Online learning platforms

[idontknow202]

Hi,

I'm just after some opinions of how others have found using online platforms to support home education? My daughter is in year 7, been out of mainstream school for the majority of the last 2 academic years due to medical issues complicated by having ASD, ADHD, OCD and battling anorexia. She has returning to school hanging over her and would like to swap to online learning at home while she recovers and see how she feels going on. She really struggles with making friends, one best friend at a time and has made no new friends at her new high school. Her current friend is moving across the world with 48 hours notice due to a very complex parental divorce.
She does have an EHCP but nothing has been provided for her while we have been out of school. Academically she needs to likely repeat year 7. The local authority never return phonecalls and promised to find alternative provision for this half term for her and obviously nothing has happened.
She is very demand avoidant so getting the balance right between teaching her and not pressuring her is very hard.
Any advice on people that have successfully navigated online schooling?

One of the first things to think about is if you want to EHE or pursue provision via the LA.

If you EHE, the LA doesn’t have to provide the provision in the EHCP.

If you don’t want to EHE and want the LA to make provision, request an AR. When was the last one? The benefit of pursuing support via the EHCP is that it can provide provision other than just online academic provision, including therapeutic provision, beyond what most parents can afford to fund themselves and is normally available via the NHS. In the meantime, if the LA is not providing alternative provision and anything in F of the EHCP and is ignoring you chasing, you need a pre-action letter. Unfortunately, often LAs don’t arrange AP unless parents force their hand.

I would also think about what type of online learning you/DD are thinking about and what subjects. Do you want live lessons (or to at least have the option of participating live) or not? Are you only looking for online schools (e.g. Kings Interhigh, Minerva, Wolsey Hall) with the same provider covering all subjects, or would different providers for different subjects work better for you (e.g. Humanatees for Humanities subjects, Nexus Educate for English, Theatre of Science for Science (and as DD gets older and looks at GCSEs/IGCSEs Southwest Science…)), or online tuition (either individual or group tuition)?

Thank you for your message. It's given me lots to think about. I think it's best to pursue the LA to provide alternative provision so there are options later if she wishes to try schooling again.
We held an emergency annual review in April, but it was during a hospital admission for anorexia and she was adamant if we removed her from that school any motivation to get better would be gone. I left it as EHCP being amended,.school said they couldn't meet her needs, LA said they'd provide AP this half term (nothing). But we've been on a long journey to stabilise the anorexia and now she has realised school will hold back her recovery, she's just in process of a new ADHD diagnosis and she's beginning to see how the ASD /ADHD feed into her anorexia.
We've just signed up for a year of MyEdSpace to repeat year 7, it comes with a trial to try live lessons and catch ups after and only does English maths and science. We can cancel in next 2 weeks if it's not a good way for her to learn so that will help us work out what she does need.
That's a very valid point about the therapy side , you've given me a lot to think about, thank you.

DD’s reluctance to move is probably the fear of the unknown. The current school isn’t working but it is what DD knows.

Following the early review meeting, did the LA formally tell you if they propose to amend or not? They should have done this within 4 weeks of the meeting but often breach this timescale.

When you push for the LA to provide AP, remember it isn’t limited to core subjects. Often LAs fob parents off about that.

I haven't heard anything from the local authority since the review. I have asked for the updated EHCP a few weeks ago as she is being put on the dymanic services register and needs the updated one (if they update it but I havent heard they will or won't. ) our case worker found some great APs that were just a perfect fit and promised she'd help. But that was 4 months ago.

Within 2 weeks of the AR meeting, a report must be circulated. As DD is on the roll of a school, the school should have done this.

Within 4 weeks of the AR meeting, the LA must inform you if they propose to amend or not. If they aren’t, you get the right of appeal. If they are, they must send the amendment notice/draft/notice of amendment/proposed amendments (whatever the LA/you want to call it) at the same time and you must be given at least 15 days to comment.

Then, if the LA is going to amend, they must finalise within 8 weeks of sending the proposed amendments, so max of 12 weeks from the AR meeting.

Thank you. None of this has been followed at all. I will gather my thoughts this weekend and send some emails Monday! Thank you for being so incredibly helpful, it's so easy to get lost in the fog of it all.