Three of four children had Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) that detailed their support needs legally. The government is discussing reforms to potentially scrap EHCPs, causing concern for families relying on them for support. One child diagnosed with autism faced struggles in school, leading to significant mental distress and low attendance. Pressure to conform led to demands for school attendance, ultimately harming the child. The situation escalated to a self-harm incident indicating that the system failed to listen to their needs.
Well-written EHCPs are invaluable, particularly the legal part. Without it there would be no rigour, no meaningful challenge and, ultimately, no power to ensure that the right educational support is provided.
One of my children was diagnosed as autistic at the age of seven. They struggled in school for years, hitting academic targets but withdrawing into an isolated, fear-filled, friendless space, with daily meltdowns on their return home.
As a result of societal pressure and our abject fear of the school attendance officer, we demanded more of our child ordering, cajoling and begging them to come out of their bedroom and go to school.
The system had broken my child, and later, with an incident of massive self-harm, they let us all know that no one was listening.
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