SENDIASS supported a family to secure suitable SEN support and reasonable adjustments for a child on SEN support level in a mainstream high school.

Names have been changed to protect the identity of child and parent

Nathan is a 12-year-old boy with a diagnosis of Autistic spectrum condition (ASC). He attends a mainstream high school in year 8 and is on SEN support.

As part of his ASC Nathan has sleep difficulty. which impacts on his ability to fall asleep. Most nights he is unable to drop off until 3am, making it a challenge to get up in time for school. This has resulted in Nathan regularly getting into school late, often missing morning registration, which is affecting his attendance. Lack of sleep also affects Nathan’s ability to concentrate in school time which is affecting his learning.

Nathan’s mother, Jo, had contacted CAMHS and other health services to request an assessment for melatonin (a medication which mimics the hormone brains produce, which then readies the body for sleep). She was not able to access a CAMHS appointment and was told to access this via the school nurse. However, the school did not have a school nurse. She contacted the GP to make a new referral to CAMHS and was awaiting the outcome.

Nathan’s mother Jo contacted SENDIASS in April 2023 for advice after school had stated that attendance procedures would start due to the falling percentage of Nathan’s attendance. Jo was concerned about the implications of this. She wanted to know what reasonable adjustments could be made around attendance (e.g., later start time agreed) as this was an issue related to Nathan’s ASC.

In the initial conversation with Jo, it was clear that there were more issues than just the late starts. Jo stated that Nathan was always getting detentions. She felt he was not able to follow the work, did not understand it and consequently was talking more in class- which led to detentions. He was not completing homework as he felt that schoolwork should be done at school, not home, and this was resulting in further behaviour marks.

Jo had attended meetings in the past with the school where support had been offered (e.g., mentoring) but this had not been put in place. Whilst there was a concern about learning levels across the board, (Nathan stated that he often found it difficult to follow the work and even with TA help he was struggling) there was particular concern around Maths – Jo had raised this with the school in the past without a clear outcome. There were also concerns that the support in place was not consistent, that some teachers were not aware of his needs or the reasonable adjustments which had been agreed (e.g., time-out pass). At the time of the initial referral, Jo was concerned that, from Nathan’s viewpoint, he felt school was on a downward spiral. He felt he was always in trouble, and he could not find a way to change this. This was impacting negatively on his self-esteem and mood. Jo wanted to contact the school before the issue deteriorated further.

SENDIASS advised Jo that an SEN review meeting with the SENCO should be arranged – the aim of this meeting would be for Jo to share her questions and concerns. The desired outcome was to ensure the school had clearly identified Nathan’s needs, clarity around the SEN support and reasonable adjustments in place for him and a clear action plan. SENDIASS opened this as a case to support Jo with preparation for and attendance at the SEN review meeting.

An SEN review meeting was arranged for mid-May. SENDIASS supported Jo to prepare for the meeting. Jo was advised to write down any concerns and questions and to capture Nathan’s views, if possible.

SENDIASS scheduled a preparation phone call where all the concerns, issues, questions were discussed in detail along with the background of each point, so that there was a clear understanding (this would facilitate the meeting). SENDIASS then created a document with all the points, to be used to structure and inform the meeting.

The SEN review meeting with the SENCO was positive and constructive. There was a thorough discussion. The SENCO was extremely receptive to the points raised and proactive in suggestions on ways forward and practical solutions. The goal of clarifying the SEN support available for Nathan was achieved and there was a clear plan and pathway ahead. Jo was also able to explain the sleep issue in more detail, as well as update the school on the progress with health.

All points were discussed at the meeting and there were a range of outcomes including arranging interventions, clarifying support, increased information for staff, referrals for mentoring, reasonable adjustments put in place for behaviour incidents etc. SENDIASS wanted to highlight one which demonstrated a cooperative and common-sense approach from both parent and home. It is an example of a minor point but if ignored it can negatively impact on a pupil daily and can have wider ramifications. This example also shows that a solution should always consider the pupil, and what type of support s/he can access and engage with – otherwise it is not going to work. In this case, the school SENCO and parent worked well together.

Issue raised.

 Nathan is not completing his homework. He has ASC, he thinks, that home is home and school is school and resists doing schoolwork at home. Jo stated that he is also tired (from lack of sleep) and from coping with the intense social interactions during the school day. At home Jo focuses on ensuring Nathan eats and they have a specific bedtime routine which Jo is following to try to and improve Nathan’s sleep patterns and she feels that any arguments around homework disrupt this. In addition, Jo is concerned that Nathan often does not understand the work, which is also discouraging him from completing it. Jo says Nathan is upset, however, that he is receiving detentions or behaviour marks due to not completing homework.

Options/solutions discussed.

Options discussed include Nathan completing work at school. SENCO suggested homework club at lunchtimes, however Nathan requires the lunchtime break, and he has also made friends at school this year and the school did not want to disrupt what they felt was positive steps in his development of social skills. Also considered that the impact on the afternoon lessons would be negative if he did not have time to relax at lunch.

School also offers afterschool homework clubs every day. Issue is that Nathan lives far from school and Jo picks him up in the car after school.

Solutions agreed + positive outcomes identified.

Agreement made that Nathan would stay after school one day per week to attend homework club. This would be a regular routine, same day every week and Jo can pick up later that day. Having a regular routine would work well for Nathan.

The SENCO identified one of the quieter days (Tuesday)and the quieter room where he should attend (considering Nathan’s need to avoid noisy and distracting environments). She also mentioned that the TA supporting on that day is someone known to Nathan, which would make it easier for him to ask for help.

As the homework is usually completed online as quizzes or activities reinforcing the week’s lessons, the SENCO stated that she felt confident that Nathan could complete his weekly homework for Core subjects on that one afternoon at homework club.

The teaching assistant present could provide Nathan with any help/support, which would also encourage him to complete the homework as this was one of the issues at home. It would also allow the teaching assistant to raise with staff/ SENCO if it was clear that Nathan was really struggling on some of the work- better identifying need.

If his homework was completed Nathan would feel better about himself and school (this point was something he had raised when sharing his views on what was important to him). Doing the work would reinforce learning. It would also allow him to leave school behind when he is at home, also important to him, and he and Jo could relax at home without having the stress of worrying about homework.

Another important positive – this sets up a good routine in future when Nathan moves into year 9 and after that, his GCSEs years. If Nathan is used to staying after school and completing work in homework clubs where there is a clear structure and support, this routine could continue and he may well increase the number of days he attends, when the level of work increases as he progresses through high school.

Another outcome of the meeting to point out was the issue about later starts. Jo had initially contacted SENDIASS asking what their rights were regarding reasonable adjustments and later starts. She wanted the school to consider Nathan’s sleep issues and allow him to come in later without any impact on his behaviour.

When this was discussed at the meeting it was clarified that morning registration takes place at 9.30 and that if Nathan was to come into school after that, then he would miss him morning mark. The school made it clear that this was not something that could be changed. However, the reasonable adjustments the school could make were that there would be no consequences (in terms of behaviour points or detentions etc) if Nathan came in late. If his attendance fell further, there would be attendance procedures which would take place, and school made it clear that this was out of their hands as it rested with the local authority attendance team – however it was not currently a critical issue, but rather one to be aware of. Jo was reassured that school was aware of how hard she was working to support Nathan’s sleep routines and to help him get into school as early as possible.

This is a good example of a situation where the parents want something (agreement to later starts) however there is no wriggle room because statutory procedures are in place which schools must follow. The meeting allowed the subject to be raised and for school to explain their position and headway was made because of mutual understanding. Here SENDIASS supported the parent by managing expectations and explaining that the school had made all the reasonable adjustments they could by not penalising Nathan for coming in late and by understanding the home situation which alleviated parental stress. On this point there was not more than could be done. It was hoped this could be a situation that may be resolved soon once health becomes involved.

SENDIASS supported the family by writing up the notes from the meeting and identifying any actions – this was shared with Jo and the SENCO. The notes would provide clarity for Jo and allow her to chase up points or raise issues as it is clear what needed to be done and when.

SENDIASS advised Jo to arrange a review meeting for later in summer term to review the support in place, discuss what was working and what was not, add any latest information, update the school on progress with health referrals and discuss and plan transition going into year 9.

Case closed to SENDIASS – end May 2023

This example shows how SEN support can go off the rails even when parent and school are both dedicated to supporting the pupil.

A robust SEN support process is crucial. Following a thorough SEN support process as outlined in the SEND Code of Practice (2015) can reduce the number of EHC needs assessment requests.

Important to follow the assess/plan/do/review process properly – and this includes putting plans of support/interventions/equipment/reasonable adjustments etc in writing (provision map) for clarity with all school staff and parents.

Sharing support plans helps to avoid issues of lack of consistency, where staff do not follow or are not aware of special educational provision in place for that pupil. This is often raised by pupils as something that is most disruptive to them, stopping them from using or accessing their support because of worry of reaction from some staff. Pupils have stated it causes them to lose trust with the school and increases anxiety because of the worry of the unpredictability of the staff response.

SEN support meetings are vital and can help clear up any misunderstandings between home / school and ensures that everyone has good overview of what is happening and not half a story. In addition, it allows school to have a more holistic understanding of the pupil which may well affect the kind of support put in place and how it is done – making support more effective.

Issue with the above: there is no accountability if SEN procedures are not followed, which increases the importance on parent/carers being knowledgeable about SEN support.

Parents knowledge of SEN support – looking at what is currently available and how we can better inform parents of the SEN support process. Currently have a fact sheet and a podcast covering SEN support in schools. Parents can also access our advisors via the helpline/inbox to discuss their case in detail.

Other options to consider: Parent/carer training workshops (has been done in the past) virtually. Would an example of good practice of an SEN support meeting (with specifics) work for parents? Possibility of planning a short Q and A podcast with ideas?

Next steps could be to ask the Manchester Parent Carer Forum on ways forward where SENDIASS could provide more information in a format and detail, which would best inform and support parents.

You may also wish to read our factsheet number 4 “SEN support in Mainstream Schools”.

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Fact sheet 4 - SEN support in Mainstream Schools

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