DS with ADHD just excluded from school

[winterrabbit]

Just had call with headteacher and DS has been permanently excluded from the independent school he has attended since year 7. He behaved reasonably well for the first term of year 7 but it started to go down bill after the first lockdown and since then has been pretty dreadful as the lockdowns/stop starts have not helped him. After the 1st week back in March he was excluded for 2 days, all for low level disruptive behaviour (saying stupid things, not listening, not following instructions etc). At that point they told us he had no long term future at the school and to look for another place but that he could stay for the rest of the term. He was involved in another incident outside of school on Monday evening which resulted in complaints from members of the public so they have now taken the decision to permanently exclude. I have put him on the waiting list for various state schools but nowhere half decent has a place and there are very limited private options, mainly as year 8 is not an entry point and also because of his school report and reference. When all this started going wrong back in March I referred him for a private assessment for ADHD as there is clearly something very wrong. He has the diagnosis but it's now too late. Just looking for guidance as I have no idea what to do or where to turn to help him. Every enquiry is drawing a blank as all good schools are oversubscribed. I worry that if he is out of school he will spiral into depression and who knows what else.

He can't be the only child in your area with ADHD. If it as me - I would ring all the decent local high schools and ask to speak to the Heads of Sen departments and explain you would be grateful for any advice they could give knowing the local situation. Its not possible to generalise but I usually find Sen teachers have a heart and might agree to speak to you for a few minutes. They might be able to provide you with some ideas and options.

Sorry things are difficult.

Somw school with good general reputations don't always have the best SEN support. if you're on Facebook I'd be joining your local SEN support groups and trying to get some insider information.

Also as PP said, contacting the SEN department of your local schools and try and get a sense of what provision they have.

I think Secondary school appeals are less rigid than primary, so if you think you've found the right school then there's some hugely knowledgeable posters on MN who could help on the main education boards.

There's also the EHCP route if you think your child needs over and above what a mainstream school can provide within resources.

They have failed him. My son has done all sorts since year 7 but school have always supported him. He is in year 10 now.
He has wandered out of bounds, got so muddy they had to put him in spare uniform, clowned in class and been sent out, spilt milk all over the floor of the school bus, yelled insults at people from the top deck . Each time a clear consequence, support and regular meeting with me there so he knew we were all working as a team and further poor behaviour would result in more consequences.
I also got MAST to visit him in school and that seemed to help "reset" his attitude.

@winterrabbit so sorry this has happened to your son sounds like a horrible school :(. This is a bit late but I think you need to consider a few things. If you have the diagnosis it may not be too late - you could still appeal on the grounds of disability and discrimination (if you want him to go to that school).

If you don't I'd definitely get your EHC application as then you will be able to name a school be that mainstream or specialist. Your EHC application will take a while so in the meantime you probably have to decide if you want him to go "somewhere" to have routine/stay in education until the EHCP is finalised or want to hold out for something that meets his needs.

Your local authority have a duty to provide him with an education so you should speak to them to get him a place "somewhere" (and don't stop calling them!) but also definitely recommend your local SEN support groups. I didn't find SENDIASS that helpeful but they can probably help navigate the initial phases of what to do.

Hope this is a little helpful.

Thanks Purplecow. Several weeks on, very little has happened. Despite chasing, we have had ZERO communication from his previous school including about refund of school fees for this term (which they agreed to do), handover of school work etc, and I have chased several times. They literally just dumped him and us. I am actually quite shocked at their behaviour. Our younger son has a place there in September so we have tried to keep things nice but I am getting increasingly frustrated.

DS did get an offer from our local state school which is ok ish but, a week on, we have still had no communication from the school regarding a start date and I am worried it will drag on for weeks. I am calling our local authority nearly daily but can't get through to anyone. The LA not the school issues offers - I tried calling the school and can't get through.

So DS is at home, getting more and more out of a routine, his behaviour is pretty bad still and it just seems impossible to get help. Even the psychiatrist we used to do the assessment is takes weeks to come back to us with next steps. All incredibly frustrating and annoying.

@winterrabbit

As your son is of statutory school age, under Section 19 of the 1996 Education Act the LA has a statutory duty to secure suitable, full-time alternative education for him.

Write to the Director of Children’s Services at your LA as advised here. If the LA fails to respond, you can complain.

www.ipsea.org.uk/getting-temporary-education-put-in-place

Going forwards, you may want to consider making a request for an EHC Needs assessment:

www.ipsea.org.uk/ehc-needs-assessments

Sorry to hear this. Did he have any extra support at school? Did the school do all they can to support him? If not, you've got grounds for an appeal against the permanent exclusion.

Local Authorities have a duty to ensure all children who want to attend school can, so it would be pretty unheard of for all schools to turn you down, he would have to be accepted into one.

Do you have any support from social services? You are able to refer yourself to the "early help team" and ask for support. They are able to help with a variety of things including behaviour, SEMH needs, school and home life. A big misconception is that social services are only for people who abuse their children, and that is absolutely not true. I work in a school and the majority of our students who have social service involvement have so because their families need extra support through no fault of their own.

Are there any SEN schools in your area that would look to accept him given his recent diagnosis?

Also, when he does get accepted into a school, ensure you make clear what his needs are and what help he will need from the school. All schools should have dedicated pastoral teams that do everything they can to make reasonable adjustments for students and support them to make better choices.

A permanent exclusion is obviously not a great thing, but the fact this has happened in year 7 is what tells me this could work out. I say this because students who are permanently excluded in year 9 or above generally only have the option of Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) unless they're lucky. Thankfully, in year 7 this is highly unlikely and another school should take him and put support in place.

Wishing you all the best OP, this is a hard situation and I'm sure you are doing a fantastic job