SEN SEMH Schools SW London and Surrey

[Pearlmaster500]

Honestly pulling my hair out at this stage.. my 6 year old SEMH DD got her ehcp back in 2023 when she was in mainstream. Budget was basically spent on her doing colouring in the hallway! Managed to be persuaded by Wandsworth LA to place her in a ASD base provision within a mainstream which I believed would help her but I was so very wrong! She started in September and got suspended for 3 days during her first week for “unsafe” behaviour which was trying to climb the gate at the front of the school to escape as she was extremely unregulated, got suspended after another few weeks for more “unsafe behaviour” and typical SEMH behaviour (which can I say it’s quite clearly outlined in her ehcp) school ended up deciding they categorically could not meet needs and we did an emergency annual review. It was decided that she would carry on at the current placement until the council found a more suitable setting, a few weeks later she was suspended again twice in one week and I could just tell her mental health was not in a good place at all for a little child it was just heartbreaking. I ended up pulling her out and the council arranged at home tuition and she goes to an alternative provision two days a week which she absolutely loves.

We’ve consulted around 35 Sen and semh schools now and the majority were full and a few couldn’t meet needs. Was offered a place at Bramley Hill in Tadworth then found a horrific article about the use of excessive restraint etc ended up posting on a Surrey Sen group and turns out the parents are still saying they are using excessive restraining!! Which isn’t going to help my daughter

where do I stand with the full schools???

Are the schools who said they were ‘full’ but you think would otherwise be suitable wholly independent?

What do you think of the (non-wholly independent) schools who said they can’t meet needs? Do you think they can meet needs?

It is one with a mixed reputation, but you could look at Maypole if you haven’t already.

Does DD have ASD? Or did the LA just suggest an ASD base as an ‘easy’ option for them? If DD has ASD you could look at Ashley Park and depending when DD is 7, Brookways and Woodside Park. They may say no depending on the behaviour displayed and whether it is down to being in an unsuitable environment. If DD has ASD and the SEMH needs are secondary to autism, you could look at Chelsea Hall depending on what level DD is working at. They won’t take if SEMH is primary need but they will sometimes admit where behaviours that challenge are secondary to autism and will improve with the right support/environment.

It isn’t in SW London, but if DD would cope with a long journey, you could look at Corner School. Although I appreciate you might think it is too far for DD to cope with.

Thanks for your reply!

I did think the two that couldn’t meet needs were suitable, so she recently did 3 trial days at Chelsea Hall, I was actually really hopeful as they had invited her for one and then another in a different class, then they contacted me asking if she could come in for a full day then got back to me a couple of weeks after saying they couldn’t meet needs, in their words;

“Unfortunately, after careful consideration, we have concluded that Chelsea Hall School would not be the appropriate environment for x to reach her full potential.
During the trial days, x had difficulty engaging with the significant support systems provided by our multidisciplinary team in the school. We also felt that she would not have a suitable peer group for her in our setting. Over the 3 days of observations that occurred, we have made the decision that we are unable to provide the level of support and space that she requires in order to access and progress within our provision.”

I was suprised that they couldn’t meet her needs, I did kind of already know that she wouldn’t have a peer group from what I’d seen on a previous visit to the school. She did a couple of trial days at Octavia House in Vauxhall but I don’t think this went very well as she’d been hit in the face by one of the other kids but they had come back saying they also couldn’t meet needs as they couldn’t offer high support during lessons and she would need a 1-1 as she really struggles at school and has only been doing 2 hour days since reception.

If I am being honest I’m not totally convinced she’s autistic but she does have so many autistic traits, her dad is diagnosed ADHD and autism and I have a ADHD diagnosis myself and I think she’s got quite severe ADHD. When we had her autism MDA last year the dr said she’s not giving typical autism signs (which girls don’t) but hinted that she needed to have a adhd assessment so they decided to send me a follow up MDA appointment for after her adhd assessment which is in July. I’m 110% sure they will have diagnosed her within 5 minutes 😂

I’ve just chased her coordinator for the replies from Maypole and Brookways as we consulted these a few weeks back! Will look into Woodside Park, Ashley park and corner school

Chelsea Hall is wholly independent, so an offer of a place would be required. You could go back to them to discuss their concerns, but if DD is working above the level of other pupils, they are unlikely to change their mind.

I don’t think Octavia House would be a good fit. I think DD would be too vulnerable.

Ashley Park, Brookways and Woodside Park usually like an ASD diagnosis. Still worth asking, though because there is always a possibility they agree without.

I know you said DD is now receiving home tuition and she is going to an AP 2 days a week, but does that total a full-time education? And is the LA providing anything that is in F of the EHCP.

I’m not sure she would be working ahead of all them as she is extremely behind in her education she’s working at a reception level despite being totally capable in my opinion, but I hardly saw any of the kids so I’m not really sure if there were peers alike or not!

Octavia house was so full on and honestly she wasn’t like the kids that go there. Yes she can get physical when unregulated or triggered but she’s so empathetic and is led by emotion and really has a big heart I would just hate for somewhere like that to change her. The school she did a trial at called Bramley hill recently I liked then I found a awful article online about excessive restraint and how loads of the kids were traumatised etc, posted on a few fb groups and couple of parents commented saying they are still strong on the restraint which is just not my thing at all, that’s never going to help my child when she’s unregulated.

Despite her having no diagnosis her needs are actually quite high hence why she got into the asd base provision back in September! No full time education she’s doing 9-12 home tutoring and 9-12 at forest school but I think she would struggle as she has only ever done till 11 am at school

I do think I need to go back and potentially re look at the asd schools that support adhd etc than the semh schools

The Witherslack group has previously had some serious safeguarding concerns at some of their schools.

I would push the LA to provide more provision. DD is entitled to a full-time education. That doesn’t have to be tutoring. It can be therapeutic. What does DD enjoy doing? It can self-led if necessary.