Home Education- please help

[Lifeonapigfarm]

My son is autistic. I've reached a point where I don't think I can keep him in school.

He's only 8.

What do I need to know?
I'm trying to figure out how I can manage financially. I work for myself and need to work at least 6 days a month.

I'm wondering if there's somewhere he could go for 6 days a month?! I've no idea what my options are...

Grateful for any suggestions.

I'm sorry things have been so rough for your son at school. The last survey I saw from the home ed charity Education Otherwise identified unmet special needs as the number one reason for kids to be removed from school for home education, so you certainly aren't alone in that. 🙁

Home education is far more efficient than school, and can be done whenever you want, so you'd have no difficulty giving your child a good education during the hours you aren't working. So the challenge for you, as for many working parents who home educate, is all about childcare.

Might a childminder, babysitter, or nanny share be an option? If you're exploring this with them, reassure them that you don't need them to provide education, only childcare. Some providers imagine that it might be illegal for them to look after a child during the usual "school hours" without providing education, but that isn't the case. (Of course, you know that your child WILL be learning when he's being minded, through discussion and playing and so on. But that doesn't have to be formalised.) I used to use childminders who were themselves home educating their own kids, so they took mine along to home ed activities and it worked really well for all of us.

If you're on Universal Credit, you can claim back part of the cost if you use registered childcare, just the same as if you were using a setting after school. It works exactly the same.

You might be lucky enough to find some sort of drop-off home ed forest school or similar in your area, but they aren't very common and might not fit in with your needs and schedule. Most home ed activities are run on a voluntary basis by other parents and would require you to stay.

That's really helpful. I have literally just applied for universal credit- I didn't know I could use it like that!

Thanks so much for answering.

Are you receiving DLA for DS?

Some alternative provisions also run EHE sessions where you can drop off and some don’t run formal EHE sessions but allow parents to pay for sessions. Unless they are registered, you can’t use these full time because of the illegal unregistered schools rules, but for 6 days a month, you wouldn't be anywhere near that threshold.

If you don’t actively want to EHE, have you considered pursuing an EHCP and EOTAS/EOTIS via that? And in the meantime, if DS can’t attend school, requesting section 19 provision?

I don't know a huge amount about how Universal Credit works. I do know it's complicated, and you'll want to join some forums where people can give advice on specific situations, not least because you can't rely on UC staff to know the regulations!!! Apparently people are very often given incorrect information by UC staff and have to challenge and escalate when wrong decisions are made. I understand the Facebook group "Universal Credit and the Self-Employed" is helpful, and that the person who runs it home educates, so you should get correct advice there.

If your son gets DLA and you are his carer, that exempts you from a lot of the usual requirements. If that isn't the case, they are going to keep pushing you to meet the minimum earnings threshold, and to change job or pick up additional hours if that isn't happening. You would be expected to use childcare if necessary to enable you to work. However, they cannot insist that you put your child into school to use school as childcare, because the government line is that school is purely for education. (Many parents obviously rely on school to provide childcare also, but that is not supposed to be its purpose).

Hi, Yes, I do get DLA and my child is currently being assessed for an EHCP. LA have agreed to assess. I need to get them out of school.

Sorry, this is all new to me- what's section 19 provision?

Section 19 provision is alternative provision for compulsory school aged pupils unable to attend school made under section 19 of the Education Act 1996.

If you are going through the EHCP process, personally, I would not deregister and EHE. It is easier, although not easy, to get support if you remain in the system. Crudely, at the moment you are someone’s ‘problem’. If you deregister and EHE, it is easier for professionals to sweep DC’s needs under the carpet. However, that doesn’t mean you have to force DS to attend school if that isn’t appropriate. If he is unable to attend, you can request alternative provision under s19 of the Education Act 1996. But if you EHE the LA will say you are making suitable alternative arrangements, thereby relieving them of this duty.

Is the LA sticking to the EHCP timescales?

If they have agreed to assess, have you requested all the necessary advice and information sought? The LA must seek advice and in information from:

a) the child’s parent or the young person;
b) educational advice (usually from the headteacher or principal);
c) medical advice and information from a health care professional;
d) psychological advice and information from an educational psychologist;
e) advice and information in relation to social care;
f) advice and information from any other person the local authority thinks appropriate;
g) where the child or young person is in or beyond year 9, advice and information in relation to provision to assist the child or young person in preparation for adulthood and independent living; and
h) advice and information from any person the child’s parent or young person reasonably requests that the local authority seek advice from.

H can include things like SALT, OT and clinical psychology, so be sure to request them.

With an EHCP, you pursue EOTAS/EOTIS if it is inappropriate for provision to be made in a school.

The fact he’s in receipt of DLA will make it much easier with Universal Credit. There’s still a lot to navigate, but they won’t require you to seek work, for example. You can if you want, and the childcare subsidy will help with that, but you don’t have to.