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Home ed

Find advice from other parents on our Homeschool forum. You may also find our round up of the best online learning resources useful.

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Original poster

Home ed? Or try for EHCP?

11 replies

Keehar256 · 17/03/2017 21:04

DD 14 hasn't been in school for 2 months due to extreme anxiety. School is trying to get her back in starting with just 2 lessons a week accompanied by a learning mentor and just observing and not participating, but even this was too much for her today - had a massive meltdown.
So close to just deregistering her, but I think the school is at the point of trying to get an EHCP which may recommend home ed or tutor or Internet school.
Does anyone have experience of how long this could take? In the meantime we are in a very stressful limbo.
I'm close to saying she's coming out of school but then we're on our own.
Should I wait or just do it???

OP posts:

1nsanityscatching · 17/03/2017 21:15

You can apply for an EHCP yourself whether or not she is in school. If school haven't already applied then contact IPSEA and get their help. I think it is a fine line to tread but for me school would never come before my dd's mental health.
Dd did attend part time for a while to fend off her refusing tbh, she is now full time again as I secured more support for her (she has a statement) I wouldn't hesitate to go part time again though if it was needed.

Original poster

Keehar256 · 18/03/2017 09:31

Thanks insanity. Does all this still apply if DD is deregistered from school? Or are we on our own then because lea doesn't have any responsibility for her education anymore?

OP posts:

1nsanityscatching · 18/03/2017 16:04

Personally I wouldn't de register her purely because it keeps you in a position where the school and LA hold responsibility for her receiving an education whether that is in school, at a PRU, through a home tutor or hospital school.
I would though make a formal request for an assessment for EHCP immediately rather than waiting for the school.
If today's attempt at reintegration has been too much for your dd contact the school and let them know.Contact the person looking after dd's mental health as well. Your dd needs to be in control of any return and school and home should be being guided by either an ed psych or CAMHS.
Do you want to home ed? For me that was never an option so would have pursued a therapeutic/specialist placement instead. If home ed is something you are prepared to and want to do then de registering will just start the process but I don't believe you should be forced to home ed if it's not what you want, without having first explored all the alternatives.

Original poster

Keehar256 · 18/03/2017 18:49

I don't have a problem home educating but I don't want to burn bridges with lea and support! DD is under camhs and they don't think school is right for her but getting anything in writing is proving difficult and school won't act except on camhs written recommendation!!

OP posts:

1nsanityscatching · 18/03/2017 20:45

So don't deregister just yet, get the EHCP request in, ask CAMHS or your GP to sign her off as being too sick for school. Have some idea of what sort of education you think dd needs. I would have pushed for an ASD specialist school as dd has ASD but others I know have InterHigh funded by the LEA, home tutors, hospital school or even an independent school they are all options and you will have a better idea of what's right for dd after the EHCP assessment.

Original poster

Keehar256 · 19/03/2017 19:32

Thanks so much - really good advice!

OP posts:

user1471537877 · 19/03/2017 23:07

Hi op

Our DD is similar, we removed and placed at interhigh, got an EHCP and funding from LA

You could suggest shared education with the school, they then fund a place but maintain the student on their books so to speak

Original poster

Keehar256 · 20/03/2017 23:08

Hi user1471. Did you get ehcp first or start interhigh yourself first? Either way how does your DD get on with interhigh? It's definitely something we're thinking of to give structure and enough rigor to her education

OP posts:

MrsTWH · 22/03/2017 17:38

I would definitely advise going the EHCP route via school first if at all possible - as you say, when you dereg you are effectively assuming full responsibility for your DD and making it harder for yourself to access LA support. You can still apply for EHCP yourself even if Home Ed but in our LA this would be unlikely to lead to any extra support due to the fact you had dereg...

user1471537877 · 23/03/2017 09:03

Hi keehar

We actually removed her from school as she was suicidal, at that point we had been turned down for an ehcp as the school lied

We were fortunate that with the support of a local charity we went to a meeting with our LA send dept showed them all our evidence and showed the school for the liars they were

We were offered funding and ehcp assessment on the spot!

We were so lucky that the person in charge saw the situation for what it was and the head ed psych agreed

DD has been at inter now for almost 2 years, in that time she's gone from a suicidal broken child to a bright fiesty high achiever who is a credit to interhigh

Socially she has friends all over the world thanks to this school who get her, she's engaged and learning but most of all she's happy and no longer suicidal

NennyNooNoo · 15/04/2017 22:54

We were in a similar situation with our DS (12) last year. We ended up deregistering him and using Interhigh. We had to fund it ourselves though even though he has an EHCP as our council (Norfolk) doesn't recognise it as a school, although some councils do. I am now homeschooling him myself, partly to save money. The postcode lottery for internet school funding is just as unfair as the better publicised one for healthcare.

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