Move from grammar school to local secondary for child with EBSA?

[MrsPetrillo]

My teen has EBSA. He is at grammar school, about to go into Y10. He can't enter the building. He had 48% attendance in Y9. He wants to move to local secondary school which is Ofsted inadequate. Newsworthily bad. I want him to be happy and thrive. He needs 5s to go to the college of his choice after GCSE. Parents of kids at the local school all say their kids are happy there. But the reports online are awful. He is essentially moving from one of the best performing schools in the country to one of the worst. But he is struggling so much in his current environment. Not sure what to do

@MrsPetrillo if he's only attending 48% at his grammar school he's very unlikely to achieve his GCSEs anyway. Does he want to go to the comp because he has friends there,?
If so and he wants to go you're in with a chance of him attending regularly. Which is the first step in getting his GCSEs.
Ime (with a few notable exceptions) grammar schools don't support additional needs, be they learning or emotional, very well.
A school that doesn't have great results but strong pastoral support might be a better option for the 2 years until he can go to college.

My Ds (who is autistic) went to grammar. Categorically one of the worst decisions we've ever made. He'd passed the 11+ without tutoring and I thought he would find his people, instead it was horrendous for him. I truly wished I'd moved him as there were issues from day one and the pastoral care was non existent.
If your Ds wants to move, I would seriously consider it.

Thanks @Seelybee , he does know a few kids there. You make a good point that he probably won't get GCSEs at a school he hates. He doesn't have friends at his current school either.

My DD has had EBSA. She attended less than 50% of school between year 8 and year 11. Where your DS is now certainly isn't working so it won't hurt to try another school if he is in agreement. However, I wouldn't be expecting the difficulties to just disappear unless the new school puts supportive measures in, especially building a relationship with a trusted adult.

Do you have any indications of possible neurodivergence? A large majority of those students who struggle with EBSA are autistic. I ended up applying for an EHCP for my DD. It was a lengthy pricess but eventually she got some online teaching as part of it. The break it gave her from in-person school was absolutely essential in helping her to recover. She just gained seven GCSEs at Grade 5 or above despite missing so much school.

Sometimes you can do a 2 week trial without having to give up his place at the grammar. It might be called a managed move? Or just informally if you talk to both schools. If he's genuinely happier at the comp then it's probably worth moving him.

Hi @punxsutawney, my ds loved it in Y7 but it's gone rapidly downhill from there. He doesn't seem to fit the mould at all. He says it is robotic, too hot, restrictive, monotonous, uncaring. I have had endless emails, phone calls, meetings, but I think my son has made his mind up really. He wants out

My ds is waiting for assessment for ADHD and autism

Move him if that's what he wants. School life is awful with no friends. Do you know why he has ebsa? Does he have Sen?

Firstly, my sympathies - we've had several years of EBSA and it is agonising. I really feel for you and I am sure this isn't the outcome you imagined at 11.

At face value, I agree with the PP who said that the reality is that he is very unlikely to attain well in his current environment, so it's definitely worth considering the move. The fact he is keen is also really important I think, and the fact he has friends there already.

Do you have any more data about the poor performance of the alternative school? Would you be able to supplement any academic gaps with tuition, especially in Maths and English? He's clearly bright, and so will undoubtedly do decently in any school if he is actually able to access it.

I know how hard it is to let go of what must have been a more ambitious academic pathway for him, but I think getting him back into an alternative school would be a great outcome.

That's great to know she did so well despite EBSA. I have found the last two years so debilitating. I am worn out. A local charity sent me forms for an EHCP so I am filling those in. Ds says 'there's nothing wrong with me mum. I just hate that place'

I will look into that, thanks. A trial would definitely help

Move him.

better in school than out. He’s unlikely to get good GCSEs where he is.

tutor if necessary for maths and English.

We are on waiting lists for assessment. He has friends outside of school, but having friends in school makes such a difference. I don't think I would have lasted long in secondary without my friends

Regarding the academic side, it is helpful to adjust your expectations. If he is bright enough to get into a grammar school then it should be possible for him to get what he needs for the next stage of his education even at a much less academic school. The GCSEs are a stepping stone. He doesn't need all 8s and 9s to go on to do A-levels if that's what he wants. I had to readjust my thinking - there were times I thought my DD wouldn't even be able to sit any exams.

