Daughter won’t go to school

[TurnUpTurnip]

I wondered if anyone can advise me, I am a lone parent (fully lone no ex involved) my oldest is 10 and has asd (and awaiting adhd assessment) recently she has started refusing to go to school (I am unable to get to the bottom of why she just says that she doesn’t want to go to school, her speech and language and is very limited) I’m posting for advice on my other children, I was unable to get them to school today as my daughter refused to go, she threw herself on the floor screaming and started lashing out at me and the other children so I had no choice but to come home. Being a lone parent I don’t have anyone else that can do the school run (family/friends not available) what can I do here, my other children are upset that they can’t go to school.

DD’s EHCP should be amended for secondary transition by 15th February. If you don’t agree with the secondary placement you can appeal.

It sounds like DD needs a reassessment of needs rather than just a review. You don’t need to be added to a waiting list for an EP if DD has a reassessment of needs as one must be included in the reassessment.

Although it helps when the school say they can’t meet needs it is not essential to securing an SS place.

It's your choice though not theirs . Do you have a paediatrician? Get them to write a letter to the Senco . Just don't give up if it's what you want/ think is right for her .

It's your choice though not theirs .

Well, not quite. You can name your preference and unless the school is wholly independent the LA should name it except for the exceptions I posted above, and if they don’t you can appeal. But many LAs act unlawfully, name an alternative placement and force parents to appeal.

I was told by the school she wouldn’t get a place in a special school.

As I posted earlier in the thread, schools often say that but parents successfully get a SS place.

Again don't listen to thr school , take charge . Visit some sn schools and make yourself known ! Tell them you want a place and why . Find a suitable school and fight for that place ! Nothing comes easy in the world of sn schools and again it is your decision not the schools ! Stand up to them and tell them what you think is right for your child and don't back down !
You can get a list of the schools in the area from the council website . I sat down and called all of them and made appointments to visit them and went from there .
Don't let them tell you what is right for your child !

@Imitatingdory I went to all the schools I thought would work for my son , chose the one I wanted , negotiated a place , went back to ms school and told them to change ehcp to say they can't meet his needs . Told county he was going to said school in September and he had a place and please do the paperwork . I chose , I sorted and I organised .
I wouldn't rely on anyone at the council or school to sort a place or decide .

Turn at the start of last year, I was told Ds would not even get an EHCP, now we as looking at specialist placements.

gunners you sound like you have a very accommodating LA!

We, I think have finally persuaded ours it's what Ds needs. But that has taken contact with the director of education, multiple meetings with managers/case officer, our family pretty much falling apart, emails, calls, CAMHS providing extra evidence and Ds dropping out of school. To get to the stage of them even agreeing to consult with a specialist.

Gunnersgold You don’t need to negotiate a place with the school if you have an EHCP, unless the school is wholly independent, the LA must name your preference unless one of the exceptions in section 39(4) CAFA 2014 apply. If they cannot do so they must name the school regardless of whether the school object. There’s no legal definition of full, and being ‘full’ is not enough of a reason on its own to refuse admission, the LA have to prove the school is so full place DC there is incompatible.

To an extent you have to rely on the LA because it is them, not the school, that amend the EHCP. You can’t just tell the school to amend the EHCP, it doesn’t work like that. If you want to do this outside of the annual review, you need the LA to agree to an early review, and if they refuse you have no right of appeal. If the LA agree to an early review, or you wait until the AR, you can state your preference, but if the LA don’t name it the only way you can force the matter is via tribunal - so no, often it’s not as simple as telling the LA DC is starting another school in a certain month, especially when you want to move from MS to SS, which LAs often force parents to appeal for.

OP please read IPSEA’s website. They have information about asking for an early review, the statutory timescales for reassessment of needs and reviews and naming a school in the EHCP.

This may not work but is worth a try. I asked DS (ASD) about each section of 'going to school'
Do you not like getting dressed? (sensory issue with socks got sorted)
Do you not like the walk to school?
What about roll call
Maths?
Assembly?

etc etc. That way you might find out what aspect of school she hates. It could well be sensory overload. There could be some solutions (eg skipping assembly or working with a TA to understand what to do via one-stage instructions.)

We really need more specialist school in UK.

Well it's how I did it . I'm just saying to the OP that it's your child and you must do what you think is best and don't back down . The school should help her not out up obstacles !

The school should help her not out up obstacles !

I never said otherwise, but the process isn’t as straight forward as visiting SS and telling the current school to amend the EHCP. For a start, many SS still aren’t allowing parents to look round. OP needs to understand the legal processes of asking for an early review or reassessment of needs and amending the EHCP.

I'm not trying to argue with anyone , just pointing out some people just agree with the school because they believe they know best . It isn't always the case and you can disagree and do what you think is best .
Good luck op . I would personally research some Sen schools online or otherwise and go from there .

It’s not about trusting the school or not, as I posted previously, schools often incorrectly tell parents their DC won’t get a SS place and there are limited reasons the LA can refuse to name the parents’ preferred school and OP has been incorrectly advised her DD isn’t academically struggling enough and would need the current school to say they can’t meet needs. It is about understanding the legal processes of amending the EHCP - which is more than just telling the school to amend (when they aren’t the ones who amend EHCPs) and the LA DC will be moving.