Secondary school support for ASD and ADHD

[booboo24]

Having just been into school for yet another meeting where we go round in cirlces, I just wondered what provisions schools put in place for children with these diagnoses?

Background is that she wasn't diagnosed until last year aged 14, the school have put absolutely nothing in place to support her, they say they will at one meeting, then call me back in to tell me none of it can happen. She's just started year 10, apart from individual teachers making more of an effort to ensure she understands tasks and being given a reader pen for assessments nothing has changed. Is this normal in secondary school?

I have a meeting Tuesday morning woth the head and wanted to be prepared with what I should reasonably expect

Thanks

[Rollingupahill]

Would suggest looking through the IPSEA and SOSSEN websites. There is no legal requirement to put specific provision in place unless a child has a EHCP (although discrimination is Illegal). SEN support is needs led not diagnosis led.

[Thatsnotmycar]

The school have a statutory duty to make their best endeavours to meet pupils’ SEN.

In order to use the reading pen in examinations it needs to be DD’s normal way of working.

What support schools put in place depends on individual needs. What is DD struggling with?

[booboo24]

Thanks all, her ASD was masked by a slow processing disorder diagnosis following on from an Ed Psych assessment carried out in primary school. Apparently she should have had speech and language therapy when she was diagnosed with glue ear whilst in nursery but she slipped their net. She struggles with communication, academically in terms of being able to articulate what she wants to say, her verbal reasoning is at 2%, her executive function skills are 'below average'. She has the knowledge but she can't express it, and I just want her to habe the best chance she can get in her GCSEs. (She also Daydreams for England but we are in the process of titrating her medication for this)

The SENco agreed she would trial 1:1 in English and would apply for an EHCP, but only after a lot of pressing from myself and her Dr. She refused at first because "Oxford LA turn every single application down" when I pointed out that 95% go through on appeal she replied "but that's so much work for you as parents".... this was agreed the last day of term, I asked how things were progressing and got asked to come in for a meeting today, only to be told none of what was agreed is happening as they're short staffed and there are 6 people ahead of my daughter in the queue for an EHCP application. I just feel I'm fighting them every step of the way and getting nowhere at all.

[booboo24]

@Rollingupahill Thank you for those sites, I'll have a good look through those tomorrow

[Rollingupahill]

To be honest, it sounds like the school is giving you the runaround so you time out on the possibility of a EHCP and it therefore does not need to put the first £6k into the provision.

There is no concept of a queue for a EHCP application - it is a form of artificial rationing, presumably to reduce costs. You could apply today in theory, and without the school's support (although it might be easier with it). The legal bar for statutory assessment is low, but you would need to provide evidence that your daughter is not making sufficient progress academically and across the wider areas of SEN.

However, timings will be v challenging given that she is already in year 10 and given that the LA will likely refuse to assess, requiring an appeal and just generally how long it takes to get a fit for purpose EHCP in place.

[Toomanyminifigs]

I second what other posters have said. It sounds like the school is trying to fob you off and they're playing the 'countdown game' until DD leaves.

The EHCP process takes 20 weeks - that is the law. That's not to say that local authorities always stick to that timeframe but it is helpful to continually point that out to them.
It may well be that they refuse you at every point, in which case it could take up to a year (if you have to go to tribunal) - but that will still be in time for your DD's GCSEs.

Apply yourself. That's what I had to do after being told all kinds of unlawful things by my DS's SENCO.
It sounds like you already have some reports for your DD which will help. How up to date are they? Ideally they need to be less than a year old.

Ipsea has some good advice for applying for EHCPs including template letters to use.
www.ipsea.org.uk/pages/category/education-health-and-care-plans

Unfortunately as you're discovering, getting the support our DC are legally entitled to is often a constant, draining battle. Remember that sadly some local authorities and schools rely on parents giving up.

[Rollingupahill]

Also I would add that it would be helpful to get evidence in writing on what the school has said about your DD needs, what support it has said it will put in place (even if it didn't happen) and so on.

If they are communicating verbally and are reticent to set it all out in writing, I would suggest you following every meeting/conversation with a email.

[Thatsnotmycar]

By queue the SENCO probably means they have paperwork to apply for 6 other pupils first rather than an actual queue, but that doesn’t mean you can’t apply. If you think DD needs an EHCP apply yourself. You don’t need to prove DD isn’t progressing academically. There is more the EHCPs than academics. I have 2 DC who are academically able, and have always progressed academically, but they have EHCPs.

In order to gather evidence you can submit a SAR.

A good EHCP can be fully funded so school need to be more on the ball if they are delaying due to thinking they need to fund the first £6k.

EHCPs can last until 25, or 26 in some cases, so we’ll worth applying even if you have to appeal.

[booboo24]

Thanks everyone. Sadly she was missed in primary, despite there only being 8 children in her year (tiny village primary school!) She wasn't even offered speech and language therapy as the glue ear she had from 18 months old to age 10 was never recorded in her file, (I didn't fimd this out until she was in year 5) despite me telling them each new year, and every time I got called in because she "wasn't focusing" or was too "easily distracted".

I'm kicking myself because I trusted their opinion, that her behaviour was down to not being able to hear properly, and therefore she'd missed pockets of learning. I didn't know SALT was supposed to have been offered until she had the ASD diagnosis so all of this is having to be put in place at warp speed now and the school clearly don't want to have to bother it seems. The SENco doesn't even seem to understand what masking looks like. It is a shambles

I have contacted IPSEA so hopefully they'll come back to me before my meeting next week.

Thanks for the advice and insight, it is much appreciated

[booboo24]

I'm also going to look at applying for the EHCP myself as I am sure I will be able to get more backing from her Dr to give it some weight.

[Thatsnotmycar]

I would apply yourself, but just so you know the Dr can request an EHCNA.

[booboo24]

Thanks all for your help, I approached the school with a full breakdown and evidence of all the help and support promised, and then back-tracked upon. The head (faced with 6 pages of evidence and links to correspondence, and excerpts from the SEND Code of Practice🤣) has agreed, to apply for an EHCP.

They sent me the docs today, an 'about me' form and a SENDIASS parent's guide to request an EHCNa. I understand this to be a request to assess whether she needs an EHCP., is that correct and is that needed before applying for an EHCP? OR could school have gone straight for the plan?

They have said they've prepared the application, we just need to fill the forms out and then they'll apply for the assessments

Sorry if I am being a bit silly here, but they're being deliberately vague and I am determined not to be fobbed off any more

Thanks

[Choconut]

In the mean time OP does your dd sit right at the front, in front of the teacher in all her lessons? This made a huge difference to my ds with ASD - day dreamer/can't filter out distractions/hearing drops when ever he gets a cold. It wasn't as easy as I'd imagined to organise until ds got a really good head of year but it should be something simple that could make a big difference.

[Thatsnotmycar]

You don’t request an EHCP directly as such you request an EHCNA, which, if the LA agree to assess, is the needs assessment undertaken prior to the LA deciding whether they will issue an EHCP or not.

Be aware whilst in some areas SENDIASS can be helpful in too many LAs they repeat the LA’s unlawful policies. They receive LA funding so aren’t completely independent and will ultimately toe the party line. IPSEA and SOSSEN have lots of helpful information on their websites and are much better.

[booboo24]

@Choconut Yes they've got that in place and it has helped in some respects. It's so difficult isn't it, and tough going when we have to fight all the time to get them to help

Thanks @Thatsnotmycar I was worried they were still trying to delay but you've put my mind at rest on that. I've looked at IPSEA and they actually sent me some information to use in my talks with the school, but that's interesting to hear about SENDIASS, thank you