Delaying school entry with an EHCP for a summer-born autistic child

[Leabee1234]

Hi , just wanted to share an update and see if anyone has been down a similar path.After a huge amount of thought, tears, and navigating this overwhelming system, I've made the decision to delay my son's school entry by a year.

He is August born, which already makes him the youngest in his year group, and he is autistic with additional sensory and regulation needs.

After visiting local school settings, speaking with professionals, and hearing feedback directly from schools suggesting that deferral is a sensible option for children with additional needs, it really solidified the decision for me.

Giving him that extra twelve months means he will be so much more ready and mature when he finally steps into a classroom.At the same time, I am pushing full steam ahead with keeping his EHCP process going right now we are preparing it ready to be sent next month.

i’d love to get some advice from anyone who has been through this:

For those who have deferred a summer-born child with an EHCP, how did you manage the transition timeline with the local authority while keeping the assessment moving?

When the draft EHCP comes through, what specific wording or provisions should I look out for to ensure his 1:1 support and sensory needs are properly quantified before he startsReception a year late?

Did you face any pushback from nurseries or the council? As I feel the nursery wanted him to start next year and have kind of pushed me to it

Will the council accept him delaying a year and starting in reception after 5th birthday

It’s been an exhausting journey trying to protect him and balance everything, so any tips or advice would be hugely appreciated

When you say “I am pushing full steam ahead with keeping his EHCP process going right now we are preparing it ready to be sent next month.” Do you mean an EHCNA hasn’t even been requested yet?

You should look to have wording around DS being educated outside his chronological year group and with the year below included in section F of the EHCP. Do you have evidence to support this?

Yes, LAs sometimes push back on this and some have to appeal. Some nurseries aren’t keen either. Depending on the type of nursery, it can be trickier than others because in order for some types of nurseries to be named in an EHCP, you need an offer of a place.

Provision in EHCPs is taken from the evidence, so things like 1:1 and support for sensory needs will depend on the evidence. The wording needs to be detailed, specified and quantified. Think about things such as what, who, when, where, how long for, frequency, ratio… Wording such as “access to”, “would benefit from”, “regular”, “up to”, “or equivalent”, “opportunities for”, “as appropriate”, “would be useful/helpful”, “such as”, “e.g.”, “etc.”, “as required”, “as advised”, “key adult(s)”, “small”, “small group” are too vague an woolly.

Have you sought advice from the Facebook group - flexible admissions for summer born children?