Getting Funding Approved for the New School

I wanted to go back to getting funding approved for the new school once we had the EHCP as I felt it might be useful for other parents. Once the decision rejecting the EHCP was overturned at mediation, I found it hard to figure out next steps. After much chasing my local authority confirmed that the draft EHCP would be ready to view shortly and I would have 15 days to review and make comments. This was at the start of February and they confirmed that the whole process should be completed by 3rd March. However, it transpired that this did not include approving the school setting, only that the EHCP would be approved, which was very confusing as it also stated that the EHCP could not be approved without naming a school. 

When I read through the draft EHCP I felt utterly overwhelmed. This was a legally binding document and I felt so much was riding on it that any small slip-up or omission might undermine Angel’s entire future. 

I tried contacting the virtual head teacher for my borough, Sendias, EPSEA, my local authority's independent information support and advice service but no one was available to go through the draft with me in the timeframe I had. In desperation, I emailed the person who had been appointed to us for mediation. My knight in shining armour, he very kindly read through the whole document with me, made some small changes but mainly reassured me that I wasn’t missing anything glaring. My advice would be if you are expecting a draft EHCP, get an appointment booked in advance with someone from one of these services. 

It was then more weeks of chasing, to find out next steps. In frustration, I reached out again to the virtual head teacher and he said he would do some digging to find out where the case was at. He suggested I ask for a list of the schools they were consulting with and contact them myself. As they were all state schools with no small class settings, we set about contacting them to explain why they wouldn't be able to meet Angel’s needs. He explained they sometimes took ages to respond to these consultations and they would actually appreciate me letting them know that their school wouldn't be suitable as it would save them trying to assess the case. It was hard getting contacts for the relevant person within each school and definitely not helped by a sudden expansion of the schools they were consulting but eventually we had got through to all the schools but one. I also asked if I could provide a letter which could be read at the decision panel which was agreed:

I am writing to emphasize why it is critical that BH School be named as Angel’s placement on her EHCP.

We have carefully reviewed the other school options provided and would like to explain why we do not think a mainstream setting will work for Angel.

From our experience over the last 18 months, we know that, despite the best intentions, Angel cannot access education in a mainstream classroom. The noise, both within and outside the classroom, and the rapid pace of content delivery make it impossible for her to follow and retain information.

For a child with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), it is not just the overall volume but also small, sudden noises (such as a chair scraping or paper crumpling) that can be amplified, making it difficult for her brain to differentiate sounds. These constant micro-interruptions cause gaps in her learning, no matter how hard she tries to focus. In fact, Angel even finds it hard to follow dialogue heavy films in a quiet room with subtitles, so I’m sure you can imagine how hard it is for her in school.

One of the most profound moments for us was after Angel’s first trial day at BH. She was ecstatic, telling us, "I could understand everything!" She felt, for the first time, that she could learn rather than expend all her energy trying to process what was being said. I also noticed a visible change - she wasn’t stressed. Typically, after a school day, she is overwhelmed simply from the cognitive effort of trying to keep up. The difference was striking.

We are confident that, with this burden lifted, Angel will thrive academically and develop into an independent, contributing member of society. We recognize that BH’s fees are high and that councils are struggling financially. However, Angel has not received any additional funding to date, and these three years of investment will have a lifelong impact. I was amazed to learn that BH students achieve an average of seven GCSEs, with 60% progressing to university. Many of these children, like Angel, would otherwise struggle to attain any GCSEs in a state school setting.

Angel’s most recent educational psychologist report (November 2024) confirms that she is significantly behind her peers:

• Five years behind in spelling

• Four years behind in reading

• Two years behind in maths

Her latest school report (January 2025) confirms she is only on track in non-academic subjects, despite the addition of TA support in English, Maths, and Science. Furthermore, her grade has fallen further behind her previous school report (March 24) in eight subjects. This clearly demonstrates that she will not be able to catch up in a state school setting.

BH’s approach - small class sizes, differentiated teaching, and structured brain breaks between learning blocks - is precisely what Angel needs to succeed.

Furthermore, transitioning to another state school would be overwhelmingly stressful for her. Adopted children often struggle with change, and initially, Angel was adamant that she either stay at Kingsdale or be home-schooled. It took significant time and patience to get her to consider BH, and when she did, she loved it. Seeing her enthusiasm after her trial days was remarkable, even compared to her previous Steiner school, which also had smaller classes and a slower pace.

After a difficult start in life and an undiagnosed learning difficulty for so many years, Angel has shown incredible resilience. However, time is running out for her to catch up academically. Her next school must be the right one. We are 100% confident that BH is that school.

Last year it became too overwhelming for Angel to manage school every day and we are finding it increasingly hard to get her to school now. However, we know in the right setting Angel is keen to go to school and learn and she is very excited about the prospect of a move to BH.

Please give our bright, capable, and determined daughter the chance she deserves.

Panel dates came and went and Angel’s case was not getting heard but following a meeting with my co-ordinators manager, the case finally went to panel on 15th April 2025. The funding was approved! My case worker was so invested by this point that she rang me to deliver the good news whilst she was on leave, so I had obviously done a good job of balancing hassling, pleading and politeness. I cried for an hour.

When I told Angel we had the funding she was happy but also sad as it meant leaving her friends behind and ironically, for the first time ever, she hadn’t been stressed going back to school after the Feb half term. I think it was because she was switching off, which was good for her mental health but obviously would have been catastrophic for her education. We had got her out just in the nick of time. 

I walked around in a daze for a week. I felt like I should be happy but felt flat and anxious. It wasn’t until I read an article about VE Day where they described that after the war ended there was jubilation and celebration but people also felt anxious and sad, that I realised it had felt like a kind of battle, getting Angel the support she needed. Sadly, I have heard this from so many parents of children with additional needs. 

Angel started at the new school a week after the Easter Holidays, so she had a chance to go back and say good-bye to her friends. We organised a picnic in the park on her last day and hubby and I brought pizzas, drinks and sweet treats for everyone before leaving them to it. Twenty friends made and signed a card for her with some very heartfelt messages saying what a great friend she had been and thanking her for her caring and kindness. 

The Head of Learning emailed

We will miss Angel - she is a brilliant kid and I’ve been consistently super impressed with the kindness she shows to others as well as the resilience with everything. She is going to do great things. 

Wow, I thought, we got her to where she needs to be and it's been a long, hard road but just how amazing is she that she never lost who she was along the way.