Daniel’s story

Daniel, 14, has social, emotional and mental health needs. When SENDAISS first met Daniel he was struggling to find his place in education however he was clear he on his place in life – to join the Navy.

Struggling in school

Despite good academic ability it was clear from Daniel’s mum, Amelia, that his journey through secondary education had been challenging and that this had caused long term issues for Daniel and his family. Amelia reported that Daniel had increasingly struggled in mainstream school and found it a struggle to control his behaviour and manage the demands of a school environment.

In Year 10 he thought a school with less students and a definite purpose would be better and transferred to a specialist engineering academy however he still didn’t feel comfortable here and his behaviour again became an issue. It was decided for Daniel that a Pupil Referral Unit would be the best place for him but Daniel did not agree.

The EHC plan process

An Education Health and Care Plan (EHC plan) had been suggested, as it was felt Daniel needed additional and individualised support, as he had potential. The SENDIASS worker helped Amelia complete the paperwork capturing her aspirations for Daniel, her wishes and feelings. Daniel completed his side adding his aspirations to join the Navy and a picture was supplied of Daniel in his cadet uniform. It was also an opportunity to ensure that Daniel’s voice was heard in regards to being unhappy at the Pupil Referral Unit.

When the SENDIASS worker first met Daniel he did not want to engage and preferred that Amelia explain all that had happened. However over time working with the family Daniel began to trust the SENDIASS worker and begun to attend the meetings with Amelia.

The application was accepted for assessment and Daniel, Amelia and the SENDIASS worker met up again to explore what this meant and what would be happening next. Currently the family are waiting on the outcome of this needs assessment.