Look into tutors as soon as possible as they can get booked up. Also there are various online platforms to help fill gaps. I signed my DD up for some online classes that are held in the evenings.

Thanks @harderthanIexpected EBSA is so hard to deal with. I think he needs a better all-round experience growing up. His form tutor said he is capable of 13 GCSEs at grade 8 or 9 but he can't face going in. He is miserable and I would rather he got lower grades than continue on a path he hates.

Just so you know, you don't have to fill in forms to request an EHCP. You can just write to the local authority. There's a template letter you can use on IPSEA's website.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/special_educational_needs/5484488-ehcp-support-thread-no-6?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

I would try and push for a managed move to the other school , my daughter had evsa and wanted to move and I really didn’t want her to but have to say the difference it made going to a different school was amazing . Out of curiosity are you in Lincolnshire at all - and if so is it a mixed grammar he is at - as have heard their pastoral care is non existent

Would online school be a possibility? They're meant to have all the best teaching, and obviously can fit round individual students. I only know one family who can afford it, so completely understand if it's not an option-sadly it wouldn't be a possibility for us.

I'm a teacher.

I think key here is 'He wants to move'.

How long has the school been RI? Why is it RI? You can read the OFSTED report.

I started at a school in special measures a few years ago. Went in for results day this year and we've got kids with fistfuls of 8s and 9s. It was actually pretty great chatting with the parents who knew it was never a risk because the teaching body work so damn hard. Our issue was (and always will be) our context - extremely deprived white working class area. We don't let the kids down, it's just there's so much going on for some of them. We're also renowned for being able to handle EBSA managed moves because of our excellent pastoral team.

Maybe if your DS can exercise some autonomy he'll find his feet.

Have you already contacted the local comprehensive school and ascertained whether there is a place in the year group?

Potential pitfalls, even of the year group is not full to its original admissions number:
-- there may be options subjects which are no longer available (usually things like DT, Food Tech etc, where there is a health and safety aspect to the size of classes

• even if it doesn't fit the qualifying. criterion pf para. 3.11 of the Admissions Code (but if it's really as awful as its reputation, it may do), the school may push back at admitting a pupil with such a poor attendance record, citing para. 3.10.

The latter would involve appealing to try to secure a place - as would the situation where an application was refused because the year group was actually full. If you need to go to appeal, remember that you need to put to the independent panel a strong argument as to why your DS needs a place at that partiicular school, as opposed to why he doesn't want to stay at his current one (although obviously not wanting to stay at the current school, and why, is a major factor in wanting to move to a new one).

Can you have a conversation with the SENCO at the secondary school & see what they are like ? Also ask around & see if he/she is well regarded. That would make a big difference to my choice of school if I was in your position but definitely agree you need to do something to move him.

A change of teacher can make a massive difference to happiness or hating a school.
Any issues with the people within his class?
You can wait a long time for an adhd assessment. If your child would want to try (if diagnosed) with adhd meds I’d go private. We waited 3 years and got bored of waiting. It could make the lessons not so boring as they could be more focussed.

What was the end of year scores like I suppose if missing due to ebsa it’s so difficult to catch up on certain topics eg maths. Hence if he starts a lesson struggling as he has missed the first concept it’s really difficult and won’t be easy for the child.

Moving schools is massive but if he has decided at his age I think you have to move him.

Also, look at noise issues / lunch time and clothing issues as those can be problematic for children with ASD making school more difficult. Especially if going into state the numbers of kids in a year can be massive.

The benefit moving to a state will be less pressure to get the grades hence he might be happy to bubble along which might be better for him mentally. Rather than being whipped into shape via the grammar to get the scores. However, does the school do the subjects he wants? As he will of picked his gcse options now so maybe he has missed the full year of a certain subject etc.

Good luck not easy I have ebsa child but don’t wait until they reach rock bottom as it’s a hard to recover. Happiness is key rather than gcse result

Or you could even do an online school with less subjects to get him onto college might be better.

If he can't enter the building, then staying at grammar school isn't really an option. So I'd take that off the table.
What are the alternatives to this school? Home ed? Other schools a bit further away? I agree with pp though that it depends why the school is Inadequate. If kids are happy there and the SENCO is good, he might well be fine.
I think the fact that he wants to go there means a lot. And I agree that having friends is so key to a child's experience of school.
I also have an AuDHD kid and once he's made up his mind that he doesn't want to do something, finding an alternative is usually more productive than continuing to battle.