EBSA - Can someone sell me unravel this please?

[Listinggracefully]

I’m sinking under all the information and lack of cohesion in this situation.

DD is 12 and in Y7. She has ASD with a PDA profile. She had some EBSA at primary - probably 1 day a fortnight. She started secondary in September doing 10 days at one school before getting a place at her preferred school, and so moved part way through the term. The new school didn’t handle the transition very well. The result has been that DD’s attendance has declined so much that she has only been in for a few hours since half term. For context she gets up and dressed and to school on time, but she has a panic attack and can’t go in. She does all her set homework and worries about getting a detention if she doesn’t do it. Every day she genuinely believes that she will go in, but just can’t.

I have applied for an EHCP and have started DD with a counsellor. School are approaching it from 3 separate areas (HOY, Attendance and SENCO) who don’t seem to coordinate with each other at all, so it is a complete mess. It is like a full time job trying to trawl through it.

I don’t think she is cut out for full time mainstream school, but neither of us are keen on home educating. I know that Alternative Provision exists, but I have no idea how to access it.

Is it even possible without an EHCP?
is it just temporary?
How do I find one that is suitable for DD’s needs?

I have a rough idea of what should happen from a legal perspective and the LFA’s obligations etc under S19, but the reality is very different with stretched budgets and funding. Is anyone able (preferably in words of one syllable) to tell me the process I should be going through?

This what happened with my sons…
I applied for ehcp’s (I did)
first son was turned down and I appealed. It went to tribunal and in between I researched schooling locally (Kent ) that fitted his profile. He got ehcp and stayed in special Ed until going to uni. Moved in year 8. EHCP has to specify they need specialised provision!

Repeat and rinse with other sons. Except they didn’t turn them down. Two went to special ed and one stayed mainstream. I fully researched what was available and where was a good fit for them as individuals. We had to reapply for them to stay 16-18 to do A-levels but it was straightforward.

My advice is stay one step ahead. Have a plan. Cost and research. We also had an education lawyer for the first who specialised in ehcp’s.

make sure everything is in email. And follow everything up as a parent. My county council likes to kick the can down the road! And make people wait to save money- push to tribunal.

For now, an IAEP would probably be a good approach (though only a short-term solution) - if she could go in on a significantly reduced timetable with the goal of building a relationship with a key adult or two that would be the best bet for building a platform to move forwards from. Long-term it does sound like an AP may be a better fit, so keep pushing for the EHCP!

Im going to follow your thread if that’s okay op. I have a dd going down a very similar path. I work in education and I’m still not sure how to proceed. Everything I hear is that come spring the government will have changed ehcps so that they are not in their current form or much harder to get and there will be a greater push to keep children in mainstream.
Can I also ask how you know your dd has a pda profile? My dds asd assessment makes no reference to anything like this.

We went through this. DD just point blank didn’t go back after year 7. It’s taken a tern of me badgering but she’s now got AP provision from LA. One to one tutor x 6 hours and an outdoorsy social thing one day a week. Get yourself a send advocate. It’s not even that expensive (less than the cost of a tutor per hour). Ours pushed it all through for us. They knew they couldn’t fob her off.

Sorry to hear you’re going through this - my dd is the same. Started Y7 in September and is autistic. She is very academic and keen to learn and wants to be at school, but she just can’t cope with it. She did ok at the end of primary (apart from a rough year in Y5 - the same year she was diagnosed) thanks to a fantastic teacher in Y6.

Also no EHCP here but it’s on my list next week to fill out the form for an EHCNA. She’s currently on a very reduced timetable with a lesson per day in the ‘learning support hub’ which is basically a quiet study room. I drop her off at 8.50 so she misses form then collect before lunch time at 1.20, but even then it’s still a battle to get her in. Her attendance is currently around 50% 😕

She’s spent the whole holidays anxious about school in January and honestly I don’t know what we will do moving forward.

Sorry I don’t really have any advice but just wanted to offer support through saying we are in the same boat.

EOTAS Tutor here. I work for the LA through an agency, working 1-1 with each of my students for 10 hrs pw (usually maths and English are the subjects taught). All of my students have an EHCP.
I come out to homes/care homes but for safeguarding reasons another adult over the age of 18 is required to be present at all times.
Hope this helps? 😀

Speak to her mainstream school. They will know what alternative provision your council offers, and how to access it.

The OP is incomprehensible with all the acronyms. Pity, as I'd have liked to read it.

