EHCP support thread

[Phineyj]

My DD (10) is being assessed for EHCP. The council refused to assess (despite her already being diagnosed with ADHD, ASD, hypermobility and vision problems following eye surgery).

School have been supportive throughout and they are going above and beyond to keep her engaged in education.

She's about to go into year 6 though.

I took the LA to the tribunal and won.

They must produce the plan by 4th August. I think they probably will (they've stuck to deadlines so far...ish...). But I've got all the IPSEA complaint letter templates primed!

The hardest thing about the whole process is that no-one else in my life understands it or what it's like to spend all your free time essentially begging people to document the deficits your child has.

It is also a hard realisation that no-one cares much about your child's education except you.

I am also a teacher so I feel sad on behalf of the SEN DC I teach as I am told little about their needs (I spent a whole day doing DofE with one recently...I don't even know what her EHCP says...)

Join me if you are also grimly trekking through the EHCP jungle!!

@handmademitlove that’s very useful advice, thank you. I’ve had a quick read but will go back to it later.

@MrsLamb Sorry to hear you’re in a similar situation. My DC school is quite frankly rubbish; they aren’t interested in supporting individual needs if it doesn’t fit their general support. 30% of non attendees is quite high! I feel slightly more reassured.

The EP produced a very vague report which was done prior to the move to high school so it’s not of much use really.

I’ve not heard of Not Fine In School, I will add it to my list; this thread has been so helpful already.

@ThomasWasTortured this is my fear, that prolonging the situation will cause irreparable MH damage. The difference in DC when he’s at school, to when he’s at home with no pressure to attend is very obvious.

@HellHathNoFuryLikeASENMom have you got any independent reports?

@ThomasWasTortured yes I sought my own after a friend went through tribunal and recommended them. Frustratingly, they are coming up to being outdated (but are less than 12 months old) due to the time appeal has taken.

Hi everyone, sorry to see we're all in a shitty situation. I'm quite new to the echp process so I'm still learning but glad I've found this thread.

Ds is 9, diagnosed asd and struggling since starting hear 4. He needs 1:1. He is academically able, but lacks the focus to actually do the work on his own. He can get bits done but after 10 mins he is "looking vacant" and distracted.
He is diagnosed with asd. His concentration levels are not good. He uses ear defenders in class and has sensory breaks which help abit, but when he is left to work alone he just can't do it.
When the class TA helps him he is okay, he can work with support quite well, he is encouraged to have his sensory breaks etc. none of this happens when it's just the main teacher in class.

What am I meant to do ??

He is having days off now due to major anxiety in the mornings about going in causing meltdowns.
We're currently waiting for the ep to come out and do their assessment for the echp assessment, haven't heard anything and it was supposed to be completed by the start of October...
atm it's only the off day off where I've thought no, I'm not sending you in for you to get yourself so worked up.
I'm worrying I'm going to get fined for attendance.
Why can't he access the work independently ? It's a this common with asd?

@losingthe if DS cannot attend because of his MH absences should be authorised so you shouldn’t be fined. It can be normal for some DC with additional needs to not be able to work independently. If the LA is in breach of the statutory timescales email the Director of Children’s Services.

@HellHathNoFuryLikeASENMom if the report is less than 12 months old it should OK for the appeal. If you feel it needs updating you could always ask whether the EP would add an addendum.

@ThomasWasTortured Thank you for this. I guess I need to ask the question if the absences are going down as authorised or not...

So apparently the senco has emailed the LA today and asked why they are late with the assessment and told them that school cannot meet ds' needs. Why they couldn't have done this to begin with I don't know ?
I was very much put off applying for the ehcp, told he probably wouldn't get one because he is academically able etc. it was only when I mentioned I was aware I could apply for one myself that suddenly it was the right idea to apply. It's taken 4 years of 'collecting evidence'

"If you want a job doing properly, do it yourself."

Although that has its limits.

@losingthe yes, check whether the absences are authorised, and if they aren’t challenge them.

Sadly, many are fobbed off like you have been, but it is all nonsense. It is a myth academically able DC can’t get EHCPs. I have 2 DSs with EHCPs, both are academically able. More so than their brother who doesn’t have an EHCP. I have supported many other parents with academically able DC to successfully apply.

@TeaInTheGarden well done and good luck!!

@HellHathNoFuryLikeASENMom welcome
My DS hit a wall in year 7 transition too, but kept on going because he was scared of all the sanctions and catch up homework. After about 18 months we (finally/luckily/unfortunately) had enough documentation and DX from CAMHS/GP/private psych etc for him to qualify to be signed off for chronic anxiety. Finally at the beginning of y9 he is no longer going in to his mainstream school but getting one hour 1:1 tuition a day in local library while we wait for the EHCP (initially applied for in March!) Hopefully we're beginning to turn a corner on his mental health but it would have been better if he hadn't been in school for the last two years.

Hi @HellHathNoFuryLikeASENMom just want to chime in another welcome, I read some of your posts and it really stood out for me that you said you feel guilty and like you are not doing enough.....if anything I hope this space will show you that you are doing more than enough... its easy to say but don't feel guilty, I am in a similar situation and have recently been more or less threatened by the school that things are going to get 'serious' if my DD keeps non-attending (as a lengthy period of part time must end).

I have however seen the damage of sending her in when she just can't go and have endured some very traumatic meltdowns that have been really distressing, so will pursue the route i'm taking but don't feel alone and like you are not trying hard enough...it is a reflection of just how urgently a lot of schools need training when they say there is no reason the child cannot attend when in reality the schools are missing what is staring them in the face. Good luck and keep going, also agree with @handmademitlove re the GP I think its good idea to have some other record/support of what is happening if possible.

