Echp assesment refusal

stacca

Hi My son is 10 and diagnosed last year with autism. He was failed time and time again by his last school which delayed his diagnosis. He has been in his new school for 18 months and they have been amazing with supporting us getting him support. However, he has low self esteem, he is aggressive, has violent outbursts/meltdowns, cant concentrate or refuses to do his work, he distracts other pupils in his class, self harms, he is a flight risk, struggles with changes, has high sensory needs, doesnt respect or understand boundaries, struggles with groups ie pe/sports/games etc and the list goes on. We applied for an ehcp for him as he is at real risk of being permanently excluded... parents are complaining that their kids are scared of my son/dont want them near him and threatening to remove them from the school, teachers are struggling to contain him, he has put a skipping rope around his neck, tried scratching his wrists with a badge and scissors, headbutts things, strangles or bites himself. The echp assessment has been refused on the grounds that he is above average in maths and reading?! He is below expected in everything else but apparently a higher tariff needs funding is all he can have (he has this already). I have contacted the mediators and sendiass and am waiting for callbacks. Does anyone think I could win the appeal? Any advice? I'm desperate to get him the support. The school have literally exhausted every Avenue for him with little to no effect. Thanks x

poppy123456

HI,

Have they told you when they have refused it?

stacca

The only reason they gave was that he is above average in maths and reading so no need for extra support. Letter is dated 15/01/20 x

poppy123456

On the letter it should have details about how you appeal the decision, as that will be your next step. For a EHCP assessment you need to show that your son has a special educational need but you don't have to identify which type. This link may help.

https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/special-educational-needs/legal/refusal-to-assess-for-an-ehcp

stacca

Thanks. The head teacher has refused a meeting with me to jot down any needs for his education THEY think he needs. I have accepted mediation so I can speak face to face with the council x

Adrian_Scope

Hi @Stacca,

Your situation sounds so frustrating. As well as the information Poppy has provided above, we have some information on our website about EHCPs here. It also might be worth getting in touch with NAS' helpline.

In regards, to your son's self-harming. There's an article here from NAS about trying to help an autistic child who self-harms. Obviously you're struggling to find support for your son and while it's fair to say that as a pan-disability charity our strengths lie more in the daily lives of disabled people, we would be willing to look for local support on your behalf. Please get in touch with us via email at community@scope.org.uk if this is something you'd like us to start.

In the meantime, have you thought about trying our free Navigate service? You can find some more info about it here: https://www.scope.org.uk/family-services/navigate/

stacca

Thankyou so much that would be great. I have mediation on the 7th feb so need to get all the information and support I can. I will have a look at the links and email the address u gave me. Have a great day x

Chloe_Alumni

Please do let us know how you get on @stacca.

stacca

Update. Mediation went really well and assessment has been granted. Spoke for 3 mins before she stopped me and said she looked through all the evidence and he should be assessed. I'm so pleased x

Adrian_Scope

That's great news @stacca!

Chloe_Alumni

That's amazing @stacca! Thanks for letting us know.