Supporting a pupil’s re-engagement into school after 6 months non-attendance due to emotional barriers to school attendance.

Consent from parent received, details have been anonymised.

Tina contacted our helpline in January regarding her daughter Sarah. Sarah has a diagnosis of autism with related difficulties with social interaction, learning and communication. She has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in place and is in year 7. At the time of the contact Sarah was on roll at a mainstream high school.

Tina informed SENDIASS that the transition process from primary to high school did not take place, with high school stating they did not have any information about Sarah prior to the move, including not knowing she had an EHCP. Tina felt that this meant school was not prepared for the move, which meant Sarah did not get the transition she required or the support on the first day.

The result was that in September, Sarah spent only 1 hour in the new high school and after that felt unable to attend again, due to high anxiety.

At the time of the contact with SENDIASS, Sarah had been on roll at the high school for 5 months (Sept – Jan) and had attended for a total of 1 hour. School’s view was that they could not meet need and they felt she would be better placed at a different setting, with a referral to the hospital school being suggested.

Tina was upset that the transition had affected Sarah’s move to high school. Tina had asked the high school for some work at home, but school stated this could not be provided. Tina was told that Sarah was not technically on roll at the school – this made Tina very worried.

Tina was also concerned that Sarah’s mental health and self-confidence were deteriorating significantly over the time she was not attending school. At the point of the contact to SENDIASS, Sarah was refusing to leave the house unless accompanied by her mum, and even then, would only go to certain places and for short periods of time. Her self-esteem was low, and she felt socially isolated and upset. Tina was very worried about Sarah’s educational future.

Tina wanted Sarah to be attending school in a suitable setting, which provided her with the support as detailed in the EHC plan. She contacted SENDIASS Manchester regarding next steps and options going forward.

SENDIASS opened this as a case in January with the purpose of providing Tina with clear options going forward and supporting with next steps to help achieve the desired aim for Sarah to be attending a suitable educational placement.

The first step was to reassure Tina that Sarah was not off rolled, that she had a place at the high school. In accordance with section 43 of the Children and Families Act, the school named in an EHC plan has a duty to admit. Tina and Sarah had previously thought Sarah did not have a school, which they found concerning and stopped them from feeling they could interact with the school, and this was contributing to Sarah’s anxiety and to Tina’s confusion about what could be done next.

Relevant law – section 43 (2) of The Children and Families Act 2014

If a school or institution is named in Section I of an EHC plan then the governing body, proprietor or principal of most types of school or other institution must admit the child or young person for whom the EHC plan is maintained.

The next step was to ask Sarah her views. Sarah stated that she wanted to stay in the current school, she wished it could have worked out. She wanted to try mainstream education. Sarah was not keen on going to the hospital school and Tina was also worried as she had read that it was not a permanent option and that home tutoring might be what was provided, which neither Tina nor Sarah wanted. Sarah wanted a go at the mainstream school option, even if the school or others thought it was not the right choice.

SENDIASS clarified Sarah’s right to a mainstream education, according to section 33 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Despite the school stating it could not meet need, and the suggestion that the current school might be unsuitable, under section 33, the pupil has a right to a mainstream education if this is in accordance with the parents/young person’s wishes (and suitability is not a consideration under this duty). See below for more information on Section 33:

Relevant law – section 33 of the Children and Families Act 2014 (information taken from www.ipeas.org.uk)

If a parent of a child, or young person, wants that child or young person to attend a mainstream setting, the LA can only refuse if a mainstream placement would be incompatible with the efficient education of others, and there are no reasonable steps the LA could take to avoid this (section 33 CAFA 2014). The degree or complexity of their needs or disabilities, and the suitability of mainstream, is not a reason in law for refusal of mainstream. This applies not just to attending a mainstream school or college but also to taking mainstream courses. 

This is an important right. The LA cannot send a child or young person to a special school when it is not what parents or the young person wants. This is true even if professionals support the LA view.

It is important to note, however, that this is a right to mainstream education but not necessarily a right to a particular mainstream school.

Knowing the school had a duty to admit and knowing that they had a right to request to remain in mainstream education, empowered Tina and Sarah to feel in a position to ask for support from and work with the current mainstream school.

Therefore, through understanding of the relevant law, SENDIASS was able to support Tina and Sarah to make an informed decision about how they wanted to move forward. The decision was to try to re-integrate Sarah into the current mainstream school.

Identified next steps were to contact the mainstream school SENCO to arrange a meeting for the purposes of planning re-integration, identifying Sarah’s current needs and the special educational provision required to support her back into school. The goal was for Sarah to start attending again even if part time at first.

SENDIASS contacted the school SENCO to discuss the case. At the time of the call, the school was halfway through a referral to the hospital school. SENDIASS informed the SENCO that the family are wanting to try re-integration and wanted a meeting to plan this.

Tina requested a meeting with the SENCO and asked for the social worker and SENDIASS to attend - a meeting was arranged for late January.

