Homeschooling ideas for 5 year old

[Spinebrightlikeadiamond]

Hoping this is the best place to post as I’m feeling a bit lost and bogged down with the world of SEN at the moment. Long story short, DS has suspected autism, has difficulty focusing for longer than a few minutes and has speech difficulties (will mimic, can give some words in context but very limited). Despite having an EHCP and really fighting against it we have ended up with him in mainstream where he’s really struggling despite having a full time 1-1. He’s only doing 9-12 at school every day and will be until they can find specialist provision for him. I’m currently on maternity leave with his 10 week old brother and the expectation of the school and LA is that I’ll be homeschooling in the afternoons. I’ve not been given any resources of anything I’m just trying to lead with things he likes and build on it.

Our routine is normally a long walk home through the woods, lunch, then a couple of hours of trying to introduce some structured activity. This is where I’m starting to struggle a bit with things that’ll engage him. We’ll do a shape puzzle he likes, support him in practicing reading to his brother (he tends to memorise words) play cars, cosmic yoga, sing phonics songs to him and encourage him to join in, explore his sensory box, try to encourage him to play two player games and model conversation… we’re trying to keep going with makaton but his focus just isn’t there. Then we have wind down time around 4, so just watch tv together, etc. he’s not really into play dough, painting or anything like that.

I just feel like I’m doing him a total disservice, and was wondering what activities everyone else does with their SEN children? Im trying to focus on building attention span and language and have had some guidance from SALT (he’s still waiting to be seen by them too) but I just feel I could be doing more?

Sorry it’s a bit of a long one. I’m just exhausted. I spend my days trying to support him, care for his baby brother, and my nights up with the baby while emailing everyone he is ‘waiting’ to see and his caseworker to remind her after four months of at most, three hours of school a day and homeschooling I’m on my absolute knees.

Any suggestions for activities would be fantastic 😊 I may be massively overthinking this, I just feel I should be doing something productive with him in the afternoons? Equally I’m a bit bored, I feel we need something we can both enjoy doing together and maybe encouraging language can be just another bonus.

He’s only doing 9-12 at school every day

Is this your choice because e.g. DS can’t attend full time due to his mental health or the school informally excluding DS?

and will be until they can find specialist provision for him.

Have you appealed the EHCP? What do you mean be find a SS? Have you considered EOTAS if there isn’t a suitable placement?

the expectation of the school and LA is that I’ll be homeschooling in the afternoons.

NO, NO, NO! If DS can’t attend school full time the LA have a statutory duty to provide a suitable full time education under s.19 of the Education Act 1996. They must also provide anything specified and quantified in section F of the EHCP. You need to email the Director of Children’s Services requesting provision, stating if it isn’t provided you will be forced to begin judicial review proceedings. If the email doesn’t work contact SOSSEN for help with a pre-action letter.

SALT (he’s still waiting to be seen by them too)

Did DS not have a SALT assessment as part of the EHCNA, and is SALT not in section F of the EHCP?

Thank you, I really wasn’t expecting such a quick response.

It started out as the idea of him doing 9-12 and building up gradually as a phased induction which I was fine with. I hadn’t thought of it as informal exclusion, but I guess it is in a way. Their reasoning is that DS is overwhelmed by the classroom, number of children, etc. and becomes visibly stressed and agitated by around 11:30. We’ve spoken today about ways to manage this, but it seems he’ll be very part time till they decide he can manage.

We’ve been trying to appeal his EHCP for almost a year. We moved in January 22, went through a string of caseworkers and managers, all of whom left or were signed off long term sick. His EHCP was written over two years ago and desperately needs a review. SENDIAS have been helpful, but our area just seems to be utterly hopeless at retaining staff. I’ve just emailed his current caseworker snd had a reply stating she too is now off long term sick. The school want to review his EHCP before Easter half term to give him time to settle and for them to have a better view as to his needs. What’s frustrating is we gave our local specialist school as our first preference, were told no spaces, and every call, email and complaint was ignored until they realised he needed to be in education and he was turning no one five in a week. It’s been an absolute nightmare to be honest. SALT - his EHCP was written during covid, he had a zoom
assessment and we were told to wait for an appointment to be offered and to play the bucket game with him every day. He’s been on the wait list for our new area since the start of last year. I call and email them, and community paediatrics at least twice a week just generally trying to make as big of a pain of myself as possible chasing them up to try to get him seem sooner.

I’ll take a look at EOTAS - I can’t say I did a great deal of research on other provision as we just to be honest really hoped this would work as there was seemingly no other option. Thank you as well for the other advice - I’ll look to email the director of children’s services and at the prospect of a judicial review too.