Hi also @losingthe I really hope you get somewhere re the EP, I too was put off applying for an EHCP by the school and basically told I was more or less wasting my time as it just wouldn't happen, (because DD academically capable) I did it myself because I knew they would not support me.
@ThomasWasTortured has a vast amount of knowledge/insight into all this and has helped me enormously. Good luck

@MrsLamb I didn't know about the not fine at school, just checking it out now great resource so glad you recommended it 🙂

My daughter's academically able too, although it's difficult for her to show it in a school environment. The first sign of her SEN was extreme pushback on any type of homework or anything school expected to be done outwith school - spelling, reading, projects.

DH and I fought with her to make her do that stuff up to about year 2 (private school; mad keen on homework; loads of video lessons during lockdown).Tbh we did most of it and she learned nothing from it.

If you look closely at the SEN Code and the Ipsea guidance of it, it does cover situations where DC is academically able but it's taking an extreme amount of effort to get anything done/they're not achieving much despite lots of extra help and support.

Morning everybody. Stressful morning here, ds hasn't gone in today again, tried to persuade him but he instantly got upset, said he is too nervous etc, he's not even eating properly atm !!

I need to know where I stand with the law on this one, I'm keeping school informed but am worried about fines etc.
as it stands ds needs 1:1 support at all times in the classroom, because he cannot focus otherwise, he goes off task and becomes overwhelmed. He isn't disruptive at all, he's a very quiet boy so he will sit and suffer in silence, this then Appears like he's okay but he's breaking down inside. When he has an adult with him who don't him through the work he can do it. Without that support he just can't. School argue he doesn't need it all the time...
can I keep him off until the ep comes in to assess him ?

Ds hates homework too, doesn't do it. Gets so stressed out especially with maths

I do feel for your child - so heart breaking especially if he isn’t eating.

Make an apt with the GP and get them on board with anxiety. They can write letters to school

Mental health is key - an EP is that scheduled? as you could be waiting a long time …. Plus once the EP has seen your boy it’s not a magic wand. The environment/ people at the school need to change for your boy to be happy.

Good luck - it’s heartbreaking x

Thank you for your kind words.
I did consider getting the go involved about the anxiety but I'm also worried I'm going to open a can of worms, would social services get Involved if I approach the gp about his anxiety ??

I have requested the school reply to me via email, as they keep calling me back, I forget everything that was said and I really need all this in writing. Also it helps to have a paper trail, but they seem reluctant and not understanding of why I'd like it all in writing.

Am I going to get into trouble keeping him off ?
It's all new to me and I just don't know what to do for the best !

Would he get 1:1 support with his needs ? I'm doubting if he will now...

@listlesscat if DS can do more than 1hr a day (in any form, doesn’t have to be formal tuition or what many consider to be education) then the LA should be providing more because 1 hr a day is not a suitable, full-time education.

@losingthe if DS can’t attend because of his MH, the absences should be authorised (and can be challenged if they aren’t) so you shouldn’t be fined. If DS cannot attend due to his MH/SEN, the LA must ensure he receives a suitable, full-time education. This should begin once it becomes clear 15 days will be missed. The days don’t need to have already been missed or consecutive.

With an EHCP, 1:1 can be given if that is what is reasonably required. What other assessments are being undertaken as part of the EHCNA? Any of SALT, OT, clinical psychologist, psychiatrist? Social care won’t be involved just because you request support from the GP. If the school call you can follow up with an email summarising the conversation. That way you create your own paper trail.

The main issue is he is finding the work too hard, he can't focus long enough on it to make any sense of it I think. He's always had issues with his concentration, so because the work is too hard/too much for him this is causing the anxiety around the classroom

@ThomasWasTortured thank you, is there anywhere online I can find the information about absences and not being fined ?

Yes as far as I can see on the sen hub they have requested information from a local sw, slt, an ot who he has already seen, the ep, and a couple of other people which I can't remember off the top of my head. I have completed all the about me section and parents views.

I got through to someone who said ds' allocated key worker is off all week this week. So that's helpful

You can see that absences should be authorised for absence due to physical or mental illness here. Only unauthorised absences are fined (and even with unauthorised they aren’t always).

Did the OT include a sensory OT assessment? Has there been an assessment by a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist?

Thank you you're so helpful @ThomasWasTortured

It was a thorough assessment where she got ds doing all sorts of things with his hands, movements, throwing and catching etc don't mean that ?

And the only time he's been assessed by a psychiatrist I believe was when he was diagnosed with asd age 4

He has seen an ep before through school at the start of this year but I think the LA will use their own ep from what I've read

A sensory OT assessment looks at sensory processing differences.

An EHCNA can include an assessment by a clinical psychologist &/or psychiatrist under H of the regs.

Okay what does this mean ? Sorry if I sound dumb but it's all new territory for me

Sensory processing differences are where someone experiences sensory information differently e.g. they may be hypo or hypersensitive to noise. A sensory OT assessment looks at this type of difficulty whereas not all OT assessment do.

During an EHCNA the legislation (reg 6(1) of the SEN regs 2014) that governs the process states LA must seek information and advice from:
a) the child’s parent or the young person;
b) educational advice (usually from the head teacher or principal);
c) medical advice and information from a health care professional;
d) psychological advice and information from an educational psychologist;
e) advice and information in relation to social care;
f) advice and information from any other person the local authority thinks appropriate;
g) where the child or young person is in or beyond year 9, advice and information in relation to provision to assist the child or young person in preparation for adulthood and independent living; and
h) advice and information from any person the child’s parent or young person reasonably requests that the local authority seek advice from.

A clinical psychologist &/or a psychiatrist can come under H.