SENDIASS supported Tina with preparation for the meeting by:

• Supporting Tina to write down her concerns, queries, and ideas regarding what support Sarah needs.

• Supporting Tina to capture Sarah’s views and wishes.

• Advising Tina to contact the primary school for a summary of the type of support they provided, particularly details of the keyworker support, how this was accessed and how frequently, so that this information can be shared with high school (as part of a delayed transition)

• SENDIASS requested copy of EHC plan to familiarise with section F before the meeting.
  

At the end of January, SENDIASS attended the school meeting supporting Tina. The SENCO and the family social worker were also in attendance.

Discussion took place on how re-integration would look, making reference to the documents brought by Tina.

The key here is that every point was examined in detail, looking at coordination from the school’s and Sarah’s points of views on how it would work.

For example: In the first week of re-integration Sarah was to attend for 1 hour only, supported one to one by an identified member of staff, in a quiet room. Attention was paid to what time would be best, looking at whether the corridors would be busy at that time. There was also some future proofing – would the time allow Sarah to then extend her time and would this work with the school schedule? For example, if Sarah started attending for 1.5 hours, would this extra time run into a break time? If she wanted to extend the time and start going into a classroom, would there be a class available?

First week planning was detailed as this would impact positively on Sarah’s trust in the process. All cooperated to create a workable plan with clear outcomes and activities – summary examples of the plan included:

• What time Sarah would go into school, where she would wait, who would be meeting her,

• What room they would go to, ensuring it was quiet and not busy with other activities/students

• What activities would take place in that hour – these included first two days , just chatting and getting the chrome book ready and set up (the chrome book was a very important factor for Sarah – this was stated in her views, so it was seen as a priority to set it up for her so that she would feel part of the school)

• Doing some basic assessments (English/Maths) as much as Sarah was able, following her lead.

• Discussion on some of the after-school electives and what was on offer (this also was an area of interest for Sarah and therefore an engaging topic and important for her to know what activities she could take part in after school once she starts attending)

• Finishing the session with a mental health reflective practice– checking in on how Sarah felt, what she felt went well, what she found difficult and to allow her to raise any questions she may have. This was useful for planning the next day and to use when reviewing the week.

• ·Focus on ensuring that the plan is carried out to the letter, and to prioritise informing Tina and Sarah in advance if changes are to be made.

Before starting the first week it was agreed that school staff would accompany Sarah on a tour of the school (after school, when the school was empty) to familiarise herself with classrooms she would eventually attend and to visit the room she would be using for her re-integration with her 1 to 1.

Sarah was provided with her schedule/timetable (something she always wanted from the school but which they did not previously provide as she was not attending) and this made her feel part of the school and have a visual understanding of her eventual goals of attending classes.

The timetable included names of class teachers so these would become familiar. It was also suggested that during the tour of the school it might be possible to meet some of the teachers briefly, if available.

It was agreed that there should be a regular but informal review of the week every Friday between Tina and the SENCO, to raise any issues and to confirm the arrangements going forward. Any agreements on increasing of times etc, should be done based on evidence that Sarah is settled and ready to increase time and agreed between school and home, with a clear plan on how the increase will be carried out – not done in an ad hoc way which would be detrimental to Sarah.

The overall goal was clear – for Sarah to feel calm and settled and supported in school and for next steps/increase to the time in school, to be taken in a planned and supported way.

Some further planning took place such as what would be put in place to support going back into school after February half term.

SENDIASS wrote up the detailed plan following the meeting and shared with all (plus additional school staff) to ensure all steps were agreed.

SENDIASS contacted Tina to find out about the first week – Tina stated that everything was going very well, Sarah was enjoying it and the school had stuck to the plan as arranged. Sarah had the chrome book set up. She had the same TA and the same room every day. She was met at reception at the right time. Sarah was also given a ‘golden ticket’ award from school with which she was delighted.

After the first week was half term, Tina had been informed that the same set up would take place after half term, for continuity. Sarah was happy with this and relaxed during the holidays because she knew exactly what to expect going back in afterwards.

Following the positive start, SENDIASS arranged to keep the case open for monitoring and arranged to check in with Tina in a month or so for final update. If there were problems Tina knew she could contact the SENDIASS advisor at any time.

SENDIASS contacted Tina early in April during Easter holidays for an update on the re-integration.

Tina stated that the last half term had been fantastic. Sarah was attending school every day, increasing her time slowly, first going into one lesson (in a classroom with other pupils) and at the time of the April call, Sarah was going into two lessons per day. The TA did not go in with her anymore but did monitor and kept in close contact with the teacher in case of any changes.

Sarah was clear on her strategies, what support was in place and when and what to do if she did not feel well. For example, if Sarah did feel highly anxious in class her strategy was to leave the class and move to the supported SEN hub area. However, due to the support in place, Tina said this rarely happened and Sarah felt confident in class. Other support included having a card on her desk when she does not want to be called upon to answer questions out loud in class, which was always a difficulty for her.

