Ebsa and attendance

[SimpleDayss]

I’m currently on an attendance warning from the LA because my daughter’s attendance has dropped to 82%. The frustrating thing is that she attends school every single day and is rarely actually absent. The attendance figure is low because she has EBSA (Emotionally Based School Avoidance), and getting her into school each morning is a huge challenge.
Most days I do eventually get her there, but it’s often after 9.30am. Once she’s late enough, it gets marked as an unauthorised absence, which has had a big impact on her attendance percentage despite her physically attending school every day.
I’ve had the official warning letter and have been told her attendance needs to improve.
Today she’s come home from school feeling genuinely unwell with a high temperature and headache. I really don’t want to send her in tomorrow or Friday if she’s ill, but I’m worried about how that will look given the attendance warning.
If she’s off sick and I report it properly, would that normally be authorised? And do authorised absences still count against attendance percentages? I’m particularly concerned because the attendance issues aren’t due to me keeping her off school - they’re entirely related to the morning difficulties caused by her EBSA. Also people have told me it shouldn’t be marked as unauthorised if she is there but late, but I'm pretty sure that is correct and it’s classed as unauthorised. Please no nasty comments like I said she is in every day.

My daughter (12) has been off with EBSA for a large part of the year, after usually having high attendance. I use the phrase ‘unable to attend’ and it is marked as authorised.

She is attending but late, seems that’s worse than not going at all to the school and LA ☹️

Get her up an hour before you usually do. That way you factor in tantrum time and still get there on time.

It isn't tantrum time, it is EBSA.

My son was off school due to ebsa, he is diagnosed autistic though, and he was really struggling, all this was going on whilst being assessed for an ehcp, ours was never marked as unauthorised, I don’t believe yours should be as your daughter is clearly struggling in some way and school should be trying to figure out what it is ? Has Sen been mentioned, referrals ?

My DS didn't attend school at all due to EBSA. School marked it as unauthorised. I was threatened with court, fines, the lot. Eventually the Dr sent a letter saying he couldn't attend and they accepted that. It was a few years ago though, so rules may have changed.

She’s been referred for autism but she’s in which seems to be going against her looks like if she was off completely we would be getting less hassle

She’s late that seems to be making the big difference, seems it would be more supported if she just didn’t go at all

Although coding the lates after registration has closed as U is correct, the school shouldn’t be treating them the same as they would if it was an active choice to be late. They should be providing support (what have they already tried?), looking at referrals to outside agencies, requesting an EHCNA (if they haven’t done that, I would make the request yourself).

They haven’t done a ehcp and said she wouldn’t get one. She masks at school so I guess that’s why but they do say she has no friends and is struggling with friendships. They haven’t tried anything I have to go in weekly for an hour to help?

Ignore the school. Request an EHCNA yourself. On their website, IPSEA has a model letter you can use. You might have to appeal but you can get an EHCP.

In the meantime, request a meeting with the SENCO. They must make reasonable adjustments and they must make their best endeavours to meet DD’s SEN. Follow up with an email so you have a paper trail. If you don’t get anywhere, speak to the headteacher.

If you get to a point where DD cannot attend, under section 19 of the Education Act 1996, the LA still has a duty to ensure she receives a suitable full-time education. This should be arranged once it becomes clear 15 days will be missed. The days don’t have to be consecutive or already missed. Provision should begin by the sixth day of absence.

Depends whether or not it's a recognised reason for absence. It does seem unfair to record an absence when a pupil is just late. The school has probably been told to improve their attendance records.

I speak to them regularly. I go in once a week for an hour for ebsa meeting every week. She masks a lot in school so doubt she would get one as they aren’t spending any extra

You can get an EHCP for DC who mask in school. It doesn’t matter that the school hasn’t spent any money.

The threshold for an EHCNA is relatively low. You only have to show DD a) has or may have SEN, and b) may need special educational provision to be made via an EHCP. You do not need to prove she definitely does.

If the SENCO isn’t providing support despite the meetings, go to the headteacher. If that doesn’t work, follow the complaints process.

Oh I read the school needs to be spending at least £6000?

That is a myth some LAs and some schools like to perpetuate.

Illness is always authorised absence so no issue there.
Your issue is that late arrival after registers being closed is classed as unauthorised absence.
That is correct in general but it doesn't feel right if it's an l unavoidable like that.
It should be a trigger for extra support rather than feeling like blame. I would recommend meeting the senco and asking for a part time timetable on account of sen. You don't need a diagnosis of anything and they have to do reasonable adjustments based on need rather than on diagnosis. If you need to then an educational physiologist might be able to assess and back you up or suggest something else.
If you can switch to attending eg 9.30am until close then it seems like all the pressure comes off (which can be half the problem with ASD and related) and everything can be regularised on the school's stats as well.
Good luck!

This isn’t true, but and LA’s wish it was. The school were pending nothing on my child as he masks too, now he had an EHCP as I applied and he gets over 50% of the time supported by a TA. He gets movement breaks etc.
The school should be coding it as authorised illness absence when she’s late. All my child’s EBSA related absence is authorised whether she’s late or off completely.
Feel free to message me for advice. I’d also be looking for a new school.

We are in a similar situation and have SEN diagnosis. We notify the school every day if child is late or unable to attend. Do you do this? In our case if late, we say child is dysregulated and will be late to school. If child is unable to attend we say, child is experiencing anxiety arising from SEN which is affecting their mental health. This then gives us a record of evidence should the school pursue fines. Not happened yet. Could you request a reduced timetable which gives your child a later start time? Our child has this and does not attend tutor. This may take the pressure off in the morning

If you haven't already done this, I would also make a doctors appointment for your child to get it documented they are experiencing anxiety around school. Your child does not need to attend with you and you can go alone. If the school pursue the fines this is further evidence that you have sought support. I think the GP can also do a CAMHS referral but not 100% sure.

Ignore the talk of ‘tantrum’ time from unhelpful PP. When we were going through this, getting up an hour earlier would simply have prolonged the period of anxiety around going into school by an hour.

Also try not to worry too much about the ins and outs of attendance % (very much easier said than done, I know). The reason Ofsted and the Dept for Education are so hot on attendance is because being in school (provided not sitting there too frazzled to be able to take anything in) means being there learning. Getting in at 9.30am is obviously far more beneficial in this respect than being off all day. Unfortunately many divvy attendance officers can’t seem to get their heads around this concept and seem to think the link between 95%+ attendance and attainment levels is some kind of abracadabra magic spell, rather than equating it to time spent with teachers.

Thank you, she doesn’t sleep well at night and is often up late with the anxiety of school in the morning so I know waking her up earlier won’t help, the times I tried that she was even worse. I am going to look back into the ehcp I really didn’t know that wasn’t the case! Thanks again.