Furious - SEND and secondary school attitude

[AllGonePeteTong1]

I've been getting increasingly concerned about my daughter (ADHD and Autism) and how she will cope at secondary school. I went on a tour of my local 'outstanding' comprehensive yesterday. It was supposed to be a SEND tour - I had asked for a meeting with the SENCO but she said all she can offer prospective parents is this tour. So off I went expecting to find out about the range of support they offer for SEN kids and have the ability to ask questions. Instead, it was a 20 minute tour of the school with the learning assistant showing us round answering the odd question in a very vague way. For example:

'What kind of support do you provide children struggling to keep up in the classroom? Answer: 'Well, it's a large school so you can't expect everyone to get individual help. Some classes have TAs but not all. Teenagers have got to get used to being independent.'

'Are there any small group or one-to-one interventions for kids who are very behind?' Answer: 'Teachers don't like to pull children out of their class as they'll miss important things. Interventions like that are more common in GCSE years. You'll find that secondary provides a lot less support than primary.'

'What kind of accommodations to school uniform can be made for autistic pupils with severe sensory sensitivities?' [I explained that my DD has daily meltdowns about clothing and would find shirts excruciatingly painful]. Answer: 'Oh, everyone wears the uniform. We find teenagers just want to wear what everyone else is wearing to fit in.'

This is a school that prides itself on SEND provision and has a dedicated Autism unit (although this is only for those with an EHCP so we weren't even allowed to see this on the tour).

I'm so appalled I feel like complaining to the school, but don't know whether this was just one member of staff being incompetent or not. I really wanted a chance to speak to the SENCO (only one for a school of 1,200!) but she wasn't on my part of the tour.

I was hoping I would find the tour reassuring that my daughter will be well supported but it's had the complete opposite impact! I came away with the impression that it's a sink or swim mentality and that children are treated like numbers (she must have mentioned 'it's all about crowd control' about 3 times).

I've got another local school to see but if that's much the same, we will be faced with the choice of whether to start DD at state and see how it goes (risking potential trauma) or bite the bullet and go down the private route, which will be financially crippling. It's so depressing.

I would email the school clarifying some of the points. For example, the school must make reasonable adjustments to the uniform.

However, 1:1 and small group interventions are much less common in secondary unless there is an EHCP including the provision. This is because of staffing. It is normal not to be able to tour ARPs/units unless DC will potentially be placed there, so I wouldn’t mentioned that.

Thanks @StrivingForSleep. Yes, I will ask them to clarify some points and thanks for the clarification on ARPs.

Their SEND policy seems very much about those with an EHCP so I'm concerned my DD is not going to get much in the way of support without one.

What level of support is DD needing/going to need at secondary? Have you considered requesting an EHCNA?

She struggles with reading (can only read out loud, not in her head); she struggles to complete homework as it nearly always causes a meltdown and she is currently unable to wear school uniform due to extreme sensory sensitivity. She also struggles socially due to her explosive temper. I've no idea what this means in terms of the support secondary school is able to provide - that's what I wanted to discuss with them. I suggested applying for an EHCP to her school but they said there is no way she would be granted one as apparently the local authority require kids to be at least a year behind academically?

Request an EHCNA yourself now. Ignore the school. Unfortunately, some schools incorrectly tell parents their DC doesn’t need or won’t get an EHCP. You may have to appeal, but it is possible to get an EHCP with the needs you are describing. It is a myth DC need to be academically behind. The first test to focus on for the EHCNA is a relatively low threshold. You only need to show DD a) has or may have SEN, and b) may need SEN provision to be made via an EHCP. Any other test is unlawful.

Sadly, I know of some 'outstanding' schools that actively try and put parents of DC with SEN off. Putting it bluntly, their attitude is 'what is this child going to bring to our school? How will they impact on our results/budget?' They will try and put parents off by emphasising how they don't make adjustments as it's good for students' 'independence' etc.

The fact that the school has a dedicated autism unit may mean that they are finding that they're attracting a lot of students with autism as parents believe the school will be more accommodating/experienced.

A school local to me has an autism unit and has a third of the entire school registered with SEN now. This obviously has a big impact on their ability to effectively support the students. I'm not saying this is right in any way but you can see why schools could end up trying to put people off from applying.

Are there other schools in your area that you could look at? Ironically, it is sometimes the schools that have lower league table results or a 'lower' Ofsted rating that can be better at supporting SEN students.

A friend of mine has a DS with autism who's just started at a secondary (with no EHCP) and she's been really impressed by how he's being supported. It can be small adjustments that make all the difference: he's allowed to go to lunch 10mins early to avoid the rush and he has a toilet pass and a time out card he can use in lessons. So it can be done. These are the kind of things any decent school should be able to offer.

Having said all that, it does sound from your description that your DD has a level of need that would benefit from an EHCP needs assessment. The 'one year behind' thing is unlawful, as StrivingForSleep has said. I know DC at grammar schools with an EHCP.
You can apply yourself - that's what I did after my DS's primary Senco said she wasn't prepared to do the paperwork as he would never get one. He did.

Unfortunately without a EHCP, the answers they give you will be vague because there is not legal requirements to provide specific support or services for your child

Even without an EHCP, there is still the requirement to make reasonable adjustments and make their best endeavours to meet pupils’ SEN. The problem in OP’s case is things like 1:1 go beyond that.