Tina informed me that she and the school agreed to adapt the schedule on day 1 after any holiday break, to support Sarah to get back into school. No matter how much time she had been spending in school, on the first day back Sarah only attends for 1 hour that day. Tina said that this decision had massively reduced Sarah’s anxiety (she had trouble transitioning back into school following a holiday/half term break) and now Sarah is able to go back in happily knowing it is just for 1 hour. The day after she is back on her usual schedule and Tina stated that Sarah would adjust to this without a problem. It was a highly effective idea which underlined the core aims of the re-integration, which is to ensure that Sarah is attending and feels supported, calm, and happy to be going into school.

One of the other major changes is Sarah’s presentation outside of school. Tina stated that Sarah had grown significantly in confidence and self-esteem. Sarah now goes out with friends and her cousins in the local community and she feels a lot happier in herself.

Tina stated that the school deserved a lot of praise for the success of the reintegration. In Tina’s own words

“The school have been fantastic. They cannot do enough for Sarah. All the staff know Sarah and what to do if she is not okay. If Sarah is not okay, everyone takes it seriously.”

Tina also stated that the school have stuck to the re-integration plan as arranged and had regular reviews with Tina and made slow and considered increases/changes to the schedule, based on Sarah’s needs. Tina was incredibly grateful to the school and said their actions have played a huge part in the success of Sarah’s re-integration.

At the start of the case, Sarah had attended school for 1 hour in almost 6 months and it was feared that she would never be able to attend mainstream school in an inclusive way.

Following the re-integration plan, by April, Sarah was attending every day, as a part time timetable but this was increasing steadily. She felt part of the school, herself confidence and self-esteem had increased and she was attending the school she wanted. It was expected that if things continued this way, Sarah would soon be achieving the desired goal of regularly attending a suitable full time school placement.

Tina was happy and felt positively about Sarah’s educational prospects. The relationship with the school was also positive and all worked well together to radically change the outcomes for this pupil.

SENDIASS closed the case at this point as the query was resolved and the outcome achieved.

SENDIASS advice to parents on understand the law and guidance around SEND and EHC plans can support them to make informed decisions.

For cases of emotional barriers to school attendance, where a pupil is not attending at all, it can feel overwhelming for both families and the school. SENDIASS has learned that a focus on specific issues can allow for the identification of solutions/provision – whereas focussing on the general makes a problem seem impossible to tackle.

• Example: “My child has anxiety how can you support them back in school when she doesn’t want to attend” – this feels like an impossible task and quite rightly in this case, the school felt that they could not force Sarah to attend and that therefore they were not a suitable setting and couldn’t meet her needs.

• Example 2: breaking the issue down into smaller details helps. Such as ‘My child needs help to transition into school and is unable to cope with the busy and noisy environment’ – a solution may be that the child is met outside the school gates by a staff member, and a reasonable adjustment is that they start school at an earlier or later time to avoid the crowds of other children.

When writing up a plan it is important to find out the details on how that support is going to happen in reality - and include that in the planning stages. Doing this will help the school/organisation stick to the plan and will weed out some of the difficulties early on. One of the most common issues with difficulties in re-integration is when pupils do not have faith in the school because something was promised then not delivered – or it happened differently to what was discussed. And sometimes that is due to the lack of clarity in the plan on how something is going to take place, and therefore it was open to being misinterpreted.

• For example: if someone is going to meet a child before school and accompany them into school the questions that follow should be: who will it be? Will it be the same person every time? What happens if they are busy or off sick? Where are they meeting? What time? If they are not there for some reason, who does the child contact?

• Instead of just saying: the child will be accompanied into school by a member of staff.

It is important to capture the child’s voice and include what is meaningful for them into the re-integration plan. This is particularly vital for pupils who are not attending. If there is something that is important to them, ensuring it takes place/is delivered will create trust and allow the child/young person to feel heard and understood. Often what is important to a pupil is not something big or expensive. It must be considered but it is often overlooked. In this case, including what was important to Sarah, particularly ensuring that she had access to the school chrome book to complete online work, was pivotal in ensuring a positive first week.

SENDIASS to consider producing and collating resources around supporting parents with this type of query. For example, a podcast episode and/or fact sheets with guidance and resources on re-integration planning.

You may also wish to read our related factsheet number 3 “Preparing for school meetings” and our podcasts numbers 2 and 3 “School meetings- preparation beforehand and what happens after”? These can all be found on our website.

There are several ways parent/carers can gain information and knowledge. SENDIASS Manchester Information is shared verbally through volunteer parent groups:

Manchester Parent Carer Forum – For Parents and Carers of Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Aged 0-25 in Manchester

Manchesrer Parent Champions

Manchester's Local Offer

The Space Group

Listen to our SENDIASS Podcasts: Season 1 - Episode 2 and 3

You may wish to read the following:

Fact sheet 3 - Preparing for school meetings

Complete our website contact form: