCP is only legally possible if it is inappropriate for provision to be made in a school. Unfortunately, most have to appeal to get a comprehensive EOTAS/EOTIS package.

Alternative Provision comes in many, many forms. It depends on the needs of the child and their circumstances. For example, it may be F2F tuition (at home, in the community, at a tuition centre, at a hospital school… It more be traditional academic tuition or not. It may be child led or not), online schooling, online tuition (1:1, group, pre-recorded…), at a formal AP (e.g. care farm, forest school, outwards bounds, a gaming AP, art, cookery…), mentoring (at home, in the community, at a centre, online…), sports. There are numerous possibilities. What AP is the school offering? (Or rather what AP is the LA saying the school will/should offer? Although the LA is ultimately responsible for education for those unable to attend school/the provision in the EHCP.)

If DD is unable to attend school because of her health/SEN, the absences should be authorised, thus no fines/prosecution.

They don’t all start at the same time. A lot don’t start until Monday.

I would consider the alternative provision @J9p , if only because once you’re out of the system it can be tricky getting back in it

Agree with others, do not electively home educate, keep her in the system.
I would let her try the school. First signs her mental health is suffering then you keep her off. But you absolutely work with the school on this one, you tell them that it needs to be authorised as I, sickness. You must not let them put it as unauthorised. There is guidance for school for this absence code being suitable for mental health, remember it's not your daughter's fault - it is SCHOOL being unable to meet her needs.
Any problems join a group such as Not Fine in School and ask for advice.
Good luck.

Do you have that in writing from the school op?

Either way, ignore it.

This child needs to stay in the system op.
if you withdraw her at 11, you’ll be posting about her at 16 having got no GCSEs and spending all day in her bedroom

I agree with others. Don't opt out of the system. Send her to the mainstream unless they will write to tell you that they can't meet her needs. If they will then you can go back to the council and say that they haven't given your child a school place and that they have to give her a suitable school place.
I would consider maybe ringing the sendco from the school she has been given and explaining that you need them to say they can't meet her needs to help her get a school place.

While it can help to have the school put it in writing that they can’t meet needs, not having that doesn’t mean the LA doesn’t have a duty to ensure DD receives a suitable full-time education if DD is unable to attend school and anything detailed, specified and quantified in F of the EHCP. And it doesn’t mean the Tribunal, which is the route to challenge the placement named and secure another placement named in the EHCP, won’t be successful.