DD14 missing lessons, school doing nothing about it

[loobyloo1977]

My DD is in year 10. She was diagnosed with ADHD, dylexia and dyscalculia a couple of years ago. She's never been a fan of school but this year it has got a lot worse and she has started truanting from certain lessons. The reason for truanting is that she feels overwhelmed in the class as it so large with over 30 students (last year most of her classes were 10-15 students) and she doesn't understand the teacher as he talks so fast, also she doesn't have a close friend in the lesson with her which might sound silly but she is very reliant on her friends for support. She has missed over 6 weeks of history lessons now as she has truanted each time she has a lesson, sometimes she has been caught, most times not. If she is caught she gets a 40 minute detention with SLT which she would rather do than the actual lesson. Once she went in to another lesson for a subject she doesn't even study and pretended she was another student which I know she shouldn't have done but school didn't even realise, this was so she could be with a friend. Sometimes she goes to see her pastoral manager to talk to her but she just gets told to go away.

I have sent numerous emails to school but have not had a response. So today she missed yet another lesson and just sat outside on a bench in the yard. School would've had no idea she was there. I encourage her to just try the lesson but I really don't know what to do if she just won't go. Even if she goes back to the lesson she will really struggle to catch up as she has missed so much.

Please could someone give me some advice as I really don't know how to tackle this. Thank you

Is this an ordinary state school? Even when classes are split by ability they still tend to be 30 kids per class. Otherwise the school would need twice as many teachers. Have you spoken to someone about getting her an EHCP?

Ask for an urgent meeting with the SENCO to discuss what is happening. Sorry if I’ve missed it but what resolution does your daughter want.

Apply for a ECHNA.

She doesn’t get any support for adhd and dyslexia. In year 9 she used to go to intervention for English and she didn’t do food tech but did IDL instead but she doesn’t do any of that now she is in year 10. She is currently on a waiting list for ADHD meds but I think we’ll have to wait another 12 months unfortunately.

Yes it’s a normal state school but smaller than the average high school. No I’ve not spoken to anybody about an EHCP. to be honest I don’t know exactly how they work and how to apply for one but I am going to look in to this

No she isn’t.

The school are failing in their safeguarding duties. And also not adapting for disability.

Indeed. It's so bad that the school should be reported to Ofsted, pronto.

I agree about the SENCO appointment. Regardless of any report to Ofsted.

I think this. You can’t just let kids roam the school.

'ADHD overwhelm'?? 🤔🙄

God lord, no wonder we have so many youngsters who are wasting away at home, missing out on the best years of their lives, doing absolutely nothing and going absolutely nowhere...

I'm sorry but we are doing such a disservice to our children by perpetuating this nonsense.

Yeah, it’s a real thing. aDHD is all about being overwhelmed, How can you not know that?

My adhd was very very ill with it for 5 years. From 14-19. Still hadn’t fully recovered. Unable to attend education for 2 years.

Diagnosed by ND wing of children’s hospital.

You obviously know NOTHInG about the condition. Why do you think the majority of EBSA are ND?

https://www.londonpsychiatry.clinic/blog/adhd-burnout

And here https://patient.info/features/brain-nerves/what-is-adhd-burnout

Read it and inform yourself.

From a safeguarding perspective this is worrying.

My DD (autistic) also has a tendency to run or play truant from certain lessons. Her school has swipe access to leave the grounds and also to get into pastoral - the kids are encouraged to go to pastoral when they want to hide as at least they swipe in and people know where they are. When DD has gone elsewhere, the teacher notes she isn’t in class, checks to see if she is in pastoral, and then if she isn’t some sort of alert is raised. Last time she did this half the senior management were looking for her during the same lesson. (And then it turned out she’d done it for a stupid teenage reason and she got the bollocking of her life - which I agree with, had nothing to do with her autism or being overwhelmed - and was told the school were minutes away from calling the police, as well as the fact they’d already called both parents)

Challenging class, usually

Not yet, currently on the waiting list but looking like another 12 month wait unfortunately

This explains how to request ECHNA, the needs assessments to see if she needs an assessment for an ECHP. They have a template letter you can edit too.

https://www.ipsea.org.uk/asking-for-an-ehc-needs-assessment

You can also ask school to do an EBSNA tool kit.

I don’t understand why you have the diagnosis of 3 separate conditions and no support in place? No wonder she’s finding it hard to access her education properly.

You definitely need to push for a meeting with the SENCO team to look at strategies to reduce the mental load she carries and to get her back in the classroom with support

No. It's crazy...6 weeks missing History? I've never heard anything like it.
Something is very seriously wrong.

No, we've never managed to reduce it to 15. I don't know a state school that has in the last 25 years.

Absolutely. That's normally what happens.

Thank you, that’s very helpful

Are there any consequences at home for her truanting lessons?

How have you punished her at home?
What consequences is she receiving at home?
Does she still have access to her phone, tablets, tv and internet?

Her life is going to be pretty shit if she doesnt at least managed decent gcses