Barnsley SENDIASS
Children and young people can become very anxious about attending school. If their needs haven't been identified, or aren't met, the result can be behavioural problems either at home or during the school day. Some children might refuse to attend at all.
If your child is refusing to attend school, or if school are concerned about their attendance, then they should work with you to try and solve the problem. You can request a meeting with the school's SENCO to discuss your concerns.
If you're sent an attendance letter
If your child's attendance at school drops below a certain level, you'll often be sent a letter advising their attendance must improve otherwise there's a risk of incurring fines or court processes.
In this situation, we advise you to contact the Education Welfare Service to discuss your concerns.
If you feel that school could be doing more to help, you can request a meeting with them to discuss the situation further.
Educating your child at home
If your child's needs aren't being met in school, then everyone must work together to try and resolve this. It's not acceptable to remove your child from school because their needs aren't being met. Doing this could be classed as disability discrimination.
Elective home education (EHE)
As a parent, you have the right to educate your child at home. This may be because culturally you wish to educate you child in a particular way.
The council's required to ensure every child between five and 16 receives a good education. If you're home educating your child, they'll check-in with you once a year to ensure their education is of a good standard.
The decision to home educate should not be based upon whether a child has SEN, and the decision must not be made lightly. You shouldn't be encouraged by your child's school to home educate. If you're asked to sign a letter, seek further advice before doing so.
If you need more advice and support on this, contact the school, the Education Welfare Service, or us.
Partial timetables
Every child has the right to a full-time education. This means the entire school day, for five days a week.
The Department for Education (DfE) does not encourage partial timetables.
It might be acceptable to consider a gradual return to school following a period of absence. If your child is on a reduced timetable, there must be a clear plan and intention to return to full-time education by a specific date. We advise that this plan be written down and a copy kept by both you and the school.
For some children who are highly anxious, this can be difficult. Any plan should be flexible enough and minimise pressure and expectation on the child. Techniques such as placing a child in a car in their sleeping garments, or the threat of parents being prosecuted, can have a damaging effect on a child's mental health.