Bromley : EHCP

[Bromley12]

Hi
Our Local school in Bromley are in the process of applying the EHCP plan for our son who is in Year 5. He has already been seen by Education Psychologist and SLT. School SENCo recommends/suggests he should have ehcp plan.
We are aware that this will take 20 weeks or even more. I just wanted to know what to do if we do not have the plan in time to name a preferred school in the plan before the school admission deadline 31st October. Thank you.

If you do not have a finalised EHCP by the deadline, you should make an application via the normal application process just in case.

Apply as normal and when they get themselves sorted for consultations (usually get sent out in November to be finalised by January), you can withdraw your acceptance after national offer day - once you've seen a copy of the final document, not drafts or not at all.

If you need to go to Tribunal, it just means any admission is processed manually later in the summer term.

Thank you.
Does that mean, my son can get the named school on plan, even if ehcp is delayed ?

Thank you.

If an EHCP is issued, there will be placement named in section I regardless of whether the EHCP is finalised before or after the normal application deadline. That will override any offer made via the normal admission process.

The exceptions to having a placement named in section I are in the small proportion of cases which are EOTAS/EOTIS so section I is blank, which presumably doesn’t apply to you since you don’t mention it being inappropriate for DC to attend school, and in a small number of cases where only a type of placement is named, in which you could appeal.

Yes. I've just had somebody withdraw their acceptance because their child had another school named on Thursday and in previous years, we've only found out a couple of days before for some (presumably a knock-on from somebody else getting a place somewhere through Tribunal, freeing up a space, then freeing up another, etc).

Thank you.
Also I know for Grammar schools ( St Olaves in Orpington) my son has to pass the test, do the process remains the same once my son passes the test ?.

The process for actually naming a placement is the same.

If a pupil is not deemed academically suitable/not deemed qualified for grammar/not selective ability/whatever phrasing that LA/school wants to use, the LA and school mostly state the setting is unsuitable for the age, ability, aptitude or special educational needs and the LA refuses to name the placement. Although depending on the circumstances this can sometimes this can be successfully appealed.

We are local to you. We applied for the ECHNA in autumn of year 5. We finally got the EHCP in June of year 6 (two tribunals in between). We applied for schools for the October year 6 deadline using the normal process. The school we had already got a place at in the March was named on the EHCP in June (I was a bit anxious in between in case something went wrong, but it didn't). My DC wasn't suitable for grammar but did have to sit a "banding" test in November of year 6 covering two of the choices on our school application.

The two processes (school admissions and EHCP) are pretty much independent of each other. I can only assume EHCPs didn't take so long to get when the normal admissions process was designed.

Be aware that you need to do your own detailed research into schools. The LA don't do that for you. In fact throughout the entire year and 9 months, we had no advice of any kind from them and no communication other than the small number of formal letters required. They don't even sign their names!

I hope it goes reasonably smoothly but as the parent you do need to drive things forward as much as you can.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/special_educational_needs/5309128-ehcp-support-thread-no-5?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share also if you run into problems, you can post here.

St Olaves is highly super selective. They offer a quieter room for exams but you wouldn't get them named on an ECHP.
If you want to go for grammars then you also need to consider the Bexley and Kent tests depending on where you live. Some grammars may give priority to additional needs but you still have to pass the test.

All State funded schools can be named in an EHCP and the school must admit the child if they are not successful in getting the LA to agree at consultation that they are unable to meet the child's needs.

St Olave's is no different from any other state maintained school in that respect - as they are very aware if you read their SEN & Disabilities Policy, which says 'Where students have an EHCP the school SEND team will work closely with pupils and parents and the relevant local authorities EHC department to oversee effective implementation of the plan, reviewing it regularly during their time at the school'.

you wouldn't get them named on an ECHP

St Olave’s can be named in an EHCP.

Sorry I meant that for St Olaves they just offer places based on exam results.
They will implement the EHCP if you get a place.
Some of the grammars with just a pass mark will have the standard admission criteria which puts EHCP above other criteria such as distance.