I’m just gutted that all this could be avoided if they’d just put him in the right provision in the first place.

it seems he’ll be very part time till they decide he can manage.

It doesn’t have to be this way. If you want DS to attend full time inform the school in writing they are currently illegally excluding DS, he will be attending full time and you will not be collecting early unless DS is formally excluded. Don’t worry if they do formally exclude. This will provide you with evidence of unmet needs, allow you to challenge the exclusions if you want and mean the school can only exclude for 45 days per year.

If you don’t want DS to attend full time follow the third paragraph of my previous post.


If you haven’t had an AR for over 2 years email the Director of Children’s Services this letter reminding them of their duty to hold an AR every year. Add on the end if they do not comply with their duty you will be forced to begin judicial review proceedings. Then contact SOSSEN if needed for help with a pre-action letter. Having an AR will then enable you to get the right of appeal.

Be careful with SENDIASS, some are good but too many repeat the LA’s unlawful policies. And they should be giving you better advice than they have so far. ISPEA and SOSSEN are better.

were told no spaces

Unless the school is wholly independent being full (which isn’t actually legally defined) isn’t enough of a reason to refuse to name your preference. The LA have to prove the school is so full placing DS there is incompatible which is a higher bar than LAs like to admit. Did you appeal?

Is SALT in section F of the EHCP? If so it must be provided you don’t have to sit on the normal waiting list. You can enforce provision via judicial review. If it isn’t in the EHCP, try to get it included at the AR and appeal if it isn’t.

@JustKeepBuilding thank you so much for your reply - sorry this is the first chance I’ve had to properly respond.

I absolutely want, need (and DS needs) to be in full time education. I’ve emailed the SENCO expressing about not collecting early unless he’s formally excluded, though there’s no way I will ever follow through with this. DS is already really struggling again with his dad being away and feelings of abandonment, the last thing I want to do is make this worse for him, but hopefully they’ll take it seriously. Also terrified that they will permanently exclude him. There is no way I can cope with the tiny amount of respite I get when he’s at school, it’s already a struggle enough getting to appointments and sessions to address my PND without having to get both kids there with me as there’s no one to have them.

I went back through my emails and found one from just before Christmas to the director of children’s services and her response, this was when we had no place at all for DS and was assured a suitable place would be found and I would not be expected to home school (funny that…) I’ve emailed the letter, plus a slightly less professional sounding email in the early hours as to how I really can’t carry on anymore, how it’s too fucking hard being unwell myself, juggling his needs with an unwell baby, with zero support and the only adult interaction I get being at drop off and pick up because his hours I’m unable to actually get out and make new friends in this area. Slightly regret sending it.

In terms of appealing the names school, it haven’t. At the time they finally allocated a school I was hospitalised with sepsis and to be honest it took my energy and focus away from DS’s situation.

Don’t worry if the school do permanently exclude. They will have to follow the proper procedure, it will provide you with evidence of unmet needs and the LA will have a statutory duty to provide alternative provision. If you want/need DS to be in school full time as difficult as it is stay strong with not collecting early. The school need to see you are serious. Unfortunately LAs and many schools act unlawfully unless they are forced not to. If they ask you to collect early remind without a formal exclusion it is unlawful and disability discrimination.

If you don’t want to force full time school because you don’t think DS’s MH is robust enough the LA must provide alternative education and you can force them to.

Did you include in your email to the Director of Children’s Services about DS being illegally excluded and not in receipt of a full time education? And the breach of their duty to hold an AR and threatening JR? If you didn’t you need to email again.

Once you have had an AR if the LA don’t name the school you want you can appeal.

Have you contacted Home Start to see whether they can support you?

Sounds tough Op. handhold here

Realised in lockdown that trying to engage my autistic DS with curriculum in a home environment was very hard. He also has very poor attention span.

My advice is lean into his special interests as that is where you'll be able to maintain his focus.
My DS loves trains so when trying to teach telling the time we played 'train schedules' with his Brio. For phonics, we used a London Underground map and I taught him phonic sounds by looking at station names....

If he's good at memorising words (as my son is) put the subtitles on for CBeebies... DS has favourite programmes he likes to watch over and over and having subtitles on the TV massively brought on his reading.

If he's good at visual learning (which if he can memorise words, he might be) then Numberblocks is the best thing ever for helping grasp numeracy concepts. My son watches so much Numberblocks but you can literally see him apply it to his school maths on a daily basis.

Do everything in short bursts and give rewards - be it favourite toys, snacks, TV time or opportunity to go outside and run around.