ADHD - EHCP Plan

louise7728

Hi all, 
I was wondering if someone is able to advise me on an EHCP plan.  My son is due to go to secondary school in September, he is diagnosed with ADHD and on medication. 
The school does not think he needs an EHCP, however, i do.  He gets into a lot of trouble at school, with peers, teachers, his concentration isn't great etc etc.  Therefore, i would really like something put in place before he goes to secondary. 
Is anyone able to help me with this please?

Cher_Alumni

Hi @louise7728 How are you and your son doing today?

I can understand you wanting to get something in place to support your boy as fully as possible during this transition. The ADHD foundation have this guidance booklet 'Guide to an EHCP' which goes into detail specific to ADHD.

Also, IPSEA as recommended by @Biblioklept are an excellent organisation to contact about this. Please see their 'Asking for an EHC needs assessment' and  'Refusal to assess appeals' webpage. In addition Scope have an advice section dedicated to all things around applying for an EHCP. I realise that's a lot of information but maybe read in chunks when you have time?

Did your SENco give specific feedback about why they didn't feel it was appropriate?

Please let us know how you get on, we wish you all the best.

L_Volunteer

Hey @louise7728. Thank you for reaching out to us.

Not much to add here except for encouraging you to:

• Independently apply for an EHCP assessment by contacting your local authority
• Talk to the school your son will be going to for secondary school - those early relationships and identifying support are key (with or without an EHCP!)

Is there anything, in particular, you would like to be put in place? Sometimes, EHCPs are discouraged because the support can be addressed through the school's existing resources. 

I am currently thinking this might be why the school isn't supporting you with the EHCP process but please do correct me if I am wrong in your individual situation. It is on a case-by-case basis and I want to hear you clearly.

If this is the case, it will be about having an Individualised Learning Plan in place. Whilst not legally binding, it is morally binding and can be used to support you with applying for an EHCP should additional support needs arise. 

I hope this makes sense. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you would like to discuss this further or if there's anything else we could do to support you 

anisty

Schools can be a nightmare! I take it this is a mainstream school?  I am in Scotland and my son is autistic with mild learning difficulties. He is 24 now but when he transferred from primary to high school i found it really helpful to get him an independent advocate. I'm sure this service will exist in England too. It's free.


I also got a full batch of assessments re-done. That was quite easy to organise for my son as he was still plugged in to the speech & language therapy service so i was able to get his age equivalent levels for his language and comprehension.


Is your son involved with educational psychology?  If so, you could call the ed psych and explain what's going on. They might suggest a meeting at school where a plan could be put in place.


Why don't the school think he needs a plan put in place? Have they made any provision for extra transitional support at all?


Sometimes schools resist because they dont want to allocate the resources needed. 

L_Volunteer

Thanks for sharing your experience with us @anisty. I am sure your experience will be invaluable for anyone experiencing anything similar 

durhamjaide2001

The school  system is a nightmare I have been bullied by teachers in the past at school 

L_Volunteer

I hear you @durhamjaide2001. You definitely don't deserve to have been bullied by teachers in the past at school