EHCP changeover from statement whilst HEing

[icecreamvan]

DS is in Year 5. He has a statement.

He's really struggling with the pressure on them for SATs - it started last year and he's been less than happy to go in since then. Increasingly frustrated and disillusioned with school in recent weeks.

DS has mild cerebral palsy. I don't think he'd get a statement or EHCP now if we applied from scratch. But school know all his issues (both physical, emotion and learning etc) so if they help us with the review in July it would be good.

I'd always planned to possibly homeschool for Year 6 before secondary. But now feel DS needs to be taken out now before things get worse. He's getting sent out of class for being rude. He's so fed up and tired with it all.

If I take him out now how will the changeover to EHCP happen? Or will I just lose it all together. I'd like to hold onto the statement/EHCP because its helped school take things much more seriously with DS over the years.

Hi,

As I've just said on another thread here, when I did my survey, parents definitely felt that having a statement was insurance. (My websites are edyourself and EHE-SEN but I can't post links)

The relevant "school year" applies equally wherever your child is being educated, and in principle home ed should be having their statements converted to EHCPs according to the same timetable as school pupils.

In addition, the statement MUST be converted before transition to the next phase of education, so if you are in an area without middle schools where children transfer to secondary at 11, then the EHCP must be sorted before that. (Although it often isn't and there are no sanctions)

The outcome of the EHC needs assessment MAY be that your son doesn't require an EHCP.

Once they START the conversion process any objection would be to their not making a Plan, rather than ceasing the statement.

If you deregister before the conversion process begins then the school will not be involved,, but if you flag up that you want to home educate "soon" but he stays on roll, then it's the school which would take the lead on the review.

It may also be that once you mention home education, that the review is brought forward, because it's not set in stone that the review has to be a year from the last one. The local authority have no power in law to insist that he stays on roll while this is being done.

In our area, children with an EHCP/Statement who are removed from school to home ed are written to by the SEN Team to ask if they would like to continue with the statement. So you would say yes and then reasonably expect them to go through the transfer to EHCP before starting secondary.

Hi, hope you don't mind me joining the conversation, my DS has EHCP and im just starting basic research into HE as he's not coping socially but literally know nothing. At the moment the LA fund quite a lot of additional money to meet his needs. What happens if I want to home Ed? Is it down to me? Do they still have to meet his needs? In which case what if they won't agree?

Hi Kermitcapers

Do you mean the LA provides extra money to the school? And is this a mainstream school or a special school? It varies a bit from one local authority to another but basically once you choose to home educate, it is up to you and you may be that you don't get access to various things. The problem is that if parents ask for support, to some people in authority that equates to saying that they can't manage without help, so the LA can turn it round and say the child should be in school. I have a website called EHE-SEN which explains more.