As a parent of a child prone to illnesses that can lead to hospitalisation, it is frustrating to receive letters about school attendance despite providing explanations for absences. This adds stress during already difficult times, making us feel like bad parents and suggesting the school is displeased. Although we are told the school is required to send these letters, it does not improve the situation. I do not prefer to keep my child off school, and as a single parent running my own business, this issue makes me feel unfairly responsible for the school's performance metrics.

We appreciate this piece of feedback and completely understand that many children, through no fault of their own, may have days where getting to school simply isn’t possible.  When supporting a young person, we work very closely in partnership with health and education settings, to make sure we’re doing everything we can to support your child.  

In some cases it may also be worth being in touch with your GP, as they may be able to provide supportive letters to schools.  

It’s clear that you and your child need a bit more of nuanced approach so do please get in touch at letsTalkSEND@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or call 01305 228866. 

What should I do if I am concerned about my child’s non-attendance - they have not really been in school for some time, who should I speak to?

In the first instance, we always recommend you have an honest conversation with your child’s education setting. You may find that there is support available for you, and that together you may be able to get a plan to help your child get back to school. 

If you’ve already tried this, and still aren’t feeling as though you’re getting the help you need, please do call us at 01305 228866 – and our friendly team will be able to work with you to make a plan for the next steps.  

School is doing what they can to support child with reintegrating back into school and this is still a struggle for the child. What service and who should parents contact for additional support?

If you’re struggling and need extra support, please do call 01305 228866. The team there will listen to you about your specific circumstances and help agree the next steps.  

It may be useful to talk to the school about whether they have sought support from the school’s link educational psychologist and/or specialist teacher to find a plan that best suits your child. 

How many more children have to reach mental health crisis before you accept that schools should be made fit for disabled children, not disabled children made to fit schools?

This is not our intention at all, it is every child’s right to access education that is right and accessible to them. We are not satisfied if even one child has to reach a mental health crisis before getting the support they need. 

Many of our schools (60%) have signed up for ‘therapeutic thinking’- this is an approach that helps schools work with children differently, in a way which supports children in their mental health to avoid crisis. We’re working closely with the schools who have completed the training to help them apply this approach. We continue to encourage take up of the training across all settings.  

We have Mental Health Support Teams in some of our schools and we are working together to have a similar offer in all schools as we know this makes a real difference and prevents crisis through ensuring early support. 

Dorset Council are also heavily in the CAHMs review, and have listened to young people and families and are using this to improve mental health support. 

If you are currently struggling with this being the reality for your family, we’d like to encourage you to contact the team at 01305 228866, who will be able to discuss your specific circumstances.  

 

If your child is refusing to go into school unless a parent goes with them and won’t let them leave, what can we reasonable expect a school to do in providing support e.g. to help the child build a relationship with a school member of staff so the parent can try to withdraw?

It is reasonable to ask the school to allocate a member of staff, either a teaching assistant or pastoral support worker to meet and greet you and your child.  It is okay to ask them to identify a space where you can focus on a preferred game/activity with your child and for them to join in alongside you. This could be inside or outside depending on your child’s preferred game/activity.  It is also reasonable for them to put in place a visual plan and include photos of the key staff and areas in the school.    

The school needs to work in partnership with you, to support your child getting into school. 

Does a child need a SEND diagnosis in order to receive help or can the school put things in place without it to help them attend school?

Simply put, no – a child should be supported in their setting regardless of a diagnosis. Every setting should be working closely with you and your child to make sure they can learn well.  

In some cases, if extra help is required, they might be described as being at ‘SEN Support’ level. Settings may then put an individual action plan (sometimes known as an individual education plan – IEP) in place that describes what support that child needs. 

SENCOs (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators) should be a good point of contact for you at the school, as they will know what is currently available. They may also apply something called the ‘graduated approach’, which involves making a step-by-step plan to help your child access learning.  

The school SEND policy states interventions won’t happen unless the child is falling behind. What if my child is achieving academically but suffering socially?

We hope that all settings support children and young people whatever their need. We know that children learn at different paces, and sometimes need a different approach.  Schools are expected have support in place for children who may need help in making friends, social skills and low self-esteem.  

We’d recommend you contact your school to have a conversation about your concerns. They may also be able to put you in touch with their pastoral team or equivalent.  

Why is Alternative Provision not freely offered and so hard to obtain? My son has been refusing school since Sept 23 and I have only just discovered that this is available. He has missed a whole year of education (again). This should have been offered to us earlier.

