Navigating Secondary School for Child with EHCP

[Wayoutwest]

Hi,

I was hoping to get advice on having children with an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) and secondary schools. We moved to UK last year from Australia (DH from UK) living in South East England. Our youngest daughter has a learning disability which makes mainstream school challenging but we don't think she's severe enough to fit into a special school (main diagnosis Dyspraxia) and has no behavioural issues.

DD started Year 7 in Sept and she seems to be OK but finding certain subjects (like science) difficult and struggling with friendships (this is a long term issue even in Australia). The school have been good and have a learning support centre for Maths and English which is great and she has an Learning Support Assistant for some of the other subjects. It's early days and we really want to make the current school work but are concerned for the future particularly as the curriculum gets harder and social gap widens with peers. The questions I would really appreciate help with are:

1. Do most children in UK with EHCP eventually end up in a special school because mainstream is not set up to cater for extra work required to support additional learning?
2. Does anyone have experience of their child going to a mainstream school with an EHCP and having a positive experience even up to Year 11 and beyond?
3. Can a mainstream school force your child to leave (directly or indirectly) if they fall too far behind at Key Stage 3 (pre-GCSE)?
4. Are there schools that would cater better to someone with an EHCP that are not special or mainstream? We would consider a private school but not sure if we will be able to afford.
5. Is there any charities or other groups that could provide advice and support for people in a similar situation

Thanks for your support.

C.

No, most children with an EHCP don’t end up in a special school.

I was a SENCo in a secondary school and we had many students with EHCPs who went from Year 7-11, took GCSEs and had some success.

There will be an annual review of the EHCP, which should review how things have been, plan and set targets for the coming year.

1. No, most pupils in England with EHCPs don’t attend special schools.
2. Some DC with EHCPs remain in MS throughout and have a positive experience. Others don’t, unfortunately.
3. Off-rolling is unlawful, but sadly some schools do try to force DC out. More likely in those with challenging behaviour.
4. Special schools vary, so don’t necessarily rule them out. Independent mainstream and special schools can be named in an EHCP and funded via that. You could also look at ARPs.
5. Have a look at IPSEA and SOSSEN’s websites to understand more about the SEN system in England and EHCPs.

Thanks very much to both of you for your helpful comments which gives me encouragement that we can work through current issues and have some influence on outcomes. I have arranged a meeting with the school SENCO later this week and will do more research based on your feedback to understand what changes we may need to the EHCP at review time to ensure the right level of support is provided (modified curriculum, additional LSA time, etc.). I was not aware of ARP option so will look at this too.

I think I also need to talk to IPSEA and others (also new to me) so I can advocate for my daughter as effectively as possible. We really want to make the current school work but as you say, we may need to revisit other options so we have a back-up in worst case. We are lucky to live in area that has a reasonable choice of schools so that can work to our advantage.

Thanks again for taking the time to provide helpful advice.

My experience is that it depends on the issues as to whether mainstream can work or not. Getting effective support in place makes all the difference. The students I know who didn't manage to continue in mainstream are where difficulties weren't addressed - either because they were not identified or because the school was unable or unwilling to provide appropriate support.

The good news is that if they make it to University, the support is generally better!

There are also some specialist dyslexia schools - depending on where you are, this could be an option.

I completely agree, I think it's important to deal with small issues early so they don't become bigger issues. I am hopeful that the school is willing to provide what support they can to DD within the resources they have available and current requirements of EHCP.

I know that there are some great specialist schools but the one we spoke to nearby said a lot of children were 4 years behind their peers and some have significant behavioural issues which is not the case for DD, this is why we are doing everything we can to make mainstream work.

If we can get through years 7, 8 and 9 then we can tackle GCSE after that and possibly look at reduced subjects. We are also waiting on an Autism review (can be 2 years to get outcome apparently) which, if confirmed, may provide additional funding and support.

Sadly I wouldn't hold your breath for additional funding or support following a diagnosis of Autism....... 😔

The EHCP should include all the provision DD reasonably requires. Then it must be provided. Sounds like you need a review. When is the AR due?

EHCPs are based on needs, not diagnosis. A diagnosis won’t alter funding/provision. The exception is some autism specialist schools require a formal diagnosis.

Hi just wondering what part of south East England you and your family relocated to from Australia? Me and my family also relocated to uk from Australia in early 2022. We moved to Margate, Kent and finding the schooling system quite overwhelming, for other reasons than you have written about. Best wishes Jess