Anyone knowledgable about EHCP able to help me?

[Purplerainbow2]

Ds1 is nearly 10 in year 5. He was diagnosed privately at age 5 with ASD, odd and anxiety. Been under Camhs since then, is under paediatrician (who's useless and won't give him an nhs diagnosis). I asked from when he was in foundation could they apply for statement as I felt he wasn't being helped enough. It was always refused, they told me he would never get one as he wasn't 'bad' enough and academically a year ahead. Then the changes to EHCP and I was told before Xmas he was now not going to meet the expected level at end of this school year so he is now failing academically. His attendance has been bad. I said I will apply for EHCP and achool said they would apply in January and it wasn't simple, said there would be a lot of paperwork for me etc I said fine bring it on. Anyway his attendance is so bad the attendance board are involved as he is a refuser.

He wants to go to school but I think he is struggling with the pressure since the curriculum changed and it's all sats Sats sats. He is also going to be assessed for dyslexia, which would explain a lot. The senco said before they can apply for EHCP they have to gather information and they have to had put in place a certain amount of school action plus and shown they haven't work. He has been on school action plus since foundation!! Surely they can proof him getting worse in behaviour and attendance etc?? All I have done is a views and aspirations form for it. They haven't asked me to sign anything etc. it's now 2 months since the original conversation. Am I wrong to think something should've been done or said by now? I asked before half term and was just told they were 'gathering infomation'. I know they will now be saying 'well he hasn't been in school'. Is there anything I can be doing to hurry the process along? Or is this correct ?

Tia

I would just take things into my own hand and apply myself. IPSEA have model letters on their website. Just write it and send it off. At least it will get the clock ticking

Would it get the schools back up if I do that? I'm sure it will.... Would they find out I had done that?

If the school are talking about applying anyway then don't worry what they say. Apply yourself, just say you was advised to apply as it would be faster. Leave it at that if they ask.

If you apply you will get a yes or no to assesment I six weeks. If it's a no you just appeal. Appeal hopefully would be dropped by your LA as they normally do for assesment if needs appeals.

Your school will need to prove its spending £10,000 on him. It doesn't take much to get to the figure.

At both speaks my son school was paying well over that already.

Just apply yourself - I've just done that!

Also don't get het up in the 6k thing. I've asked for assessment of DS needs due to the fact his behaviour at home due to school day has detoriated. School aren't meeting his needs and see no problem in his progress.

I've just evidenced the problems - eg Sen support only available outside of school, 2 months progress in reading age and 1 month in spelling age in 2.5 years. I've said it needs assessment as these figures show clearly that mainstream teaching and inout isn't enough for DS.

You just have to be clever with wording!

Thanks guys. Iv found someone quite local to privately test for dyslexia. If he is dyslexic I think this Will make a big difference to the EHCP possibility. How do I get 'evidence' though? On his learnings? All we get is end of year report that had the old levels 1,2,3 abc and now it is obviously different and we only get this in the summer? The teacher told me verbally he won't meet the minimum?

You don't need to worry too much about proving levels at this stage. This stage is to prove he warrants assesment - which is where they check levels.

You could be sly here and email the senco saying that "I know we have both talked about Ds needing a EHCP and that the school feels he warrants this. Please can you detail for me his national ciriculum levels, where he should be, where he is and his progress over the last x years"

If she replies without denying you had such a conversation, you can send that as evidence.

It's not really as simple as I'm making out but all you need to prove is he needs assessing - read this and think about how your Ds fits into this category

www.ipsea.org.uk/what-you-need-to-know/ehc-needs-assessments

Also remember to keep senco and school on side no matter what happens. Even if senco goes ape ( she won't) just be unbearably lovely in return.

I have done three appeals and the HT told me I should take Ds out of his school after I won all three. I told him my mind a few times to often. Made me happy but ultimately didn't do Ds any favours

I don't think the senco likes me much already (she said ds wasn't bad enough for ot and wouldn't fill a certain form in so I complained to OT who is now v much involved!) but I don't want to make it worse as ds doesn't like her either!

I just wondered if there was any way of checking if the school have begun the correct process? I am trying to see the head this week but that proves to be hard!!

If the school had started the process the council would have written to you giving notice they were considering whether to assess.

Just send the IPSEA letter and get things started now - you don't need reports to start things off - the fact he is not making expected progress anymore is enough to justify an assessment to find out why. you will have a few weeks to put parent representations together

Plus the attendance is a worry so its good to cover yourself by explaining he won't attend and that is because his needs are not being met - if he is on sen radar that may take heat off you re attendance

school action plus doesn't exist anymore there is only one level of sen support - its not your problem (or your son's) school has not put in place all provision they should up to limit of ehcp application. If nothing else applying will mean school will have to justify why they don't think he needs the extra support or make them put in in place

Ive never met a parent who didn't achieve more provision by applying for ehcp even if they don't end up getting a plan.

it took me 18 months & 2 appeals to get a decent statement so you can always say to school you have to apply now because if its refused and you have to appeal thats only way you can be sure EHCP will be in place for transfer to secondary + you have to show attendance officer you are doing everything you can

I haven't had letters from anyone about it! It sounds as though they are leading me a merry dance.

You should have been notified that the process had started. Mind you neither have I but I'm assured Ds3 is being assessed.

The trouble it the school don't think he needs one. It was because I would apply for ehcp now that he was failing and that I could apply now that they were EHCP not statement. So does it look like they haven't done anything if I haven't had a letter to confirm its been applied for? This is over 6 weeks that I had the convo with the school?

I do not think this school has made any effort to apply for the EHCP and I would also say they are actively failing him (and have done for some time too).

They also do not seem at all interested in meeting his needs in any case even if he did have an EHCP in place at this school. I would now look at other schools.

You need to make the EHCP application yourself, at least you know its been done then. www.ipsea.org.uk is a good website to use and knowledge is power!.

You are his best - and only - advocate here. You also need to think longer term because secondary school is fast approaching.

Its also not down to the school to make such a decision about whether he needs an EHCP or not. I do not think his school want to make any effort at all.

Thank you all. I don't think he would cope going to a different school to be honest. It would have to be out of area for a start as his school is the best equipped around here supposedly. What would happen if I decided to take him out of school? I guess you don't get an EHCP then?

Yes zzzzzz

Yes what I mean is if I home educate, do home educated children get an EHCP or is it only for school children?

I think he needs an ina. The problem is , it's a big primary school, has an ASD unit but only those with statements are 'supposed' to access the ASD unit. We are fortunate that they agreed he could use the unit. He spends no break outside as he can't cope with the playground. Including lunch break. Has to eat his lunch with 'lunch club' so maybe couple of other children with a teacher away from the hall and other children eating. I was told in January that he could do 'mental maths' in the ASD unit with an adult as he couldn't cope with the 'timed' situation in the classroom. I then find out before half term that he was in the classroom for this NOT the agreed ASD unit because he 'would never learn to cope if he's not on that situation'. Well he's got to this age not coping so I don't think he ever will ' cope' with it. They had no right taking that privilege away without telling me. The teacher puts him down in maths because he is capable of doing the maths but isn't showings his working out in the way she wants. There are times he is refused access to ASD unit as there is 'no one there to look after him' meaning the other kids all have an ina who are in the ASD unit.

'Working breaks' were suggested by Camhs as well a OT and he isn't having them as there is no one that can go out with him.

The teacher as well as the OT who went in and assessed him said he is so much better when someone is with him working through things but this is obviously not possibly that often with one teacher and 30 kids