I know it sounds massively over simplified but have you tried an earlier or later start, taking her yourself and going in through a quiet entrance, having a named sympathetic adult meet her inside school when she arrives. Most schools have some sort of Sen space/hub set up for this but you’ll probably need to fight for it to happen.

With regards the three members of staff I think that you need to decide what you want, take control a bit, and email what you think might work to all three of them. Any emails sent from just one of them, reply copying the others. I know you shouldn’t have to but school staff are so busy this is probably the only way to get them on the same page.

With the ASD I also think that if you can get a new routine going that you might be able to get past this. So I’d try and give her something specific to do when she gets to that moment of panic - perhaps ear defenders and some rescue remedy- something like that so she has a method of coping that isn’t school refusing.

If you’ve got a send child or work within the system, it makes perfect sense, so I suspect that whilst you might have liked to read it you probably wouldn’t have been able to offer any useful advice.

I would chat to Sendias(s), can they offer advice? Agree, EHCP is the way to go. Attendance stuff is a nightmare, so stressful. I am sorry that the school is not joined up.

Ended up moving into an online school whilst ehcp was denied but eventually approved. Now have an EOTAS package where online school is paid for. I dod pay for it for some time though. Also trickier for LA as DD was in year 10 before they agreed a school so harder to move for them.

I am sorry, I hear you, it's so hard all round. I don't regret removing mine, the note she wrote me about how bad it was broke my heart.

Lots of helpful FB groups, have you looked at not fine in school? Autistic girls network great too.

Also following as I'm in a similar position except that my DD is year 10. We've just had our first ECHNA refused. Going to mediation.

I agree with PP's advice on SENDIASS.

Do you think going in on a reduced timetable might help her at all? Might it help take off some of the pressure? There is some great advice here:
https://www.leicspart.nhs.uk/autism-space/education/understanding-the-reasons-why-a-child-may-struggle-to-attend-school/

Have you explored all the reasonable adjustments that school could put in place to help your daughter? My DD was able to tell me some of what made school so hard and school agreed eg teachers wouldn't call on her in lessons, she could go to the quiet learning support area whenever she wanted. Not ultimately enough for my DD and may be the same for yours but worth looking at.

As online tuition doesn't work for everyone, there is sometimes the option of 1-1 home tuition (it's what I do for a living), although for obvious safeguarding reasons another adult over the age of 18 has to be present. Other options are tuition in a public space - for example, in a local library.

Tbh if you were able to help OP, you would know what the acronyms mean.

OP there should be a local SENDIAS to help you advocate for your daughter.

Thanks fir all your help everyone, I’ll look into everything suggested.

To answer a few questions:

We have tried going in for a lesson at a time. The issue is that she doesn’t trust the pastoral team to let her leave if she just does part days. It comes from them fobbing her off in the past “just try this next lesson and see how you feel etc”. Then they don’t follow through because they see that’s she’s in the lesson, ostensibly okay, but in reality she’s masking. While I understand why they do it; she has ASD and takes what she is told literally and it just doesn’t make her feel safe.

School have also this year launched an elevate programme for the brightest students. When we had a (very quick) meeting with them before she started, they were going on and on about how they expected great things from her because of her SATs results. It made me feel pressure, and I’m not even the 12 year old student!

I should have said that I strongly suspect a PDA profile because this didn’t make up part of her assessment. It has alway been present to me as her parent, but until recently she was an absolute angel for anyone outside the family, so it wasn’t something that could be observed at assessments. I think puberty and hormones has changed that as she is definitely displaying it to others now.

I’m sorry about the acronyms, but as there was one in the title, I assumed that only a very specific category of people who knew about the issue would reply.

I'm so sorry to hear that about the pastoral team. They have broken her trust and need to understand the impact that this has had and the importance of not doing this again.

The NHS link above talks about the importance of trust and autonomy - I suggest that you share the link and some choice quotes. I suggest including the HOY, pastoral and SEND teams (and do this any time any of them contact you, as they are failing to join themselves up).

I'd also suggest that you consider putting in writing a request for reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act. I can DM you with some of what I sent my DD's school if helpful.

Separately, this is a really good source of information on rights, processes, template letters etc: https://www.ipsea.org.uk/

What week of the EHCNA process are you on? Is the LA sticking to the timescale?

