Is it okay for a school to Lie in an EHCP??

[Rizo]

My son has an EHCP from the start of reception. He is 4 and was classed as having social communication difficulties due to speech and language disorder. From birth he has been progressing- not at the rate of other children or should I say not like others. He spent most of his time doing puzzles, counting over 100, reading ( memory), segmenting and blending words etc. Therefore, less time or interest was spent in language development. His speech is totally clear but he would echo phrases and not create own sentences ( in the past few weeks he has been creating his own sentences eg. This morning he had two blocks which he pretended were him and a classmate and said and H are going inside the bus.)

Honestly he is very strong willed and sometimes want to do his own. Which can be challenging however, that doesnt mean he cant move on in main stream.

The updated EHCP said he has made no progress in most areas which is a total lie. WHen i spoke to the senco she said in order to get support they need to make it negative. In all honesty i think she did this because she wants him to go to a special school.

Im trying to move him to another mainstream school and this is a problem because school are now saying the cant support him because of all the negatives of the EHCP which doesnt match my son. This is so unfair. They even said he has received a high level of support and still made no progress. His one to one has never worked with children or received training to deal with sen.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

From personal experience, yes it can be helpful if the worst scenario is painted by the school in the sense that it might generate additional funding for further support, however the school can't just lie! They will need to have evidence to base their claim on, (and you would also need evidence if you are disagreeing with their opinion). Usually schools have a scoring system of attainment to show progress (or not) based on very specific tests. They would need to show they are professionally assessing him and making the right adjustments in line with his ehcp to enable him to make progress. If they are saying they can't meet his needs, then why not? What do they need to make it happen? What exactly is a "high level" of support? Is it quantified and documented? When is it all reviewed? Does he have an IEP? Every child has the right to mainstream, however it may not be the best place. My DS is at a special school. Have you viewed any?

Thanks for your response. Lots to think about. I have viewed a special school but so far I don't think this is the right place for him. Considering going into this field.

At the age of 4, your son's achievement will be measured in age bands - in line with Early Years. So, he might be assessed at being 30-50 months, 40-60 months etc. If he has made progress, like you say, it may be that he hasn't made enough progress to be assessed into the next age bracket or move from emerging to developing or developing to secure within the age bracket. Therefore not showing progress, although he will have done, just not measurable. Does that make sense?

I’ve just had my almost 4 year olds draft Echp. He also has a speech disorder and social communication issues, he also has a very low attention span.

He is Echp reads as if all the biggest issues happen at once at the extreme end every single day. Which I know isn’t true. I’m an early years teacher and even allowing for him demonstrating less at school his attainment levels are much lower than I see at home. It was a worrying and depressing read.

However I’m sure my son won’t cope in a class with 30 children and one teacher. 10 years ago he would have been highlighted for extra support from the ta, Elsa imput and small group work. But now funding cuts mean support staff are vanishing from schools. Without extra funding to give additional support he will not cope. An Echp is his best hope for the support he needs. I can’t speak for your senco but my impression is schools are trying to secure every drop of funding they can as they are stretched to the limit.

Just to add I’ve also experienced settings just not wanting my son. It’s an awful awful feeling x