Daughter at risk of suspension

[MumOf3LittleOnez]

I really don't know who to turn to. I've just had a meeting with my daughters head of year and she's at risk of suspension for walking out of lessons repeatedly.
My daughter is in year 10, she self harms and is on a risk assessment. Cahms referral resulted in an autism and adhd referral so we're now on the long waiting list.
In year 3 my daughter was added to the sen register and given a permanent TA in all lessons. She went to secondary and this all stopped. I've tried to get senco support but I'm told the same thing, she has no diagnosis and no echp so she can't be added. Cahms believe she has masked for many years and is struggling to keep the mask up. She will just randomly get up and leave class and wander the corridors. Now the school have said they can't keep her in class and the next step is suspension. They tried isolation which she enjoyed as it was quiet so she worked well. But as she didn't see this as a punishment they've upped it to suspension. I've tried to convince her to be home schooled as I really don't agree with how school have handled things but she doesn't want to be left out and worries she'll lose her friends. Last year she got bullied very badly and has spiralled down hill fast. I really feel the school would rather ship her off than help her.
I've not been through this before and talking to the school feels like talking to a brick wall.

Why do they think suspension will work

I have you contacted the SENCO more recently to discuss her issues and needs? It might (hopefully) be different now that it is clear she isn't coping. Support should be based on need not diagnosis etc. How exactly do they think suspension is going to help her? I'd be asking that question as it's obviously not going to help her in any way.

Don't pull her out if she doesn't want to leave, keep fighting for help for her. Try everyone, SENCO, her head of year then the head - if still no joy then check out the complaints process and see who you speak to next, it might be the governors.

The school should be providing more support. They have a duty to make reasonable adjustments and make their best endeavours to meet DD’s needs, whether she has a diagnosis and EHCP or not.

Follow up verbal conversations either emails to create a paper trail.

Can DD explain what she finds overwhelming?

You can request an EHCNA yourself. On their website, IPSEA has a model letter you can use.

I've tried with senco several times. Her pastoral have spoken with them, her German teacher and her head of year. Today her head of year told me she can't have senco help as she has no diagnosis and no echp. When I called to meet with him when she started self harming, he left me in reception for 30 minutes before telling me he had to cancel as another parent had turned up wanting to talk to him. He's promised many things over the past year all which either havnt been done or take months to sort. Even my daughter says "there's no point meeting them nothing changes". I honestly wish I didn't chose this school. I feel like I'm going crazy

I'm starting to think they don't care and it'll be easier for them if she's not in school.

She says she sometimes doesn't even know she's leaving the classroom until she's already left, like something else takes over her. She did this in year 3 but was immediately flagged and offered senco support with a permanent TA. After that it never happened again until year 9 stemming from the bullying. While she says that's stopped (she could just be saying that) the urge to leave is still very present.

If primary provided 1:1 TA full time how was that funded? Do you have any documentation to demonstrate that? Do you have any emails from school now describing her leaving class, self harming and the internal exclusion?
If you have all that as a curtesy I would ask for a meeting with school and explain that it’s clear to you that school isn’t working for her at the moment but that you think suspensions will not encourage her to stay in class and so are going to apply for her needs to be assessed with a view to getting her an ehcp. Then just do that. They may step up and help with the process but even if they don’t you should have plenty of evidence.

Definitely request an EHCNA. The primary should have done that because full-time 1:1 in secondary without an EHCP is unusual. Few secondary schools can provide full-time 1:1 without a EHCP.

If the SENCO and HOY are ignoring you, complain to the HT.

Some schools do not operate a SEND register but if they do, they have to assess whether the child fits the profile to be added. You can't just add a child.
No diagnosis or EHCP is needed to be added.

Arrange to meet SENCo to discuss options, to ensure you both have the same information and what has been discussed with your daughter to make life easier and what pastoral support is available while they consider options.

Whether they call it the SEN register or not, all schools that are not wholly independent should “identify and address the SEN of the pupils that they support” (SENCOP 6.2) and when DC do have SEN, “the decision should be recorded in the school records” (SENCOP 6.43).