School refusal and EHCP and Home Ed

[catsruleok]

Hello, I would be grateful for some help.

My 15yo has been school refusing since April 2024. We've moved schools, Section 19 and various reduced timetables (and dropping 2 GSCE subjects) etc etc

He is unable to go the school, physically sick (ran away from home & the list goes on) and the poor guy is a mess.

School have just stated that if he is unable to engage with the latest reduced timetable (Learning Support then joining the classroom) they will be informing the School Inclusion Officer and the LA and a fine would no doubt follow and it would be out of the schools hands. We were fined at the last school for his school refusal and £320 or whatever it is for a 2nd offence will go a long way to help fund his home schooling.

Clearly mainstream school is not suitable for my son but we have gritted our teeth & been slogging away as we are going to Tribunal Appeal for his EHCP and felt we needed them for additional evidence.

The school have confirmed that things have changed from the original EHCP submission and they would be suppling different information if/when it goes to tribunal.

My son has ADHD, FASD (undiagnosed), attachment difficulties (undiagnosed) and Anxiety (undiagnosed) so my thought process was that the EHCP would help him in the future. Referred to CAMHS but they discharged him and referred back to Post Adoption Support.

Finally. my question - am I likely to get an EHCP without the school's
assistance ? Is it worth getting the EHCP ?

thank you

I am so sorry to hear about the difficulties your son is experiencing in this 'one size fits all' education system'. It doesn't sound as if sending him to school if he is so distressed is in the 'best interest of the child' (Article 3 - UNCRC 1989). If the school are not meeting your sons due to being an inappropriate placement, I struggle to see why the school would have the audacity to threaten fining a family, already struggling to get the appropriate suitable provision to meet their child's needs. I would also say from experience (some time ago), it is possible to get an EHCP without the school, in fact submit your contribution before the school. My son received was educated 'other than at school' (Funded by the LA) from 9 - 19 years old, then attended a specialist college (Funded by LA).
If your son is not able to attend school, I would strongly suggest you contact IPSEA, who can advise on your son accessing some LA/Hospital education support at home. More recently, I have supported a family with a child not coping with school as the school had failed to seek EP assessment or provide 'any support', together I helped the Mum to submit her contribution separate to the school. Her son was placed in a specialist school for assessment. This school was excellent in assessing him for a high level of need in all areas and providing a supporting report. PS: I have to say everything only started moving once everything was being recorded, i.e. conversations with previous school, lists of exclusions (illegal), truancy (untrue-due to informed medical reasons), fines and more, we captured in writing and emailed, copying in all people involved with their child, ie School head, Teacher, SEN, paediatrician, GP, (maybe in your case adoption support). I hope you son gets the support he needs and deserves.

Hi. I am in a very similar situation to you. I have a 15 year old DD who has had anxiety based school refusal since she was 10 and we have been battling the system ever since. I am beyond exhausted. DD has dyslexia anxiety-depressive disorder and is on the waiting list for an ASD assessment (won't happen until she actually leaves school due to the waiting list). Every reduced timetable eventually fails for DD and she ends up missing huge periods of school. Because of this she is obviously way behind academically. For the last year she has been attending an alternative provision provided by school for kids with anxiety based school avoidance which has been great but they do very little work there. In September this provision is being withdrawn due to funding amd they want her back on main site in regular lessons, but only offering Maths English and Science. DD will no doubt try to go in but ultimately it will fall apart and she will end up in burn out. She is under CAMHs but just gets medication. I am currently applying for an EHC needs assessment, as I am predicting that thisbyear will be a waste and she will need to stay in Education for longer. But a big part of me feels that we would be better home edding her? The toll it takes on her and all us as a family trying to work with the system is a nightmare.

Did you make a decision?

Hello
firstly thank you for any replies.

Pinkjessie sorry to hear things are and have been so tuff for you all. You asked if we have made a decision - yes we have. Home Ed it is.

He is still on the school role but not attending. We will deregister him at the beginning of the next school year (his year 11). We will reapply for the EHCP needs assessment at the same time. School have been empathic and no more mention of fines so fingers crossed we get to Friday. I doubt it but I want to fob them off so he is classed as home schooled from September and we can all relax over August.

You are right no way can we continue on like this. Even if the school offered Maths, English and Science I can't see how he would manage the class environment.

Our son will be sad that he is leaving the school. Anytime he has been in school has been in Learning Support but still feels part of the school. He said yesterday that his aim was to be full time by Christmas 😪he is so young for his age in so many areas. So unrealistic.

We are looking into Functional Skills for Maths and English rather than Foundation. We need to do more research though but according the blurb "average 50 hours of online learning required (access to software for 12 months), exam taken at home, equivalent to grade 4 pass & exam can be taken at anytime"
About £600 for both subjects that sounds cheap to the way I feel at the moment as like you I am so battle weary let alone how my son feels hence all of us relaxing over August and Home Ed starting in September at his pace. I understand its around £200 odd for a GSCE exam entry.
We are thinking that will take the pressure off him leaving him to do another GSCE or not !

He rarely leaves the house without either of us and has no friends in real life or online so this is something we need to help him with.

We can't see him going to college in September 2026 the way his anxiety is now. We would be just moving the problem. We also want to prepare him that maybe college will be a target for the year after.

Hope today is a better day for you all xx

Hello, I wanted to say a huge thank you for all your replies and your help. This thread was invaluable and now I am relieved to report my son has an EHCP !

I will spare you all the drama, delays and blooming hard work the system is to navigate etc as I know you'll all been or are in the same situation.

Early days but we are further forward that we were before.

thank you 😍

Oh well done! Have you had the Draft or the Final?

Check that;

Section B includes all the special educational needs and barriers to education

Section F has a corresponding provision for each need, which is both specific and quantified in terms of hours and delivery (no woolly “would benefit from” and similar vagueness)

Section E has outcomes which are a measure of the success of section F’s provisions

abd that all the recommendations from the reports in section K are included verbatim.

Good luck x

I hope it helps you move forward xxx