We’re really sorry to hear that you’ve had this experience, and that your son has been out of school for so long. Every child has the right to an education. Please contact LetsTalkSEND@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk  and we will be in touch to discuss the details of your concerns. 

 

Schools put in disabled toilets/ ramps etc as a matter of course so why aren’t other things that help children put in too? I.e. many children are known to struggle with too much information on the walls, certain lighting, certain fabrics/ school uniform etc so shouldn’t these be taken away as a barrier to learning.

All schools must have an Accessibility Plan setting out how they will improve school life for disabled pupils by: 

  • increasing access to the curriculum 

  • improving the physical environment  

  • making information more accessible  

We have set up a termly monitoring group to review school Accessibility Plans. This is made up of representatives from across Education and Learning. A representative of Dorset Parent Carer Council is also invited. The monitoring group will offer feedback to schools. Good practice will be celebrated and suggested improvements will be shared. Schools will be provided with helpful tips and links to training or resources, tailored to the needs they have identified within their Accessibility Plan.  

We are also updating our guidance to schools about accessibility planning and making reasonable adjustments. This is to ensure that schools understand the barriers that children and young people with disabilities face and to encourage them to take actions to overcome these. It will focus on creating a welcoming environment where children and young people with disabilities feel included.  

We will also be ensuring that our workforce are trained in the accessibility planning and reasonable adjustments duties placed on schools, so that they are confident to highlight any issues during the course of their work. 

If you do have concerns about accessibility in your child’s school, we advise you speak with the school SENCO first. 

What are school going to do to evolve to keep pace with the modern world? AI and more digital content etc

As part of their school development Headteachers and senior leaders are attending training and conferences where the use of AI in schools is on the agenda. Schools’ senior leaders will work with their teachers and plan how they can best integrate AI into the school’s curriculum. Developments in AI will evolve at different rates in different schools. As a local authority education team we will support schools and provide information and training on the use of AI. 

What influence / authority do you have over Academy Trust schools to effectively provide reasonable adjustments designed to facilitate school attendance.

Our role is one of influence, as you suggest. Our Corporate Director for Education expects the same standards of great practice for all our children, regardless of the status of the setting. To this end, she meets with the CEOs of Academy Trusts regularly, alongside the regional office for the DFE and the diocese, to provide support and challenge.  

Whilst academies have developed their own systems to supporting great attendance, we will work with them to draw on evidence of most effective methods and ensure we feed in lived experiences of children and families to inform their campaign. We celebrate and share practice that has a positive impact. We also work with colleagues at a regional and national level to draw on evidence of what works well.  

If we receive feedback that an approach is unhelpful, we will always let the setting and the academy trust know and will work with them to consider and implement better approaches.  

The Dorset Education Board has a focus on attendance and has published an Attendance Strategy. These have been co-produced with families and leaders across the system. This enables great oversight of what works well and enables us to influence the system on behalf of our children.

Please could you clarify who is working with the families for emotionally based school avoidance/absence (EBSA) for this early intervention? I there support available specifically at home for helping to regulate our children and how can we access it?

We have trained family support workers and pastoral leads in some of the schools in each locality.  We are working with these schools to offer support groups for families.  We have had positive feedback from families and schools where the school has been able to run these groups.     

Dorset Mind also runs groups at called ‘Connected Minds', in some of the Dorset schools.    

Where needed, our family support workers can work with you in your home.  If you would like to get hold of the Dorset Council team for support and guidance, you can call us at 01305 228866.

Amanda Davis - you quoted evidence which shows that the best place for children is at school; for learning, mental health etc. Can you share: the date that the evidence was gathered; the scope of the evidence gathered; and the extent to which it covered children with SEND? Or the reference? Could you also please share how the evidence has shaped school based policy? Thank you.

The guidance that Amanda referenced was from the Department for Education (DfE). The link to the guidance can be found here:  Working together to improve school attendance (publishing.service.gov.uk) 

We keep up to date with developments around this all the time and work with our settings to help them use the guidance in practice.  

Whilst we want to so every child thrive in school, we understand that for many attendance is a real challenge, and this evidence may not feel as though it fits your experience. If you’d like to have a conversation with us about this letstalksend@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk 

Hi I work in a school and I do not know how to get hold of The Dorset Mental Health Support Team. How can I get hold of you please ? Hi I work in a school and I do not know how to get hold of The Dorset Mental Health Support Team. How can I get hold of you please ?

