EBSA - looking for experienced and opinions

[TeachWithMissM]

I am a qualified teacher with a background in psychology and the slightly unusual position of having lived experience of EBSA!

I am currently taking a break from working in a mainstream school for health reasons, and am really interesting in spending some time researching and possibly setting up some EBSA provision.

i would really appreciate any opinions or experiences - what has worked or not worked for DC? what needs to change for provisions to be more effective for them?

im equally happy to answer any questions from a teacher’s POV and also the POV of someone who had EBSA but then chose to go and work in the same environment!

Actually teach the kids. And if they won’t engage don’t write up records like they are and you are doing a swell job. My kid is 9 he goes to AP and he still can’t read AT ALL. But read the reports and it looks like he’s engaged most of the time. He’s challenging yes that’s why I don’t home Ed him but it’s infuriating I fight the LA for years to get provisions and it’s essentially just babysitting. Baking and forest schools have value yes but when a kid can’t read baking another cake with them isn’t going to give them a future. It’s all framed as building a relationship with the kid but then staff change it the LA don’t pay the tutor so we have months without and then a new tutor and the whole process starts again and I’m told to be patient a relationship needs to be built. It’s implied I’m cruel because I say things like I will ban screens if they tell me he’s refusing to try etc etc. like I’m a mean mother. I don’t say I will ban screens for not succeeding I just want him to try. But I know they don’t want to tell me when he’s been challenging and not engaging because they don’t think he deserves consequences because he’s SEN. 9 year old boys can be SEN and have legitimate high needs and ALSO be a 9yo boy taking the piss where he can. And if he is engaged most of the time and still can’t read well enough to tell the male from female toilets then flag that he needs screening for learning disability etc because I’m told his tutors do t see LD so he cannot access specialist school his problems are just ASD and SEMH. It’s all about funding. Bums in seats. He will push back if they push hi. To learn so they do t but they have to write up reports to justify them being paid. DRIVES ME MAD.

after that rant I guess I’m saying come up with a provision for autistic kids who refuse to engage and exibit behaviour that keeps them from school. but who have no diagnosis of LD so they cannot access the majority of specialist schools. But are too far behind to access SEMH schools without LD. sooooo many kids are falling through these gaps. Find a way to give them a future and mothers like me will be eternally grateful

thank you - that makes sense! I think it’s that tricky balance between the need to prioritise emotional security but also still wanting to have those high expectations about a child’s learning and helping them to fulfil their potential (& identifying and removing barriers if there are any)

I come from a similar background - I teach children not in school and have a son who I ended up home educating after being failed by the system but now back in education.
I would agree with @Burntt that children want to learn and progress - depending on the child this might be in small steps but its finding what works for each child - this can be really practical for some and for others they like a more formal approach. They just all want to be listened to and given space and time to learn. Every child achieves and this improves their confidence, mental health and gives them a future and its amazing the progress they make. I love my job and the children I teach are brilliant - and I learn so much from them.

Really difficult to navigate and I speak from experience with one daughter with EBSA. Wish my daughter's school had read this book. Would highly recommend for anyone looking for help or to educate themselves on the topic more.

https://amzn.eu/d/089siQhs