SENCO advice needed re EHCP

[drspouse]

Ok so bear with me...
DS has ADHD and is very behind in a lot of aspects of his learning. He's in Y3 and we looked at 8 schools for him and there's no special school that is suitable so he moved in Sept to a village school (we are edge of a small city, which doesn't help the issue of school choice as it's a small place anyway). PAN 15 so he's in a mixed year 3/4 class.
We are appealing his EHCP and we need to work out what should go in it as school don't really seem to be able to work out how to deal with him, he's hardly ever in the class and the original provision was things like "role model for good behaviours" and the outcomes for year 6 are all things he can already do.

So questions:
What would you recommend for a child who gets easily wound up, though school doesn't help him (his desk is in a corridor, they hold him still when a group goes past because it winds him up but he hates being held so it winds him up more.
What would you suggest for specialist help for phonics (he's passed his Y1 screening in Y1 but his old school then didn't teach him much more so he's about at that point now).
What's your favourite way to teach a child of this age to type?
His writing is still quite poor but we have a good scheme that he loves and school is on board with using it and he's making good progress in Maths (he's at Y2 level which is right for a child that did no maths to speak of in his actual Y2!)
He's seen the OT who's recommended lots of sensory stuff.
He hardly ever goes in the classroom but we think they give up on trying.
He's very anxious especially around noises/busyness.
We just need to work out what we/school should ask for.
He has 1:1 but it's been a revolving door (one lasted a morning) and they are now advertising for a full time one.
They keep excluding him (and they don't record properly what happens to cause his outbursts so we don't really know but we think it's busyness, noise, cumulative effect of these but mainly being held by staff) and we have a solicitor who is writing to say this is discriminatory. We have tried to point them to alternative behaviour schemes. He's not learning from the exclusions and they will never prevent this behaviour.
So if you were SENCO what would you be asking for? As the solicitor has said "we will ask for what school needs" but school aren't too sure!

Restraint should be last resort, only last resort. Is is hurting himself or others or putting anyone at risk? Restraint shouldn’t be being used for non- compliance. Every time it is used, it should be recorded- including the build up and the restraint used. This is at best not good practice and at worst illegal. They can’t just “deprive gim of his liberty” (as it would be legally) because he might tag along with the other group.

If they do need to do this regularly I order to avoid him hurting himself or others, they need to complete a risk assessment. This would highlight triggers (ie others walking past) and the stupidity of putting his desk in a high traffic area.

Has school tried a desk in a secluded part of the classroom so he can have more space? Not always possible due to space, but could be worked on. I’m trialling the use of wireless headphones playing white noise with a child which is going reasonably well (no sensory issues with that child though so headphones are ok).

Does he have a safe space to go to when overwhelmed? Does it allow him 20 minutes (or whatever) time out, to come back to his task? Would now/ next/ then cards help- so he knows exactly what he has to achieve do he can move on. Knowledge is helpful (usually) to anxious children. (If I know that I can do Lego therapy next, I will get my 5 sentences done. I can cope with just 5 sentences.)

Not a SENCO but work within an SEN unit in a mainstream school.
Have known a number of children with similar needs - some things I have seen work:
Personal timetable, where the child comes to school 10 mins earlier and is able to establish in the classroom before the others come in. Also first to leave, first to return for breaks, lunchtimes etc.
A desk at the back of the class with a 3 sided barrier (like a language booth?) that blocks most of the sights/sounds of a busy classroom.
Headphones: white noise, ‘elevator’ music or just noise cancelling.
A small personal pop up tent for calming space.
Reliance on worry beads, stress balls, a ‘heartbeat’ teddy, a repetitive action/mantra that calms.
Temp 1-1 to establish learning behaviours before withdrawing as the child learns to self regulate.

Look to see if your LA has a ‘Complex Communication Needs’ department. We rely heavily on them (costs though ) to come up with ideas and frankly they are worth their weight in gold - our SEND services happily fund to follow their suggestions, much more so than an EPs.

Hi OP, I'll look at your plan if you want to PM me. I am a mainstream class teacher. Up until recently I have taught year 2 for 6 years (have moved younger and now on mat leave) and have taught an ADHD child last year in a class of 30 so I can give you my experiences but as you say it may be very different in what works.

What you are explaining sounds all wrong....it's concerning. My main concern is if your child is outside they are not being taught by a qualified teacher. No disrespect to 1:1s by any means, they are brilliant, but your child deserves to be taught by a qualified teacher and then supported by the 1:1. They are not there to teach all the time. This may go towards explaining the high turnover. He needs to be in the classroom in my opinion, schools are supposed to be inclusive of all. I had my pupil at the back with his own desk and space. He also sat on a yoga ball type chair which gave him movement/feedback which really helped.

