My 11 yr old son has been kicked out by his mum

[Gazza2020]

My 11 yr old son has been kicked out by his mum.
He came to me last Thursday after his mum refused to take him back. I went the school to get him otherwise social services would have taken him to a place of safety. in my eyes that means he would have been taken away and the hell I would have had in getting him back
They have been round today and are going to support me in keeping him with me
How do I find a school for him..im just not sure how to go about things such as applying for child benefit, school support etc
for now my biggest concern is getting him into school asap. He had spent just two days in secondary education before this happened
any advice please
with thanks
Gary

[HalloToJasonIsaacs]

Have you contacted the three academies directly? In theory it's the Local Authority's job to get him a place, but in practice it can be helpful to contact them in person to explain the situation, ask whether they're likely to have any spaces free, and make sure he's on the waiting list with his new address.

[Gazza2020]

Thank you
just had a quick glance at F.A.P threads. It might be of some help if and when one of or all of refuse him a place but get the impression that it could take weeks to sort out
I will delve deeper into it see if I can find out more
Thanks

[TeenAndTween]

Try posting on the Secondary pages (under Education) for advice on how to ensure your son gets a school place. There is something called the Fair Access Protocol, but I don't know when/whether that will apply and/or whether the LA can help with transport in your situation.

Use title of something like y7 son no school place admission experts help needed

[MiscellaneousAssortment]

Oh dear. My only advice is to be a squeaky wheel. Phone everyday, email, ask for progress updates, what they are going to do to fix this situation etc etc

Make yourself polite but very visible, and hard to ignore.

Good luck

[Gazza2020]

UPDATE
Still no school place for my son he has now missed out on his first half term of secondary school and try dealing with SPOS admissions in Cambridgeshire is a joke,. They wouldn't even believe my social worker who works for .. wait for it Cambridgeshire county council
Then I find out that because the three schools I asked for have academy status SPOS can only request a place and if they say no it all starts again f.f.s As I said before if it was me keeping him out of school I would probably be facing a jail sentence
Confused or what
On the upside my boy is settled. HMRC have sorted tax credits and child benefits and to my shock have been on the ball
Thanks to all for the advice

[BlueFolly]

I'm not a troll.

[BastardGoDarkly]

Best of luck, keep us in the loop, poor kid.

[Gazza2020]

Thank you for all the positivity. social worker is now coming to see me tomorrow with all the information
signed my son up for the Khan academy a real help thank you so much for all the advice

[hownottofuckup]

Gingerbread is good for advice/support for lone parents

[BastardGoDarkly]

Council may well provide a bus pass/taxi while this gets sorted, give them a ring.

Are you having to take time off work?

[NerrSnerr]

OP people have tried to give advice. Have you tried talking to social services/ the council to see if they can help with transport?

[Gazza2020]

That's not to sort the place out that's just to reply. and for your information it is twenty miles away and I have no transport i
came on here for advice, not for some troll to voice there opinion so get over yourself I do not need your negativity at this time

[StressedNHSemployee]

Are you unable to transport him to school?

[BlueFolly]

So its ok for them but not for us, if I kept him off school I would face a court appearance and a fine

I don't think it's unreasonable for it to take a couple of weeks to sort out the admin and logistics of getting a school place changed. Plus, you are keeping him off school aren't you? So it is OK for you, when appropriate, to keep him off school.

[NerrSnerr]

What an awful situation. Could you take him to his old school in the short term while it's all being sorted?

[CousinCharlotte]

Social services should be able to arrange transport to keep him at his school.

[Gazza2020]

Thank you
trying to organise some of your suggestions. And will look at the khan academy
Gary

[PotteringAlong]

It's 20 miles, not a million miles. If you're able to have time off work to keep him with you can you not take him to school whilst it's sorted out?

[Somerville]

That's frustrating for you and him, but these things can/do take a bit of time.

A possible way to speed things up is to get social services to contact them directly.

In the meantime get your son on websites like the excellent khan academy and take him along to join your local library and borrow books. Both these options are free. If funds permit then have him join a sports/activity club on a Saturday morning so he can start making friends. And, as much as you have time, also take him out to the park and to museums. Lots of bonding time after what must have been a traumatic experience for him is not necessarily the worst thing in the world right now.

[reallyanotherone]

Is 20 miles to his current school not possible short term?

Sympathies, I have just relocated and mine is without a school. Catch 22- I couldn't apply until we'd moved, and now we have an official address it takes 20 days to process the applications.

Have you phoned them? I've emailed everything so I have a "paper" trail, then followed up with phone calls to check they have everything, can read attachments etc. I think if you're polite and use sentences "just wanted to check I've attached things correctly/sent the right form" it takes the sting out of you hassling them ;)

A few weeks off Yr 7 won't ruin his education. If you can, go on holiday, give the lad a break, let him get back on an even keel. Or take day trips- lots of National trust sites have educational experiences etc.

[Gazza2020]

Great.
SPOS admissions could take up to 10 days to even reply to my email utterly ridiculous
so at least two weeks off school at the beginning of his secondary education So its ok for them but not for us, if I kept him off school I would face a court appearance and a fine
I hate the double standards of these faceless functionaries

[Gazza2020]

The only person my son has fallen out with is his mum. What surprised me was my stupidity in believing it was his fault...
He is a well spoken polite kid but there is no respect for each other.
I am happy that he is with me, he feels calmer and a lot less stressed
I will get in touch with the LEA
thank you
Gary

[Lancelottie]

If your local schools are full, ask (explaining circumstances) if the LEA can provide transport for him to his current school for the moment.

[steppemum]

sorry, that sounded like I was blaming him. Just thought it might be more complicated if he is struggling.

[steppemum]

The LEA sort school places, not the school. Phone school admissions at the LEA and ask. Poor kid, imagine just starting secondary and having to start all over again.
Can you get him to his old school for now?


Why did she kick him out? Is he struggling with behaviour etc at all?