Back to School

Starting school, or going back after a break, can feel daunting for children and young people. Preparing children to return to school and start a new academic year takes planning and effort from parents. But for parents who have children with complex medical needs, the process of transitioning from summer to school can be more of a challenge.

In this article, we look at key topics to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Children in state schools in the UK tend to have a six-week break over the summer returning to school at the start of September. To find out when your child’s school starts, check your Local Authority website. To find out which Local Authority you are with, click here.

If your child is not already in school, it is worth noting that Children born from 1 April to 31 August, who are known as summer-born children, do not reach compulsory school age until the September after their fifth birthday, a year after they could first have started school. Click here for further information and advice to help you decide what would be best for your summer-born child.

Staggered Starts

Some primary schools offer a staggered start, which may include reduced hours for the first week and different year groups starting at different times of the day or on different days of the week. The intention of staggered starts is to make the intake process less daunting for children, but they can create challenges for parents who have work commitments or other caring responsibilities.  It is up to each school to decide if they implement a staggered start or not. Check with your child’s school in advance regarding their policy.

The School Admission Code is the statutory guidance that schools must follow when carrying out duties relating to school admissions and should ensure that school places are allocated and offered in an open and fair way. There is also guidance on how to appeal decisions made, which you can find here.

Clothing and Equipment

It can be more challenging to find appropriate school clothes and equipment for children with complex medical needs.

Click on the yellow boxes for links to online shops that sell adaptive clothing and equipment, including adaptive school wear. Remember, many sites offer a discount when you sign up for their newsletters.

Some Local Authorities provide non-repayable grants for uniform costs. Click here to see what financial help is available for school uniforms in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

You may be able to find good quality second-hand or unworn clothing on local Facebook groups, particularly groups that are for the school your child attends.

Also, see our article on Grants for Families for links to grants that may be available to you and tips on how to apply.

Transport

If your child cannot walk to school because of a special educational need, disability, or mobility problem, they could be entitled to free school transport, even if your home is in close proximity to your child’s school.

An assessment must be made of the child’s individual needs, but Statutory guidance states:

‘Usual transport requirements (e.g., the statutory walking distances) should not be considered when assessing the transport needs of children eligible due to SEN and/or disability.’

This applies to all children with SEND or mobility difficulties, not just children with EHC plans or who attend special schools.

To ask for an assessment of your child’s travel needs, you should contact your Local Authority. To find out which Local Authority you are with, click here.

You should include as much information as you can with your application. It’s important to show that your child meets the eligibility criteria. Include information on:

• Why your child is not able to walk to school, both physical reasons and any need for close supervision.
• Give details of the actual journey on foot and how your child would be affected.
• If you have professional evidence about your child’s walking ability or the difficulties they have in public places, include that too.

Things to note:

If your child is under 5 years old: Most children now start school in September after their fourth birthday. There is, however, no duty to provide transport until children reach compulsory school age, which is the term after they turn five.

Education Health Care Plan (EHCP): If your child has an EHCP, you do not need to be concerned if transport is not mentioned, as eligibility is covered under general education law.

Times of travel: The legal entitlement for transport is for the beginning and end of the normal school day only. You don’t have a right to special arrangements to enable your child to attend appointments or after-school clubs. If you do need flexible arrangements, it may be worth considering a personal travel budget or a mileage allowance.

Suitable travel: The Local Authority has a duty to provide suitable transport, which must be non-stressful. This is defined in case law as transport that enables a child ‘to reach school without undue stress, strain or difficulty … to travel in safety and in reasonable comfort’. Statutory guidance recommends maximum journey times of 45 minutes for primary-aged children and 75 minutes for secondary-aged children.

Food

Studies show that children who have a healthy diet are more likely to be able to retain information they have learnt at school, alongside improved mood, and behaviour.

Food served in all mainstream schools in England must meet school food standards so that children have healthy, balanced diets.

These standards should make sure that school lunches always include:

• One or more portions of fruit and vegetables every day
• One or more portions of starchy food, such as bread or pasta every day
• A portion of food containing milk or dairy every day
• A portion of meat or poultry on 3 or more days each week
• Oily fish once or more every 3 weeks

Foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low-quality reformed or reconstituted foods, are severely restricted.