I always head noise cancelling headphones on his desk for him and he knew he could use them at any point. We had a calm space/tent which was for any child (but mainly set up for him) which he went into when he needed time to calm down and he was left to come out within his own time. Alongside this he used some resources to self regulate: a 5 point scale and something called lazy 8 breathing. (Google them but PM me for more info if you need to)

I would make at least 10 minutes per lesson to spend with this child to almost re teach what I had taught the class in a more manageable chunk with a now and next board and rewards for completing small tasks. Once he had completed his limit he would get a box out that we set up in September (just his) with things like lego/models/colouring which was then gradually phased out as the year went on when he could manage larger chunks of work.

I have loads more advice but will be here all day. Just ask if you want more info.

AND I did all this without a 1:1!!!! His EHCP was still going through and came back in the July. I mainly researched strategies myself so your child's school have no excuses really.

Thanks @Russell19 I'll attempt to message you.

To answer some questions: they say he refuses to go in the classroom.
They use now and next.
He has lunch on his own already, he used to go in the dining hall.
He has brain/movement breaks but they may not be the right kind.
I don't think we're going to get a 1:1 teacher, his EHCP will (when correct) specify the level of training. They are recruiting level 3? Does that sound right?
He has and uses ear defenders but in the past has been reluctant to use them in school. They look a bit funny and I think they press too hard when worn for a long time.
He has a safe space under a table with a blanket and he will also hide under the blanket when stressed or under a teacher's table.
I think they perceive he is putting adults or children at risk. But there must be other options.

At the moment his classroom desk that he never uses is against a wall and his corridor desk is the same but has bookshelves on two sides.

I don't think our LEA would know a complex communication need if it bit them on the bum. Our solicitor says they are one of the worst. I think they mainly outsource everything. I wish they'd outsource EHCP writing.
.

Update: not particularly helpful meeting yesterday where the specialist teacher said "have you considered a specialist school" and we said "ooh do you have a suggestion" and she looked embarrassed.

I went in early today to try registration in the classroom as this is one of the busiest times of the school day and he didn't even have a CHAIR at his desk. He also didn't have his "people" pictures up and nothing to do on his desk. But after grumbling about this we got him a chair, a picture search book and his ear defenders and he sat happily at his desk with me until all the children were in and the corridor mayhem had calmed down. All the children read while they come in for register so this is a totally appropriate and easy thing for him to do if he can't read on his own.

There is one other boy in the class (though I think he's a Y4) who sits at his own desk and has help with reading. I may question if they can do work together if we get a bit further along.

I am going to do this with him for the rest of the week and then see if it can be done by TA (i.e. I'd bring him in 10 mins early but the TA take over when it's actually school time).

Off to write a quick email to school to point out the missing nature of his entire workstation!

@drspouse
Just seen this post, so some of this may have been resolved by now, hopefully! Couple of things jump out at me...
OT has recommended lots of 'sensory things' - one problem with this, as you say, is that sometimes this falls into a general catch all. A child with high anxiety and lots of internal movement needs lots of proprioceptive input to ground them. Is this being done? Often, we give a child a movement break which hypes them up more, but do not then bring them back down again. A sensory choice board can be helpful if your child is aware of how they feel and what they are craving at the time. There is a difference between sensory seeking and sensory overload and his sensory profile needs to be well understood.

Phonics... if he is not a phonetic reader, he needs to be taught to read in a way that is meaningful. Many children lose confidence as a reader if they keep being told to 'sound it out' but can't. He needs to experience success as a reader and a whole word approach may be more useful and give him more achievement.

Unless he is being unsafe, he should not be held. However, if he does need to be held, staff need Team Teach (or similar) training (updated every 2 years). They can get trainers in for a whole school INSET, you dont need to find a course for 1 or 2 attendees.
I agree that SEMH schools for very young children are not always the answer, particularly if there are long distances to travel involved. That is not to say you should rule it out going forward, but if school are not doing everything to meet need, you need to be assured all reasonable options have been tried first.
Whether or not he has a diagnosis of ASD, I would be inclined, if there are some clear social communication traits, to adopt an approach similar to that used with ASD pupils, as he clearly seeks predictability and routine.
Apologies for the long post!

Thanks lola, most of those are in agreement with us.
The private OT has suggested that training for a specialist TA (so he doesn't have too many people to engage with) for sensory work would be helpful. Some of the things the OT suggested were unworkable with DS or completely OTT (e.g. there is no way we'd get him in a lyrca suit so there is no point in even trying and they sound awfully like a fad to me).
He's a very good phonic reader who happens to have missed out on consolidation of some of his GPCs. That's why we need recommendations for extra phonics work as at the moment it's just "whatever the Y1s are doing" (because some of his gaps are Y1 level) when they are madly preparing for the phonics check (which he passed fine).
I know the EP wisdom is "if phonics fail, use something else very early" but phonics has to be tried properly and I have had so many people tell me this as if it's really common whereas from what I've read you should only really be thinking about using it in a child who, say, is age 7 and can barely blend CVCs. Which is not DS. I really do think that most EPs need to be up to date on phonics research and how very unlikely it is that a child with insert random SEN here can't use phonics. Given they are suggesting this with our child who CAN use phonics I imagine they are doing it with lots of other children who can use phonics.
We have had some success to date with going in the classroom first thing for registration, I go in and then leave at 9 handing over to his TA. School were hopeful he'd transfer over to afternoon registration (another really noisy time) but that hasn't happened yet though as I said to them, he needs to bed down one change first.

