Independent school does not want to be named on EHCP unless...

[MarieSol10]

..... certain criteria are met and say they were not aware of the full extent of needs etc prior to receiving the draft EHCP. However, we have kept them fully informed throughout and have sent them copies of every report etc.

Not sure what happens next as we felt this school was the best choice but now what do we do? Apparently we will hear back by the end of the week the decision from the SEND school admissions team

How have we got to the end of year 6 and still not know where our child will be going to secondary school? It feels like we should not have applied for an EHCP in the first place.

Is the independent school a section 41 independent?

What criteria does the school want met?

Are there any other possible schools?

Is the EHCP a new EHCP? If not it should have been amended by 15th February and you should email the LA’s Director of Children’s Services threatening Judicial Review.

It's a mainstream independent (Crested, Spld/dyslexia unit) and this is a 1st EHCP. It appears the school were happy to offer a place until they saw the EHCP. They have not said they can't offer a place but they are asking for clarification of things in the EHCP which are quite specific, like the EHCP states something like 4 x 20 mins sessions per week phonetics ... and they say they can offer an alternative and would the LA accept that.

The LA have also consulted with our nearest mainstream state secondary as far as we know.

@AReallyUsefulEngine meant to add, thanks for your quick reply. I hate this feeling of uncertainty

If it’s an independent MS you need an offer of a place for it to be named in the EHCP. You will also need to show the school the LA proposes cannot meet DD’s needs &/or it isn’t unreasonable public expenditure.

Be careful watering down the EHCP or removing provision it may mean DD doesn’t get the support she needs. Have you considered any specialist schools?

We haven't looked at any specialist schools. We have been told she should be in a mainstream school. We want her to be in the best place for her, but now I'm unsure where that is and it feels like
we are running out of time.

If a mainstream state school with an EHCP in place is the best place then that is where she should go. But she has been offered a place at a mainstream private school with all the things we are looking for and now it seems out of reach.

We haven't looked at any specialist schools. We have been told she should be in a mainstream school.

If it was anyone connected to the LA who told you that I would treat it with caution. What do you think? I would look at some specialist schools, any other potential independent MS and state MS then decide based on the individual school rather than whether it is MS or SS.

@AReallyUsefulEngine Thanks. Not sure there are any suitable specialist dyslexia / adhd schools. Dyslexia specific schools seem to exist but don't take children with ADHD, even though she is not a disruptive child. Schools that do take ADHD children often also seem to take children with a wide range of emotional and behavioural issues which doesn't seem to be the right fit.

We are expecting her to do GCSEs and go to a school with fairly good sports facilities as that is something she enjoys and is actually good at.

I am feeling very anxious now.

Have you looked at some of the Cavendish trust’s schools?

I cant believe Ive found this thread,
Im in the same boat as you, want my child to attend a private school due to the class sizes and her autsum,
have been turned down by the school,
my DD EHCP was delayed due to coivd now she has no school and im so worried I cant sleep or eat

@mumacita3003 If the EHCP has been finalised without a school named you can appeal - either for a school or EOTAS if there isn’t a suitable school.

In the meantime the LA should be providing a suitable, full time education and also any provision specified and quantified in F.

Having said that, from your posts on another thread is DD not moving to an ARP?

Thank you for your response,
My DS whom is 6 years old has a Ehcp he is non verbal (has come along way with his speach on the last year) is at maninstream but we are moving him to a school with an arp unit.

its my DD whom is 11yrs in august that is having her Echp request now,
we lost our yougest Dd to sids 4 years ago and the school kept saying maybe she is grieving thats why they wanted to wait to request a Ehcp but we was asking from she was 6years old, and was never told we could request it ourselves

now we are willing to pay for her schooling but being told to wait until the Ehcp goes to pannel in July and the outcome should be back by October to have everything in place...

its a mind feild

Make sure the LA are sticking to the statutory timescales.

You wouldn’t need to fund an independent school, you can get one named in the EHCP. If you fund an independent school yourself the LA may well say you are making suitable alternative arrangements thereby relieving them of their duties. Some LAs will come to an agreement whereby parents pay the fees and the LA pay the SEN support, but just as many won’t.

If you have not long since applied for an EHCNA (which not being finalised until October suggests) did you not apply for a secondary school place via the normal admissions arrangements and thus have a school place via that route? Or have you appealed for a more suitable school?

I'm not sure whereabouts you are in the country but have you looked at Moon Hall School in Surrey? They are a school that caters for SpLD (dyslexia) primarily but many pupils have ADHD too.