Work and no school attendance .

[Jessiep23]

I work from home 4 days a week 9-5 and my 8 year old has been home from school since September we have a home tutor for 2 hours 4 x a week.

We have no family to help out, husband is out the house 7am-5pm.

I’ve struggled and plodded on since September but I’m not sure I can do this much longer. We are almost at the point of naming a school but even then this is not going to be a quick process.

I like my job and I like working from home. My manager is aware of my situation and is understanding and I’ve told them that I’m overwhelmed and struggling and they just say ‘keep your chin up and do what you can’ type of thing. Even today I had my appraisal and said I’m struggling and an hour later I have a load more work dumped in my inbox.

I know it’s not their problem at the end of the day I’m being paid to do my job and I can’t and am making small/minor mistakes etc.

I have worked out UC and carers and DLA and it’s just not enough money to give up work and manage financially. I’m burning out.

What can I do/should I do/what can I ask work for.

Hopefully by the end of the year I’m hoping for a full time return to school but obviously a long way off.

If DC can’t attend school, the LA has a duty to ensure they still receive a suitable full-time education. 8 hours a week is not that. Use IPSEA’s model letter to send to the LA to request more provision. If that doesn’t work, email the Director of Children’s Services threatening judicial review. Then, if that fails, you need a pre-action letter. SOSSEN can help with this for free, but there is a wait, so you may want to look elsewhere but unless you are eligible for legal aid that will cost.

What week of the EHCP process are you on? Is the LA sticking to the statutory timescales?

Would you &/or DH dropping hours at work be feasible? Or would parental leave or carer's leave for a day or two a week be an option - although they are unpaid? Or even being signed off sick.

Have you had social care assessments?

When this happened to me, I ended up going sick with stress for several weeks until things improved. Mind you, work was equally responsible for my breakdown at the time (I no longer work there).

Can you dh help out more? It's often mothers who shoulder the burnout burden and it shouldn't really matter who the higher earner is, either - he would be supporting you and your mental health as much as your child.

If you're overwhelmed and on the verge of complete burnout then I'd be taking some time out from work - you can't help your child unless you ensure you're OK first and foremost (as I learned at great cost). Alternatively, see if you can adjust your hours in the short term - seemingly a feasible option if your work is supportive and understanding and certainly preferable to you going sick.

And yes to challenging the local authority too. They must provide suitable education. The fact that they often don't is the reason so many kids end up being home schooled by parents. Putting it crudely, once the children are off their books, they're someone else's problem.