Free school meals

Your child may be able to get free school meals depending on where they live and your situation. Click on each of the yellow boxes to see the rules for each area.

If you do not have recourse to public funds your child may still be eligible for free school meals. Ask their school or Local Authority whether they’re eligible.

It is important to note that even if your child is unable to attend school due to their needs but they are registered with the school and eligible for benefits-related free school meals, you could be able to receive good quality lunch parcels at home or food vouchers issued from your school. Please contact your school to discuss this.

Getting free school meals during term time means you also qualify for free extra help during the school holidays. How this works and what you get depends on where you live in the UK, but it can include free meals, free activities, and even money to help with your childcare costs. Check with your Local Authority to find out what is available in your area.

You can also read our article on Food Shopping and Deliveries for information on ways online shopping may help you, how to make shopping in-store easier, how to access food banks, and more.

Managing Anxiety

Going back to school after time off can be anxiety-inducing, for both the child and parent carer.  Below are top tips to help reduce anxiety about returning to school:

• Talk to your child about what to expect – have regular conversations throughout the holidays about returning to school. Try and make the conversations light-hearted and concentrate on the things they like about school. If anything is going to be different when they return talk about this in advance i.e., if they are going to be in a different classroom or have a different teacher. You may want to use social stories or flashcards to assist with communication. You could ask your school for pictures of new staff or classrooms to use in your conversations or social stories.
• Meet up with school friends – if possible, arranging play dates or days out with other students over the holidays may help your child be less anxious when they return, as they will recognise other students they had fun with during the holidays.
• Visit the school – some schools have times children and parents can attend ahead of the first day back. This can help familiarise or reacquaint your child with the school environment before term begins.
• Talk with the SENCO – The more teachers and staff know about your child, the better; arrange a meeting so you can explain their needs and what the school can do to make things easier.
• Practice morning routines – you may want to start a similar routine a week or more prior to the return to school to reduce the amount of change on the first day back at school.
• Practice putting on a uniform – this can be particularly helpful for children with sensory issues.
• Involve your child in decision-making – if you let your child make some decisions about returning to school it can give them a greater sense of control. This could be choosing their lunchbox and stationery in the weeks prior to return.
• Reduce your own anxiety – reducing your own anxiety will also help your child feel less anxious. WellChild has a variety of articles on the Information Hub to help with parent carer wellbeing. You can also join our community, the WellChild Family Tree to connect with others who ‘get it’ for mutual support, advice, and friendship.
• The BBC Parents Toolkit may also help you communicate with your child about topics relating to going back to school. It consists of bite-size videos you can watch together, which can be viewed here.

Special Education Provision and Plans

Special educational provision is anything that “educates or trains” your child outside of typical teaching. For example, getting individual support, or seeing a speech and language therapist.

All schools have a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) who works with teachers, parents, and health professionals to meet a child’s special educational needs (SEN) or special educational needs and disability (SEND).

If your child’s needs are not met by the SEND provision you can apply to the Local Authority for an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) needs assessment.

An EHCP is a way of getting your child specific support at school. Legally, Local Authorities must provide support in a child’s EHCP.

You can ask for an EHCP assessment from your Local Authority. It is helpful if the school participates in the process, but not essential. To find out more about the EHCP process, click here.

If you already have an EHCP plan, check when it was last reviewed. EHCPs should be reviewed annually and when there is a change in circumstances.

Under the Children & Families Act (2014) it is a legal requirement that all Local Authorities have a Local Offer website, which details support available for SEND needs. You can read our article on Local Offers and find links to your Local Authority in our article here.

The IPSEA and SOSSEN both support parents to secure the right to special educational provisions for children and young people with SEND.

The SEND guide for parents and carers can be found here. The Department for Education has also listed additional resources to support pupils with medical conditions. You can find links to these resources in the yellow box below.

The devolved nations call their SEND support by different names:

In Wales, the system of support for children with SEND is called ‘Additional Learning Needs’ (ALN). You can find out more here.

In Scotland, the system of support for children with SEND is called ‘Additional Support for Learning’ (ASL). You can find out more here.

In Northern Ireland, the system of support for children with SEND is managed by the Special Educational Needs Advice Centre (SENAC). You can find out more here.

The information in this article was correct at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.

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