Under section 19 of the Education Act 1996, if DD is unable to attend school the LA has a duty to ensure she still receives a suitable full-time education. This should begin as soon as it becomes clear 15 days will be missed and provision should begin by the sixth day of absence. The days don’t need to have already been missed or consecutive. An EHCP is not needed for this.

The form it takes varies depending on LA and individual needs. Some examples include home tutoring, online schooling, tuition at a library/community centre/centre the LA uses, PRU, care farm, forest school, outward bounds AP, gaming AP, mentoring… Some of the options will be on the LA’s local offer. However, these won’t list every option possible. Some LAs have an AP catalogue/approved provider list but again these won’t include all possible options. Ask around locally for parents of DC who have EOTAS/EOTIS. They will give you options professionals won’t tell you about. Schools won’t tell you about or even know all possibilities.

If the LA refuse, delay or ignore your request for s19 provision, you can force them to act, including via JR if necessary. You will need a pre-action letter. Then, if that doesn’t work you can progress to JR proceedings. Similarly, if their offer is inaccessible, not full time, they inform you it must happen at home but you don’t want that &/or tell you another adult must be present when they cannot compel parents to facilitate/deliver provision.

With an EHCP, under section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014, if it is inappropriate for provision to be made in a school (or college), there is EOTAS/EOTIS. You will see both EOTAS and EOTIS used and sometimes it will have a C on the end.

These are bespoke based on DC’s needs. The possibilities are endless. The scope of what can be provided via this is wider than section 19 provision. It can also be more provision than section 19. Sadly, many have to appeal. Many have to appeal to secure EOTAS/EOTIS. Even more have to appeal to secure a proper comprehensive EOTAS/EOTIS package when their LA tries to fob them off with a few hours tutoring and maybe a session at an AP, a bit of exercise and some therapies. EOTAS/EOTIS is far more than that. It isn’t the cheap option some LAs like to portray. It can be extremely expensive. Again, you cannot be compelled to organise, facilitate or deliver the provision and they cannot force you to accept provision at home if that is not what you want. It doesn’t have to be temporary. Some DC never re-enter a school/college setting.

I have 2 DSs with comprehensive EOTAS/EOTIS packages.

Be careful with SENDIASS. Some are good but too many repeat the LA’s unlawful policies.

@Listinggracefully the trust with staff thing totally resonates with us - the same thing happens with dd because she’s so high masking and seems ‘fine’ to the staff so they try and encourage her to stay/do more. And because she’s such a stickler for the rules and terrified of being told off she always does as they say, then we bear the brunt of it at home. Honestly everything you have written could have been written about my dd too.

We have a boatload of adjustments going on but it’s not making one jot of difference, because to be blunt, the school system is not set up for kids like ours to thrive.

I had a thread on here a few weeks ago with lots of good advice which might be helpful to you, I’ll see if I can link it.

Hopefully the link works - https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5453699-y7-dd-struggling-with-school-autism?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

They are all commonplace within the SEN world. If you wanted to read but didn’t understand, you could have just asked.

OP, solidarity and I'll post a link to the EHCP support thread in a moment in case it's useful (I think I added a glossary at the beginning of one of them too!)

Regarding the three school staff not communicating, I suggest you send every communication to all of them and if one of then replies and doesn't copy the others, reply yourself to acknowledge and cc the others.

Yes this will fill up their inboxes but will hopefully encourage better communication between them!

I'm a school teacher myself and there is no proper process for EBSA and while of course there is a required process around EHCP, we all know it's often ignored.

The best thing you can contribute here is calm and excellent admin skills!

www.mumsnet.com/talk/special_educational_needs/5309128-ehcp-support-thread-no-5?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

If you Google "list of alternative provision" plus "your local authority name" you may find a list to start with. I just tried Staffordshire at random and got one. You should also look for any neighbouring LA areas depending on your location. I don't think any list would be 100% comprehensive and there are of course online schools and providers, but you can't request it if you don't know it exists.

Staffordshire Connects | Alternative provision https://share.google/YDRLRTlwpPpIDawEM

Thanks again everyone. I have to say I find it mind boggling that SENCO is not a stand alone job in secondary schools. Ours teaches PE and Physics as well as being SENCO and DSL. I don’t know how she has the time. You would think that they would sit as part of the pastoral team and coordinate with HOYs and attendance in an overarching role. But what do I know? It certainly is a very steep learning curve

I found the website and Facebook group ‘not fine in school’ very helpful to understand the system and legal rights and responsibilities. It is sad that this is so common and yet so difficult to navigate!