Hello

I have to say i didn't realise that school refusal was so common.

My daughter is 14 years old and has suffered from social phobia for the last 18 months and has only attended school a few times in that period. A few things in her life triggered this. A unplanned house move and being bullied at school.
Her social phobia is getting better and she can now leave the house and she has started to talk to people whilst we are outside. Her main phobia now is going back to school.
Sadly we have not had much help from the school, EWO's or her GP. They just don't understand how difficult it can be for children suffering this. And they certainly don't choose to be like this.
I was getting terrible pressure from the EWO's to get her back into school, threats of court action, parental orders and fines. Oddly enough none of these threats have come to light.
Things came to a head a few months ago and my daughter started secretly self harming. Once i found out i contacted the police who suggested i take her to hospital. For the first time in 18 months someone listened to me and daughter!!!! Luckily she was fast tracked to CAHMS and is now on the waiting list for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, and is awaiting a place a the local hospital school.

Despite CAHMS even attending a meeting with the school and EWO's they still wish to prosecute. They state she is not sick (yeah right). But because i cannot produce a 'sick note' for her then she is unauthorised.
I am now thinking that she should never go back to her school( to be honest i don't trust that they understand enough)and am hoping that once she is in the hospital school she may be able to reintergrate into a new school where she has outside of school friends.
I am trying to currently get a Statement of Special Education needs so every step of her needs is written done. That way no one can argue with me again.

I get soo angry with the system and how ignorant some professionals can be to these children who are clearly suffering. I had been 'fighting' with the school and the EWO's for the last 8 months to get a referral to the hospital school, only to be told 'NO because she is not sick. Just because i don't have letters after my name doesn't mean i don't know my child. Guess they don't see things like that.

They are still pressurising her to go in every day for an hour. But at the moment she can even get out of the car when we pull into the school.
Because the EWO's don't have answers to this and they have to show the big wigs that they are ticking their little boxes they want to prosecute.

I say to them 'Bring it on'

thanks for listening.

One thing i will say though

I am not sure if this has been posted anywhere else but i found a charity called Access to Education.

There is a statutory guidance on what repsonsiblilties the LEA have to follow when a child is unable to access education, this includes phobias and anxieties.
I tried to months to get the school to give my daughter work to do at home so that she didn't lose any education. I was told that the school doesn't have to give my daughter any work at all.
However this guidance does states that it is the LEA repsonsiblity to provide your child with an education 15 days after being off school for medical reasons. I did take this guidance to one the many meetings with the EWO's and school. And low and behold the work from school started flowing.
Its quite long so i will post it here

http://publications.education.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=DFES%252f0025%252f2002&

Hope it helps

Thank you for this link to the Department of Education website, which I have included in a Blog, in the hope that it receives a wider audience.

I wonder if similar legislation applies in Northern Ireland and Scotland?

Why is it that we have to fight for everything? It makes me so angry.