SEN list in school - Secondary application?

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Can someone help shed some light on SEN vs Secondary application?

DS10 has been privately diagnosed for ADHD last year. We are just about to complete the titration stage and reports have been passed on to the GP. We have been in contact with school for observation during medication titration and etc.

But we haven't talked to the GP with regard of future prescriptions yet. School initially did not consider DS has ADHD as he's mostly inattentive and the impulsivity is not as severe as to be destructive to the class or the school. We haven't shared the report with the school so far either. But the teacher has been supportive when it comes to observation and has confirmed she notice great improvement of DS's school life.

So my question is, to which degree/based on what criteria, SED would be part of the consideration for secondary application? I thought the child has to have EHCP in place. But when I was going through one of the application form for a selective school just now, they asked if the child has a SEN record in school OR they have EHCP in place. It made me wonder if an EHCP is not necessary.

Furthermore, to disclose the SEN record, I also have concern. I know certain schools have bias against SEN candidates. I don't want to complicate his application either. DS will sit the entrance exam. But I'm not sure if the SEN part is better to be left out or to be disclosed.

Thank you.

Just to caveat, I speak from experience and not expertise!
I assume you’re talking about state schools, in which case they absolutely cannot have bias against pupils with SEN. I imagine the question about SEN is in case they need to make special arrangements for the exam. My son sat an entrance exam for a private school and they made special arrangements for him, he was in a small room with only a few other children and was allowed movement breaks and extra time.
Without an EHCP, SEN doesn’t come into secondary applications, unless you qualify under the extreme social/medical criteria which not all schools have and which is very strictly applied - not many pupils have sufficiently severe conditions to be admitted under this criteria and I believe it is at the school’s discretion as to whether it is applicable.
The reason SEN doesn’t come into it is because all secondary schools should be able to accommodate children with SEN not requiring an EHCP (and many can accommodate children with an EHCP by way of extra support), so a pupil’s SEN does not come into play when making the application. I don’t have much knowledge of state selective schools, but it might be that they take SEN into consideration in the same way they take a child’s age into consideration when assessing their scores (I.E. more leniency towards a summer born compared with an autumn born) but someone with more knowledge of this will be able to tell you.
Personally I would disclose all info as you want what is best for your child. With private schools they said they could withdraw an offer if they later find out info about a child that wasn’t disclosed initially. I don’t think this is the case in state but I’d have thought the more your child’s educators know about them, the better they can help them. Good luck!

Are you talking about private or state schools, OP?

I'm indeed talking about state school. @PatriciaHolm

Thank you @SuperSue77 . What you said does make sense. I know in principle they are not allowed to discriminate. But I heard some head had openly discouraged family with SEN child to apply for their school. It was appalling. I just wonder if they could in anyway make it more difficult for the application if they are aware of the SEN status.

But yes, what you said about extra support during exam makes sense. We are probably not in the SEN list with school yet, as we have not gone through the NHS route for diagnosis. I think we need to have a chat with the school to see if it's worth get the diagnosis registered. Thank you so much!

Most schools don't have a 'Social and medical needs' criteria for admissions. Even the ones that do are unlikely to think that ADHD meets the criteria. So he would most likely fall in the normal admissions for each school you apply for.

Although an ECHP can be useful in terms of naming a secondary school, it's more about support during school.

Do you feel your son will cope well with the transition to secondary? This can be difficult for neurodiverse students. There can also be a second point where they struggle when starting GCSEs- in some schools this can mean a very different timetable and lots of new people in their classes, which can be difficult.

Getting an ECHP takes several months- so if you wait until there is a major problem to apply, that is several months where your child is not necessarily getting the help they need.

On the other hand, if their ADHD is being managed well with medication at the moment, you may not meet the threshold for an ECHP- it's based on needs, not diagnosis.

Basically, I think school admissions shouldn't be the only factor you consider when deciding whether to apply for an ECHP.

The section you have noticed about SEN is likely to be WRT access arrangements for exams, rather than relating to school admission.

What is your plan if he doesn't get into the selective school you're considering?

They shouldn't discourage you from applying if your child has send.

However IME (sadly) if a school does just that then I would be glad they showed me who they were and how they'd treat my ds before I enrolled him there.

But also (through experience) I'd actively avoid any school that tells you they are "expert" in send. They often mean "well treat your child as diagnosis and is they do t respond to our strategies well blame your child and won't work with you because we are the experts".

The best schools are the ones who when you visits and mention send ask "how can we best support your child. What does and doesn't work. What transitions need to be in place". Etc

EHCP admissions are processed separately - if a school is named in it, they take them (after the consultation period where they look at whether they can support the child's needs - which if appropriately medicated and responding well is very likely). Rejecting someone out of hand without justification on an EHCP will mean that they're instructed to take them anyway.

99% of admissions staff are too busy to be able to indulge a head sticking their nose in, especially as the final decisions are always made by committee/governors in Own Admissions Authority schools, not the head alone. And heads are usually too busy to be pestering harassed looking admissions staff in the run up to Christmas when they do they get told oh, yes, I'll do that and then are summarily ignored in favour of processing the applications correctly in any case.

Unless you are hoping for a social/medical/exceptional need decision (which the governors would decide upon on the basis of the evidence you provide at application, not the head alone anyhow), it's not relevant until the place has been accepted and the details get fed through during the transition period for supporting your DS - where you can contact the transition team/SENDCO as well as his current school doing so.

In short, it doesn't affect applications unless you want it to count for higher categories, an EHCP can help, but the new school will benefit from knowing in advance once the place is offered and accepted.