Questions about ehcp

[elliejjtiny]

I've got 5 dc, 4 with SN but my 7 year old ds (year 2) who is dc4 is the first one to need an ehcp so this is new to me. Ds has GDD (developmentally he is around 4-5 years old), cleft lip/palate (with all the hearing/speech problems that go with it) and hydrocephalus.

After several years of me saying I thought ds4 needed an ehcp and preschool/school saying not yet, maybe when he is older and the developmental gap between his actual age and developmental age is wider, in April this year the school senco said she was going to apply for his ehcp. She asked me, dh and ds some questions like what are his strengths and weaknesses, what would he like to learn to do at school that he can't do now (ds said he wanted to learn to drive a helicopter ). She said she would get back to us when something needed signing.

2 weeks ago I emailed the senco to let her know his grommets have fallen out and his hearing is so bad we are now doing a lot of signing with him and to ask how the ehcp is going. I've had no reply yet. I've tried phoning and got no answer. As parents we are not allowed to go in the school building or stand less than 2 metres away from staff so I can't talk to her in person.

Is it normal for an ehcp application to go on for this long without any involvement from the parents? Is there still any hope of it being finished and ready for September when he goes into year 3? DH keeps telling me to relax as the ehcp affects the school rather than us and the support for ds will be the same, just paid for by the LEA rather than the school. It's driving me mad not knowing though.

I'd strongly suggest that you simply apply yourself. There's information on the IPSEA website about how to do it, and SOS SEN did a really useful webinar recently which i think is still available online.

I too suggest applying yourself. You know it's done ASAP then.

Unless you already know all of DS' needs and your school is v good, it is likely DS could get more support with an EHCP.

Have you had involvement with the LA's HI specialist teaching service?

Thankyou. Sorry if this sounds silly but wouldn't it be pointless applying myself if the school have already started doing it and are hopefully 3-4 months into the process.

Ds currently gets 1-1 support most of the time at the moment including lunchtime and in the playground. We haven't had involvement from the HI specialist teaching service. We are in touch with the national deaf children society though so I will ask them about that. I find with ds's hearing problems being not permanent then we struggle to get any professionals to help him. When he has his grommets in he can hear really well but they only last 6 months and then we have to go through 13 months of waiting lists and red tape to get another set put in. So he ends up really struggling with his hearing for more than half the time. We do some basic makaton signing with him and so does his teacher but we haven't had any support and we are mostly winging it.

You would be aware if the school were 3-4 months into the process. Ignoring the recent relaxation of timescales, EHCPs take 20 weeks from the initial request. Within 6 weeks the LA have to decide if they are going to assess or not. If they were going to DS would then be assessed by various professionals. I would guess they haven't even submitted a request. By applying yourself you know it is done.

DS can access the LA's HI specialist teaching service without having an EHCP. His hearing problems are prolonged, even if not permanent, and it is a significant barrier to him accessing education so they should be advising.

It sounds to me as if the school hasn't sent anything at all, given that the SENCo has never come back to you. The LA has to send its decision whether it is going to assess or not to you, so as 10broken has said, you would have heard by now if they had received the request.

Information here:

www.ipsea.org.uk/ehc-needs-assessments

I don't think that the school will be 3-4 months into the process as the Council normally writes to parents shortly after receipt of an application setting out the timeframe for decision making. I would recommend IPSEA or Special Needs Jungle for further info on the process.

Thankyou everyone. I emailed the senco again asking about the HI specialist teaching service and asking where we were with the ehcp.

She said that the LA have said that they can't do an ehcp assessment now because of covid-19 so she needs to try again in September. Which is understandable but it would have been nice to know that in April.

She doesn't think he would qualify for the HI specialist teaching service but she is going to ask about that in September. I am also going to ask audiology when we finally get our appointment with them.

Your LA are acting illegally. They can not refuse to carry out EHCNAs. See IPSEA's info. And the last bullet point on page 6 of SOS SEN's guidance. Make a parental request reminding them of this.

Obviously I don't know your LA, but I know of DC in a couple of LAs who have HI specialist teachers involved with what they hope will be temporary hearing loss. You may be able to find more about your LA's service by googling.

No, your SENCo's statement isn't understandable. The Department for Education has made it plain more than once that blanket statements by local authorities that they won't accept new requests for EHC needs assessments are illegal. If your SENCo had bothered to read the guidance she should know that.

I'd suggest you get your own request in NOW, and ask the SENCo for a copy of the LA's letter. Then contact SOS SEN who I understand are reporting these things to the DfE.