Does anyone have an EHCP for a child that shows no needs in school?

[LeChien]

Ds (HFA/PDA) is in yr 6, starting at the local secondary next year.
The SENCO at the secondary has urged me to push for an EHCP (via a cando assessment) now.

Primary have already told me this will not happen as he doesn't need any support (he copies other children in school and appears to be fine). Academically he isn't causing any concern, although he is well below average in maths, where anxiety stops him from working effectively. Homework is a sore point, he doesn't understand why he needs to do school work at home, and if we can persuade him to do it, lots of swearing, pencil throwing and anger is involved.

I am worried that the move to secondary (going from a school of 25 pupils to a school with 6-700) is going to be difficult for him, although I could be worrying needlessly.

I will be asking for a cando assessment, but I'm just wandering how likely is an EHCP?

Thank you.
Do you think that's why I'm being pushed to ask for a cando?

I don't know what a cando is, but I'm inclined to agree with zzzzz. If the school are managing his needs without adjustments, then I can't see how he would get an EHCPlan even if you applied for one.
I DO agree with the importance of an excellent transition, and a Care Plan of some kind will be essential though.

Hopefully the SENCOs at both school are going to get together to discuss this.
I'm struggling to understand why the secondary SENCO has insisted that we push for this though

The secondary SENCO has told me not to say that she told me to ask for a cando - I have no idea why!

I'll request one and see what they say.

Funding.

When I was working as an SN TA in secondary the resources were allocated to the classes with the most proven need. So depending on the number of children in each subject with recorded needs, the TA timetables were drawn up.

If you have a child with known needs and no formal paperwork, it's very difficult for a senco to allocate resource to the class.

There may be six or seven children with some level of need in the proposed classroom, but if they are all borderline, with no formal support required, it doesn't bode well for the class as a whole. If at least one of them manages to get the requirement formalized, the senco can allocate some resource that will benefit the class as a whole.

Only the kids with the most complex needs had individual support, the rest were supported depending on the resource allocated (so I might have up to seven kids in the subject that needed 'some' support, one or two quite hands on, another couple that needed help with organization, reading, or getting started, and another couple who needed help staying on track).

To be honest, if the senco is suggesting get it done, I would go ahead. It's a good sign that she is thinking about transition to secondary. The changes are quite significant (just managing to get to different classrooms at the right time with the right stuff can be problematic, depending on how big the secondary school is, particularly for a child who shows some anxiety and may be routine led to an extent). They can only say no...

But yes - managing the transition is going to be important. Heartening that she is already in touch and thinking things through, even if some of it may be from a wider intake pov...

Ha, cross post.

Thank you madwoman, that makes a lot of sense.
I think he will need more support in secondary, so it does make sense that his happens now and not when he's already started.

I wish the SENCO had explained all this clearly to me, rather than give me a piercing look and saying "just ask for one" cryptically.

I can't understand why same things all have different names in different areas.

The senco is in a difficult place at the mo though, because in theory they aren't the current setting and so can't advise you to do anything as they are not familiar with ds (but will then have to cope with the unsupported kids entering en masse in September) probably why they are being a bit cagey. Their view won't yet hold weight with any of the authorities - it's great that the primary are supporting ds well, but it is a different environment.

We used to move every couple of years. Working out the system in a new county was always fun. Not.

Ds told me this morning that he zones out quite a bit at school to get through the day, in the same way he does at the dentist and hairdressers.
This would explain why he's not showing the academic potential that we think he does at home when relaxed.
Just wandering how I get this across to his teacher, and what could be done to help him not do this, if anyone has any ideas?

Depends on what you think the cause might be - ASD zoning out to cope because the situation is too busy/ bright/ too much sensory input? ADD zoning out because the interior world is just too busy and the exterior world too pointless and boring, or PDA zoning out so that no one makes demands?

Ds didn't get dx until y5, and largely because he spent most of the school day inside his own head. The teacher eventually told me she gave up yelling at him because it was obvious he had literally no idea what he was supposed to have done/ been doing when he came round to find her giving him a mouthful. Rabbit in the headlights style. She was the one who told us he was mostly on a different planet though.

Chat with the teacher and see if you can get to the bottom of it - quiet space to work in, access to a safe space in the learning support centre, wobble cushion, fiddle box, or ways to build self esteem - tbh we even contemplated homeschooling at one point because ds really wasn't coping with the constant demands - be here at this time, there at that time, bring this book, do this homework, get out of bed, be here at that time, where is your pe kit, where is your homework, you are late, where is your math book. Put your coat on. Take your shoes off. Endless.