Secondary admissions EHCP Type 1 Diabetes

[ChinchillaFur]

Looking for some advice on here from the knowledgeable admissions people as I'm struggling to get straight answer from my county council.

DD is in Year 5 and has type 1 diabetes. She has an EHCP at her primary school purely in relation to her diabetes. She doesn't have any other SEN or TA support.

What I want a definitive answer to is, does her EHCP 'count' as the same as an EHCP which would be more like an old 'statement' for admissions purposes? That is, would she be placed into category 1 for admissions?

Thanks in advance!

An ehcp is an ehcp regardless of what its for. If it's a very oversubscribed school you may have a tough time proving why they and no other schools can meet a diabetics needs though. The schools around us that are very popular get about 35 ish ehcp applications a year and they are very picky. You should be going through admissions with the SEN team though and they will be able to help.

Thank you malmontar. Would that be the SEN team at the secondary school or county council?

Agree that an EHCP is an EHCP no matter what it is for. However this is where different LAs have such different approaches, there not a chance in hell that in my LA you would get an EHCP for type 1 diabetes. Every school would be expected to deal with that unless there were other complications to do with the diabetes. We currently have two pupils in my school with type 1 diabetes without any plan.

As a current year 5, it is probably a bit early to be talking with the SEN people at the LA . However I think you do need to be talking to them certainly in the summer term because they will for sure be looking to review the EHCP as your child moves towards secondary school. Having said what I have said above, do not be surprised if the SEN team starts talking in terms of not needing an EHCP given the age of your child and moving to secondary school. Getting in early will allow you the longest period for discussion. If they intend to continue the EHCP then it does count for admission purposes, which then gives you scope for discussing with the SEN team what an appropriate school might be to the benefit of your child.

In our area you would not have an ehcp for diabetes there must also be a learning need..if she needs support managing her diabetes beyond the school capabilities then funding would be provided by the health service..there is specific guidance for managing medical conditions in school.

She should have an annual review that specifally looks at transition ..

I know a DC who was placed in the exceptional medical and social needs category for admissions due to type 1 diabetes, I don't know if he had an EHCP or whether you can be in that category without. IIRC the case for one school being able to meet the DC's needs over others was to do with the simplicity/shortness of the journey and the availability of safe stop-off points such as cafes and him needing a journey that at 11 he could safely and independently manage at the end of a long day if he had highs or lows.

Thanks everybody who has replied. Since I posted I have had a call back from the admissions dept at my county council.

Apparently not all EHCP's are equal in terms of admissions! My dd will not be placed in category 1. She advised us to apply in category 3 which is "social/medical need". This will require letters ftom "professionals" and the onus will be on US to prove why one school only can meet her needs. I am glad I found out now not this time next year!

ah that must have been what happened with the DC i knew.

What Shiney said. All EHCPs are equal when it comes to school admissions, the LA have to follow the law.

However I am surprised she has an EHCP for diabetes, especially for secondary school when she might be considered old enough to manage her condition herself whilst at school.

Well it says on the front of her care plan "Education health care plan"! Apparently it isn't though

As she is y5, there must be a review before secondary and it may well be that the EHCP does not continue with a named school. Therefore there will be a need to provide evidence if she wishes to go to a school under the medical and social need category.

I very much doubt that she has an EHCP for diabetes unless she has brittle or very unstable diabetes. My son is type 1 and Certainly doesn't. However, each school needs to have an individual health care plan for those with medical needs. Do you think you've got confused? If you did have a proper EHCP you would have a named case worker, have annual reviews and have lots of paperwork.

Is it an actual EHCP? Do you have yearly reviews etc?

An EHCP is an EHCP. The LA can't pick and choose which EHCPs they adhere to the terms of the admissions code with and which they don't, and you'd have very good grounds for appeal on the basis that you'd been placed in the wrong admissions category if you were denied a place because you weren't seen as having a "good enough" EHCP.

However, what you may find is that the LA make a decision that they want to end your DD's EHCP at the Y5 review, on the basis that T1DM is a very common condition that any school should be able to manage from within its own resources, with support from usual health services, and that it doesn't require >£6k funded support to meet your DD's needs. From what you've said, if she doesn't require any additional TA time, this would be right?

Every school will have children with T1DM, and will have school nursing services who can advise on the care of children with diabetes.

Year 5 is the time that LAs have to review EHCPs in order to support with secondary transfer. An EHCP isn’t for life (so to speak!) - it should always be reviewed anyway and provision changed to match outcomes, no one can assume that needs or support will stay the same all the way to year 11.
I know some children with an EHCP just for the T1, it’s unusual though.
Expectations of children with all medical conditions at secondary is different to primary. If you’re not already a member I’d suggest joining the CWD FB group, there’s a lot of wise parents on there at every stage of the school journey who will be able to support you, not with the EHCP side, but with adapting to the changing face of T1 as she grows .... it’s a tough one!

What I now suspect has happened is that she has a "Care plan" which her diabetes team at the hospital wrote. I think someone has accidentally named it an "Education health care plan".

We have regular meetings with school but mainly to update about hypo treatments, new pump etc

Ahh right. No, an Education Health and Care Plan is a formal, legal, process that you or the school applies for. The process takes up to 6 months and you would definitely know you had been successful in your application because there would have been all sorts of forms and documents to fill in, and assessments by Education Psychology, Occupational Therapy, consultation with Social Services, etc., to determine the needs of your child. Then a multi-part document would have been drawn up, which would have been first sent out in draft form for consideration, and you would have been asked to name your preferred school to meet your DD's needs. Then the final document would be sent, which defines the support required, how it would be met, and the school that would provide that care. Every year, a formal Annual Review takes place, to make sure that care needs haven't changed and that the school is still the right one.