Thank you.

Can we name more than 1 school in the EHCP, a grammar school and main stream school (in case child doesn't get into Grammar) ?

The school could/would still be named in the EHCP, though.

And the same law applies. Just LAs normally rely on the setting being unsuitable for the age, ability, aptitude or special educational needs where the selective standard isn’t met.

OP, other than for dual placements, two schools are not named in EHCPs. If a school is named in an EHCP, the must admit. The consultation with the school happens before finalising the EHCP.

EHCPs are allocated separately to other admissions. In that sense, They are not part of any state schools determined admissions criteria.

All state schools have the obligation to admit a child with an EHCP that names them, unless they can prove the placement is unsuitable or incompatible with the efficient education of others or the efficient use of resources.

St Olaves do mention them in their admissions document prior to the criteria -
"The places offered each year will be the number remaining after the school has admitted boys with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who meet the School’s Admission Standard and whose EHCP names St. Olave’s Grammar School."

Boys who pass the academic criteria and who have an EHCP that names the school will be admitted before everybody else- they do not have to take part in the regular admissions round. It is not the case they have to get a place first through the normal admissions and then the EHCP will be implemented.

Hi OP, sounds like you've got a fair bit of research to do. If you think grammar is suitable for your child there are a lot they could potentially travel to: as well as St Olaves, there's the Bexley ones and also the Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells ones (one of which has a Sevenoaks campus). The Bromley test, the Bexley test and the Kent test differ. Also as a pp said the schools have different admissions priorities. Judd in Tonbridge has an ASD resource base if that's relevant.

Of course you can include one or more of the Bromley comprehensives on your application but you need to be living not much more than a mile of most of them and Harris Beckenham has a banding test too.

Unfortunately you are not going to get an EHCP before needing to do this research.

I did wonder when I was researching schools if Charles Darwin in Biggin Hill might be a good one to name on EHCP but I don't know what their "top end" is like (as I am assuming your DC is very academically able from the talk of 11+).

Of course much depends on how far you envisage your DC wishing to travel to school.

For year seven transition, the deadline for naming a school on the EHCP is February 15 in the year they are due to start secondary. So you would know when you finalise the EHCP whether they had passed or not (The in process EHCP can be issued without a secondary school on it to start with). The EHCP can only have one School named on it.

To add: I thought it made sense to do the "normal" admissions based on what I thought would be the best setting if she didn't get an EHCP. Because by October of year 6 we were only at the "refuse to issue" stage.

Not necessarily. The grammar results come out mid October, less than 6 months away, and the OP's DC hasn't even had the needs assessment yet I don't think?

The EHCP can only have one School named on it.

It isn’t relevant to OP’s situation, but dual placements can be named in EHCPs.

sorry, I'm not sure I understand what you're saying?

He can sit at the grammar exam in Sept anyway, regardless of whether the EHCP is at that point. Then, OP can apply through the normal round, knowing whether he has passed or not, If the EHCP isn't issued by then.

If the EHCP does get issued before the Grammar results are known, no School needs to be named on it at that point. Plenty of children with EHCP's apply to grammar so it's standard to wait until those results are known to finalise naming a school.

The deadline for finalising the school on the EHCP is not until next February 15, so OP should have plenty of time to get grammar agreed and added by then after October if he passes.

sorry, yes, a previous poster had mentioned that so I didn't bother, as as you say it's not relevant to this occasion!

But yes, it is possible to name a dual setting If it is in the child's interest to attend both, for example, a mainstream school for part of the week and a specialised Setting for the rest.

I'm not disagreeing @PatriciaHolm just speaking from the perspective of someone who experienced it taking 20 months to get an EHCP.

However, if lots of children with EHCP apply to grammar things have really changed since I taught in one. We didn't have a single student with EHCP/statement (that was during the changeover period) in the entire school (not Bromley).