Oh I forgot to add that while the TA role has been advertised they have not filled it - it's partly due to the fact that TA pay is so awful nobody wants to do it, coupled with the isolation of the school so TAs can't afford to get there on their pay.

Honest answer as parent of two children with asd and as a teacher is he is not in the right place. Being taught in a corridor where he has to be held to stop him running off is not inclusion. Being taught by a series of under qualified TAs is also not good. The thing is it is not about buying packages. It is about the right environment and right staff. I hear what you are saying about the provision around you but he may well be better off in a special school for EBD or even for MLD if you can't find anything else suitable. He would at least be taught in a class and they would be able to provide a more suitable environment. If you have the slightest inkling he is also on the autistic spectrum it might be worth persuing this as a good independent specialist asd school might be your best option long term. If you are at the stage of getting solicitors to write letters to the school you would be better off looking elsewhere.

We have looked at all special schools that are close enough, and one that isn't. None are suitable. This includes all independent ones (there aren't any LEA in fact).

(He doesn't have MLD).

Can I also suggest you ask the school why they are keen to Team Teach. My (limited, I am a SEN TA, not a SENCO) is that it is primarily about safe restraint, and behaviour control by the adult, not about helping the child self-regulate.

Team Teach's main premise is based on de escalation strategies. I've used TT for many years, and only needed to resort to restraint a couple of times.

OP, did you say whether your DS is in medication for his ADHD? Coincidentally, there was a bit on ADHD this morning on Woman's Hour Radio 4, and meds were discussed, try and find it in catch up,mits very interesting.
It sounds like school is out of their depth, and your DSs ADHD isn't being managed well by your paediatrician.
It also sounds very much like he has ASD, it's very common for the two to go hand in hand. You need to pursue this possible diagnosis.

He doesn't "pass" the ASD checklists (most recently the CCC) and even if we got a diagnosis privately we would have no more school options.
Paeds oversee meds. We asked the paeds who diagnosed him for strategies and she had no suggestions and just told us to come back in 3 months for a meds review.

And yes, the school IS out of their depth but we have no other school option.

Hi, I really feel for you. His placement is wrong. So, what’s up with the other specialist provisions in the area? You’re not restricted but county borders and you can also name Section 41 schools, and if there are no other schools in the area which can meet his needs as per his ehcp, then private/independent schools may be possible.

THERE ARE NO OTHER SCHOOLS.
We know we can have out of county.
We know we can have independent.
There are none. None. They are either MLD (one, and he doesn't have an MLD) or have nonverbal children or those aged 11 who have pulled knives on teachers (two) which would terrify him, or are too far for him and really secondary schools with a few KS2 and he'd have no peers (one).
Please don't tell me there must be somewhere. There isn't.

Ok then you have to a) move or b) board him.

a) I have a job and have tried to get one in other parts of the country for about 15 years with no success.
b) He's 7.

(And adopted)

I don’t know what you want then.

You won’t consider Home Ed.
The school he’s in now is awful and even with the most shit-hot water tight EHCP they won’t change their culture.
You won’t move.
He’s too little to board.

Sadly I think you’re facing the reality of life for a LOT of SEN parents. The hidden changes and compromises we make are enormous.

Hi, I'm an ex senco and a sen mum. His desk should not be in the corridor, back of the classroom with a 1:1 ta is where I would put him based on your info. Also, when he gets more confident I'd get the ta to work with him and a friend just to help him build up relationships (she'd still be giving him support but also helping him relate to other kids) also, if they aren't team teach trained seems odd that he is being restrained. Phonics, Read Write Inc which is a phonics scheme have a catch up program which is quite good as the texts aren't babyish whilst still being simple .

He won't currently spend much time in the classroom though we are trying and he's made progress.

This is the best school we could find.

I really do not think there is much point in moving schools or moving house because both this school and the old one said they could meet his needs before he came and then said "oh. This is hard" once he was in school.

So how can we guarantee that any other school won't do this?

We could move him to a school an hour away, or move house and commute (though we have already looked at schools that are an hour away) and then have this repeat itself. And again and again.

There must be other primary schools will they not take him because of the ehcp?
It took us 3 moves to find the school for our son. Once we found the right school and head teacher he thrived, just came top of his year in national testing at secondary.

That’s why specialist provision is looking like the way forward. And with respect, sticking where you are is simply a sink cost fallacy really. In order for this placement to work for him, the changes which would need to take place are enormous, ie a culture of leadership that fosters inclusion. When you say it was the “best” school, what did you base that on?
What are you appealing the EHCP on?