Help! DD1 only in school for 2 hours a day. How can she become full time

[Larrissaa]

My DD1 is currently in reception she is 4 years old she will be 5 in 2 months. She was diagnosed with delayed language development. At the moment the school is only willing to accept her for just 2 hours a day as they have no extra funding to increase her hours. She has a paediatric assessment soon. The echp was not approved for her, the school said they needed more evidence that she requires extra help hence the paediatric review. She currently attends both private and nhs speech and language development. She is making progress she can express herself and sometimes starts conversations but she is not making friends in school. I am at my wits end, I have to go back to work. How can I get her to start full time school, I feel she is missing out greatly in school. Academically she is ok, her reading is at level 2-level 3, she knows her sums, numbers to 50 and can spell some words and also go with high frequency words. All these I have taught her. I am on mat leave but will be resuming work soon. Should I take her to a private school, or can I contribute toward the funding required by the school. I really need advice and help. I am desperate for her to start full time school

Don't pay for one, get the ball rolling on referrals

Thank you all, what other options do I have getting my DD1 to attend full time. In case the ehcp application is denied and appeals denied. I am just thinking of the worst case. The school is really dragging their feet about everything.

Did you not see my link?

Sorry I have just seen it now. Thank you @ Noeuf. I will have a read.

I think you should ask for a meeting with the school.
Contact your local SENDIASS, look on the council local offer website and they might be able to come with you. As the admissions code isn't specific to SEN they may not be familiar with it
Tell the school you cannot continue with part time and they need to put some support in
Does your local authority have an inclusions team? They might help

Yes have a meeting. Tell them she is entited to FT education. Tell them you will tolerate a gradual increase if hours over the next few weeks to ft school and during that time they can organise alternative provision for her during the afternoons to equate a FT education.

This is shocking ,this is discrimination..have you got sendiass near you? Look it up on line..phone the Lea yourself keep hoping untill you get someone to help. Schools can not do this...basically they are temporary excluding her ,and it needs to be marked down as such...you need to send a letter saying you want her to be full time.keep a copy,and ask them to put in writing why she can't be full time .then get on to the lea...the head is pushing her luck..you need to get tough op

Keep phoning ,not hoping sorry

Also ,she needs to. Be full time to get evidence for ehcp.how will they get it otherwise? ...plus the fact they are saying they can't manager her more than a couple of hours is evidence for an ehcp....your dealing with idiots op.....maybe you would be better trying a different school,especially as she's not made friends yet.

They need to be sending you home a letter each time saying why they’re excluding her. They’re making no reasonable adjustments to allow her to access more hours in school. Ring and email the LA, email the school to state that you need an integration plan and also ring the LA. They sound useless and are discriminating.

Thank you all for the information. I didn’t realise that there was some many resources out there. I will ring the LA and SENDIASS and will keep you updated.

This is truly shocking OP. As others have said, your DD is entitled to a full time education and the school are illegally excluding her. I have known of similar scenarios and when the parent put their foot down and said no to collecting their child early and called out the school on their unlawful behaviour the school magically found they were able to find the necessary support to have the child in school full time. I would suggest the following:

1. Email school and say in terms their behaviour in only allowing your DD to be in school 2hrs a day constitutes an illegal exclusion each and every day and you will no longer collect her without written evidence on each occasion as to why the exclusion is required. Also ask in writing for a reintegration meeting at which they detail the steps they are taking to avoid further exclusions. This should already be happening.

1. Request an EHCP assessment yourself using IPSEA and/or SOSSEN template letters and the illegal exclusions as evidence of the school's failure to meet need. Copy school in to this.

1. Contact your local SENDIASS for advice and assistance. These are free SEN advisory services all local authorities are legally required to provide. Depending on how they are resources they might be able to send someone to attend meetings at school but should at the very least be able to explain the law to you (often very different from what schools and Local Authorities will have you believe) and help with assessment requests for EHCP.

1. Look on FB for local SEN/EHCP groups. You are far from alone and these groups can be invaluable in providing localised support, advice and info on how your particular LA operates and schools (mainstream special) in your area.

Good luck.

Point out to the school that refusing to have your child in school full time is disability discrimination: it doesn't help them that she is not yet of compulsory school age if all other children of her age are full time. Refer them to this case - www.gov.uk/administrative-appeals-tribunal-decisions/f-t-v-the-governors-of-hampton-dene-primary-school-sen-2016-ukut-468-aac - and suggest it would be ever such a pity if you had to take them to the tribunal to resolve this. I suspect that would make them much more enthusiastic about supporting your EHCP application.

SOS SEN do some very useful booklets on applying for EHCPs and what should be in them - www.sossen.org/shop/index.php?cPath=22

Thank you all very much... I will be having a meeting with the senco tomorrow and I will show the document to her . Thank you

How did the meeting go @Larrissaa?

The meeting went ok. I spoke with ipsea and sandiass. I have also written to the school. They are yet to reply. The school have agreed to apply for additional educational fund from the Lea. I will also be making a ehcp application soonest. Waiting to see what they say about increasing her hours.

Thank you all... I didn’t realise there were resources out there ...

Good start well
Done

My ds is 5, is only in school 2.5 hours a day too and he does have an EHCP with funding for 1-1 support 🤷🏻‍♀️

@danni0509 it’s all illegal. Academy or LA school? I’d be reporting to the LA regardless. Reduced timetables should be no longer than 8 weeks with a clear plan on integration. What they’re doing is illegal. And is discrimination.

I don t think 8 weeks is national guidance - as part time timetables are essentially illegal (health aside) there isn't any issued. The only time I've found it is in a FAQ in the back of guidance on attendance issued by the DfE

@KateGrey it has academy in the name of ds' school.

They decided to start him on 2 hours a day to settle him in, fine. They didn't say for how long so I assumed for a month maybe. But we are almost 5 months in now.

I have asked 3 times about increasing his hours, my dh has also asked once, so 4 times in total. first time I asked was end of October he had been there about 8 weeks at this point, I was told once ds had his operation (early November) when he returned and had settled back in after 2 weeks they would look at slowly increasing. So he went back after operation & after the 2 weeks settling back in still no mention, so I asked again and they said after Xmas now.

Went back after Xmas, hours increased by 15 minutes that first week. That was 3 weeks ago and no further increase.

I asked again Thursday & was told they want to see how he gets on with this extra 15 minutes and they would have to have a meeting amongst his 1-1, class teacher & Senco to discuss what the best approach would be, I asked when the meeting would be and was told when all the staff can get together.

I've been extremely patient so far. But I'm getting peed off now.

He has the development age of a 2 yr old (he's 5) he needs to he in school and needs to be learning for more than 2 hours a day.

His EHCP was finalised in November.

Even his ehcp co-ordinator asked why he didn't attend full time and when I said they only let him go for 2 hours a day she pulled a confused face but never said any thing else.

Ds 1-1 works with the class in the afternoon when ds isn't there....

I am a SENDCO and as others have said you need to take the ECHP to a tribunal.

School can apply for TUF for your little one, you don’t need a diagnosis or an ECHP, and the school can decide to spend it onyour little one how they see fit, so there is no excuse to exclude her at all.

www.ipsea.org.uk/pages/category/exclusion-from-school

@Noeuf that might be our county’s guidelines on how to increase hours but the whole thing is illegal. Academies are the worst as they do what they want. Are you happy with mainstream? If not I’d ask for an emergency review but I fear with academies your only option might be tribunal.