How common is it for children to repeat reception?

[givemedirections]

As it says on the title really. Child in question has severe autism and apparently they can’t meet his needs in Year 1 - but he can’t stay in reception forever? So what eventually happens?

If they cannot meet his needs ask for a special school place which can. Have you visited local special schools and schools with asd base? Repeating reception will unlikely be of much help to Address his needs if he has asd. Specialist input is needed.

Except they used to be and it was fantastic for everyone involved. It's madness what year one has become. I hated it and I was the teacher

This was a consideration for DS2 but was an open conversation with us and the LEA which culminated in us all concluding that, actually, he would still be behind the reception kids for many many years and need extensive 1:1 and he does better in a calmer environment so staying with his peer group would be better for him. He was also more comfortable around kids he knew and did form attachments, even if his interactions were not typical. He eventually moved into specialist provision within a special school

I agree that it does sound like the school is just trying for the easy option for them and your Nephew's parents need to advocate for him and get the school to admit that they can't meet his needs.

We have no specialist provision spaces, they are full to capacity…children in my LA, even with a named special school, on an EHCP, are being educated in mainstream primaries ( often 2-3, sometime 5-6 pupils per school). Individual plans are written to meet each child’s needs. Often this means children with SEND, out of class, learning in other spaces in school, working on their individual planned learning with support staff and a teacher.

The Conservative government made an absolute mess of provision for children with SEND, through their political view that all new schools have to be an academy. LA’s cannot open new schools. We have the buildings (closed unsustainable primaries) but no academy trusts who will open a special school.

Your child will be on the register as in a year one in a new class, but will receiving provision in the eyfs. This is good because year one sucks

If it’s good then there’s no issue, they can share with the LEA that this is what they are doing and he can be on the register in the reception class to ensure it doesn’t go over numbers. So - why isn’t that happening? That’s where the puzzle lies and what the source of the discomfort is.

Seek sen school provision like a heat seeking missile. It's wonderful

I don’t know whether to smile wryly or cry. Have you any idea how much we all desperately want and need this?

Unless the preferred school is wholly independent, the LA must legally name the parental preference unless the LA can prove:
-The setting is unsuitable for the age, ability, aptitude or special educational needs (“SEN”) of the child or young person; or
-The attendance of the child or young person would be incompatible with the provision of efficient education for others; or
-The attendance of the child or young person would be incompatible with the efficient use of resources.

Being full is not defined in law, and on its own being ‘full’ is not enough of a reason to refuse to name parental preference. The LA has to prove the school is so full admitting DC is incompatible. While there is obviously a point where LAs can do this, the bar is far higher than LAs and many schools admit. Which is why so many appeals are successful and why parents should always appeal. If a setting is named in I, they must admit.

I didn’t comment on the likelihood of a successful appeal in OP’s case. I was commenting on the post saying “it can take years these days for specialist provision to become available”. It doesn’t have to if parents appeal.

Thanks @Josie234 , that’s informative and helpful. Thanks too @PickAChew

If a school is named in I they must admit. Parents in this situation should pursue JR.

@givemedirections if the parents want to pursue a special school, do they have the right of appeal now? If not, when was the AR?

I have just said goodbye to a pupil on the autistic spectrum. She repeated foundation stage as she wasn’t ready for year 1. She still struggled in year 1 a year later but has been fab in year 2 (with full time support). I’ll really miss her. We have worries about whether year 3 will be the right thing but we can call an emergency ehcp meeting and revisit the named school when necessary.

@OhMaria2

I agree, a much more relaxed transition to year 1 helped everybody but seems to be as rare as hen's teeth now😢

But it can take years! Of course appeals are worthwhile but certain areas of the country really are full to the brim in terms of specialist provision capacity. You must clearly be in a different area to me as my own personal experience is very different. Children definitely do wait years here 😥

@BrumToTheRescue I think the problem is space and also practicalities (commute and so on) - it’s always the case that where special needs are concerned the gap just gets bigger as they get older. I think when they applied for schools for him he was only just three, and while there was a gap it didn’t seem as drastic, somehow.

I really don’t think anyone minds him redoing reception. What is a worry is that it seems to be about that being best for the school not him. If the two align then that’s brilliant - but they do need to be open about this is everyone’s feeling.

I know that and so do some parents…but not all.

Some are not willing to fight the system, some prefer mainstream.

A really high proportion of parents win at JR. Good for them.

Even worse for the system though. These pupils are awarded independent special school places, out of the area at eye watering costs ( not unusual for this to be £120,000 per child per year) plus transport costs.

Of course this cost comes out of the same LA SEND budget which has been underfunded and cut for the last 13 years. The same budget that has to support all children with SEND.

It doesn’t take years to appeal. I do this day in, day out supporting parents across the country.

If it is inappropriate for provision to be made in a school (MS or SS), there is EOTAS, but again it is likely an appeal will be necessary.

Parents should be supported to enforce their DC’s legal rights rather than accept unlawfulness.

”Some prefer mainstream”

Exactly what I posted about earlier and the legal right to a mainstream education unless a mainstream place is incompatible with the efficient education of others and no reasonable steps could be taken to avoid that. This is completely different situation to a parent wanting to pursue a SS.

PPs have explained that putting him officially in reception may hinder him getting the specialist provision because they can meet his need in reception. Whereas if they're having to put him in reception when he should be in year 1 because they "cannot meet his need" then things may move slightly faster.

No one is lying.

Transport can be provided. See my previous post about schools being full and the legal threshold. So, back to do the parents currently have the right of appeal or not? If not, when was the AR?

So, hypothetically they register him as a Reception child and he actually repeats Reception year. Fine, that's what you want.
What happens at the end of next year if he STILL hasn't met the early learning goals and continues to need EYFS provision? He can't repeat yet again. So he would have to move up to year 1 and access EYFS provision, as he is doing now.

You saying "everyone else is misunderstanding me" when literally everyone us explaining how you're wrong, is very frustrating.

"Repeating the reception year" doesn't mean anything really. A school could decide to put a reception child in a year 6 class every day if they like and if it met the child's needs. They wouldn't have to inform the LA about that. Children should be taught an appropriate curriculum for their ability, not age.

If what you/parent wants is for him to stay in the reception classroom, then it's all good. If you try to force them to formally move him into the year below, and your complaint is up held, then they will simply have 31 in reception, because they can't kick a child out of the year group now. So the complaint would achieve nothing. Save your fight for the special school appeals process.

@MultiplaLight they are telling the LEA he’s going into Y1 and he’s not. That’s a lie.

Are you certain that this isn't a confusion between the way it's recorded in their MIS? You have the Year Group that matches their chronological age, so they're 'in Y1', but you also record the Year Taught In, which would be Reception.

@Thisismynewusernamedoyoulikeit i think there does seem to be some confusion. I am reading it like this

Of course it isn’t a lie! Yes, they are telling the LEA he’s going into year 1 because his name is on the register but he’ll really be in reception!

Whereas I am seeing it as a lie because wherever his name is, he’s in reception with other reception children. Where his name on the register is just isn’t relevant. It’s where he is, his body for want of a better word.

Im nodding until your last sentence.

So what eventually happens. He reaches Y6 and he’s still in the reception classroom but he’s not really there? This is what’s a bit bewildering.

Once again it's not a lie. He is moving into year 1, but accessing the reception curriculum in the classroom that is set up for this.