Luna’s story
Luna had not been able to attend school for some time due to high levels of anxiety. Kids SENDIASS helped Luna and her parents to understand their rights and the options open to them. With that support Luna was able to find a new school that could meet her needs.
Luna is in Year 8 but had been unable to attend school for some time. Luna has a diagnosis of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) with associated high levels of anxiety. Although Luna was engaging in flexible learning she was often struggling to engage in the lessons at home.
Getting the support needed to access education
Her parents contacted SENDIASS for support with completing the Family Conversation which had been provided by Luna’s mainstream secondary school. A SENDIASS Practitioner visited the parents at home and went through each part of the Family Conversation to ensure that the correct information was provided. The Practitioner also helped Luna’s parents understand the EHC process.
A meeting at the secondary school was organised to discuss the EHC application and Luna’s parents asked for support at this meeting. The SENDIASS Practitioner attended the meeting and was able to clarify what would happen and when for both parents and the school. The EHC was then submitted.
Receiving the necessary support
The decision was made that Luna needed an EHC needs assessment. Following this information Luna’s parents wanted to discuss school options. The SENDIASS Practitioner offered information on the school choices available, the law surrounding school choices and the Local Authority’s panel processes.
Luna’s parents identified relevant schools and a draft EHC (Educational Health and Care) plan was then issued. SENDIASS met again with Luna’s parents to help review the plan and request any relevant changes.
By this point they had decided which school could meet Luna’s needs and Luna having been to visit twice was also very happy with this choice. This school was an Independent Specialist Provision, so the SENDIASS practitioner ensured that parents understood the legal tests that would be applied and helped them construct their rational for why this was the right school for Luna.
Access to a specialist provision
A few weeks later Luna’s parents contacted the Practitioner to report that the school had been agreed by the Local Authority and Luna had a start date.
They reflected on the positive changes that had happened for Luna and their family, when SENDIASS first became involved Luna was not accessing any education and now had a place at a specialist provision.
The parents thanked the Practitioner stating they felt they had understood the process better and their voices had been heard due to the Practitioners’ involvement.
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