11yo severely struggling at h/s. Home Ed?

[Cheeseontoastt]

Hey!
my ds 11, is suspected adhd, we are waiting on camhs 🙄 and for ehcp. This should of been done by primary but wasn’t. Since his transition to h/s 6 weeks ago he’s severely struggling. In and out of classrooms, wandering, aggressive behaviors. He’s had play therapists and child psychologists at primary but the h/s do not have the facilities to support him at all. Blaming it on safeguarding issues. Within 3 weeks he was put on a reduced timetable of 1 hour a day, but is still struggling and not actually getting any education at all. They suggested sending him back full time and going down a normal punishment route of exclusion. I said no, because I feel like I’m setting him up to fail. He’s currently at home as they cannot deal with him or his behaviors. I’m desperate to help him get some form of education but I’m clueless. He has 0 interest in traditional topics, and as such can’t focus, gets stressed then the behaviors occur. Where the hell do I start 🤣 do I have to follow a curriculum?

If he has no interrest as you say in traditional subjects then you probably need to start by working with what he DOES have an interest in. Could you start by asking him to sit down with you and write a list of things that interest him and he might like to learn about. Say not computer games though (although there is an educational version of Minecraft)

My friend did this in a similar situation and ended up doing a project on the different types of Pokemon and also learning some Japanese to go alongside. They got out of the house playing Pokemon Go and joined online discussions (so he had to use his writing / argument skills)

No idea if this is any help in your situation but he may have a Pokemon equivalent?

If you want to EHE you don’t have to follow the national curriculum.

However, if DS cannot attend school full-time the LA has a statutory duty to provide a suitable, full-time education. This should begin once it becomes clear 15 days will be missed. The days don’t need to have already been missed or consecutive. Email the LA requesting the provision.

Personally, I wouldn’t EHE unless you actively want to because at the moment you are someone’s ‘problem’ and the LA has a duty to provide provision. If you EHE the LA will say you are making suitable alternative arrangements thereby receiving them of their duty and it is easier for professionals to sweep DC’ needs under the carpet.

All my Grandkids were/ are home educated .
It can be anything you want and anywhere you want.
Museums/ libraries/ outside in nature.. walks .. looking at trees,/ plants.
Farm visits.
Then talking about it. Maybe writing about it.
Also they meet up with other home ed children and parents.
Tomorrow they are meeting up to go to a coal mining museum.

If you choose to home Ed then you don't have to follow a curriculum, no.

However if you choose that then it will be much harder to get support than if he is in school - for example you will need to pay the exam fees if he sits GCSE's - if he is in school you don't have to pay them the school does.

I get the impression from your post that he had difficulties in primary as well - what support did they have in place?

It may be worth trying to get him into a small unit where he doesn't have to change classrooms etc and is in a more nurturing environment - in which case written evidence from exclusions saying that he can't cope with mainstream will be important.

Realistically the fastest way to get him into an alternative school is tell his school he will be back full-time, let them exclude him a few times for wandering out of lessons etc and within a couple of weeks they'll be trying to get him a place somewhere else.

I would get a private assessment for ADHD, it'll be cheaper than home ed and maybe medication will help.

Are your DGC neurotypical?

@Cheeseontoastt

how is your son? What did you decide to do for him?

Hey!

Life's been a bit mental, been living in a b&b 🙄 he's gone back to mainstream 830-10 everyday starting last Thursday, as we've had contact from SENA to finally get his EHCP completed. He needs a new Ed psychologist assessment, but that can only be completed at a school.

Sooo....once we've got that we can go for a specialist provision.

Hopefully we're finally getting somewhere

but that can only be completed at a school.

This is nonsense. You are being fed a line here.

@Cheeseontoastt

oh dear, you’ve got a lot going on there. I hope you’re ok.

as the PP says I don’t think that is true.

is your son ok going back into school?!