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Here you'll find advice from parents and teachers on special needs education.

School refusal after one day, year 11, help!

3 replies

Pumpkinspicelatte02 · 08/09/2026 06:59

My son does not have an official diagnosis, we go round in circles with it. But we believe adhd , asd and some pda thrown in. With alot of anxiety and frustration.
Son has hated school forever. Had problems from day 1. We are on the home stretch now, year 11.
Things have been building over the past couple of years. The harder the work has got and the more pressure on him hes started to act out with bad behaviours , and refuse to do things such as any school work at home. And particularly now will not do any revision for GCSE'S.
Every day is stress, phone calls from school, and him getting into trouble. Hes went back yesterday and today he is refusing to go.
We had a long talk last night with me telling him hes nearly at the end now but hes just shut down. School are very accommodating. Hes on the sen register. Has a classroom support plan. Exceptions are made. But if he behaves badly then obviously that has to be dealt with accordingly.

What are our options from here now. Im a newly single parent, husband has washed his hands of him and wont help us.
Son is bigger than me. I cant physically get him to school if he refuses.
He has no intention of revising etc so Is likely to fail all exams. We want him to just try and get english and maths.

Ive emailed the school and the staff member who is my point of communication regarding my son. What can they do at this point?
Son wants a reduced timetable but I cant even see him attending that.

Any advice please before the staff member calls me today

OP posts:
roaringdragon · 08/09/2026 12:27

What support does the school provide and what has already been tried but not worked? What outside agencies has the school already referred to/sought advice from? Does DS have an EHCP?

Is DS taking a full set of GCSEs? If so, you could ask to drop some and reduce the numbers. If DS doesn’t have an EHCP, in some schools, this can be difficult for the school to facilitate because of the need for DS to be doing something during that time, but it is worth asking.

A reduced timetable, as in only attending school part-time, isn’t a solution for the whole school year unless it is going to be coupled with alternative provision to ensure DS receives a full-time education.

Some DC struggle with work at home because school is school and home is home. Some drop all homework. Some reduce to core subjects and only targeted homework. Some do it at school - especially if they drop some subjects.

What does DS want to do after Y11?

Pumpkinspicelatte02 · 08/09/2026 12:41

He wont do homework. As you say school is school home is home. Which is why the y11 pressure is hitting hard already . The teachers are sending out constant emails about revising and how to manage your time at home etc. He wont do any of that.

His main issues are based around the school bus, break times and transition between classes. Basically all of the unsupervised times. He also thinks rules dont apply to him. Hes had his phone out. Teacher tries to confiscate. Turns into a big argument getting multiple staff involved.

OP posts:
roaringdragon · 08/09/2026 12:45

So what adjustments to homework and revision are in place from the school?

Transition between lessons - has the school tried allowing DS to move 5 mins early or late? Accompanied if necessary.

Break times - is there somewhere quiet DS can go?

School bus - have other forms of transport been considered? Is it transport provided by the LA under their transport duty?

I would just ignore the emails about managing time at home at the moment.

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