The Mental Health Support Teams currently work within 45 Dorset schools, details of these and more information can be found on their website:  

Mental Health Support Teams in Schools (MHSTs) – CAMHS Dorset 

There is also a professionals specific section of their website at: CAMHS Dorset  

They also have a very active social media presence, you can follow them on Facebook at: Facebook  

 

What can I do if my 5 year old daughter was deemed too high risk for Mental health in schools team but then turned down by CAMHS?

I am sorry to hear this.  In this instance I would suggest that you get hold of the Dorset Council team for support and guidance, you can call us at 01305 228866.  

We would also suggest linking back with your GP to look at additional routes for support. Our Health colleagues are also really to see if they can assist you, you can get in touch with them at send@nhsdorset.nhs.uk 

Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) I understand you are offering the support within schools, can you provide a list of the council areas you currently support ? Also how can you convince me as a parent that you will actually get the teachers who currently do not understand to see the needs? What actions are you taking with teachers, yes children need support, but most of my child's problems in School are caused by majority of teachers not understanding things such as stimming, pda, anxiety and that its not a chosen behaviour or need.

Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) exist in about 30% of Dorset schools. We are working hard to develop resources that can be accessed by those schools not yet covered by Mental Health Support Teams in Schools (MHSTs). You can find out which areas are covered at: Mental Health Support Teams in Schools (MHSTs) – CAMHS Dorset  

A lot of work is going on with our schools to improve how we support young people. Many of our schools have been through autism-specific training, either via our Autism in Schools project, or other training opportunities. We’re working hard to increase the take-up of these and seeing a positive response. 

Many of our schools (60%) have signed up for ‘therapeutic thinking’- this is an approach that helps schools work with children differently, in a way which supports children in their mental health to avoid crisis. We’re working closely with the schools who have completed the training to help them apply this approach. We continue to encourage take-up of the training across all settings.  

If you would like to share your thoughts with us, please do get in touch at letstalksend@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk  

In my experience, there is no support available from GP's for EBSA. CAMHS threshold is "2 meaningful attempts at suicide". There are no other organisations to help. 

We’re so sorry to hear that this has been your experience, and that you’re struggling to find support. If you school is covered by the Mental Health Support Teams in Schools (MHSTs) - then they may be able to help. They’re also able to provide therapies that your child might find helpful.  

 

You can find out more at: Mental Health Support Teams in Schools (MHSTs) – CAMHS Dorset. Additionally, support for your child’s mental health can be found here: Children's mental health - Every Mind Matters - NHS (www.nhs.uk) It may also be worth going back to your GP.  

 

Outside of your GP, you could also consider kooth.com who provide free online therapy for young people. There are also helpful resources available on the Young Minds website at: YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People | YoungMinds  

 

To speak to the Dorset Council team you can email letstalksend@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or call 01305 228866. 

I would really love to know more about social prescribers. Could you please explain their role/how they are accessed by parents? Thank you!

 The roles of Social Prescriber and Care Coordinators vary across different areas, and recently they have become more involved with supporting young people. 

We would suggest you contact your GP practice, to ask about the services that the one in your specific area offer. 

The GPs are suggesting that 'regular' problems are being labelled as MH when there are likely not - it is really helpful for GPs to make this clear to families because schools do not have the medical qualifications to make this judgement. Can this please be passed on? I'd be interested in what support is actually available that I have potentially missed?

Whilst we understand that some schools may have limited expertise when it comes to identifying issues, they do have support from a range of other practitioners who can support them in identifying when a child may have a mental health difficultly.  

Many of our schools have Mental Health Support Teams, you can find out if this is available in your area at Mental Health Support Teams in Schools (MHSTs) – CAMHS Dorset 

If you are struggling, and would like to discuss your individual needs, then do contact us at letstalksend@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or by calling us on 01305 228866. 

Is there guidance available to schools for judging what constitutes EBSA? If GPs are suggesting that many concerns are 'regular teenage worries' does this still constitute EBSA?

Our EBSA (Emotionally Based School Avoidance/Absence) training is designed with care and compassion, aiming to support schools in understanding and addressing this challenging issue. We provide comprehensive guidance to help schools identify signs of EBSA early on.  

Our framework dives deep into the various risks and specific worries that might cause a child to avoid school, equipping educators with the tools they need to create a supportive and understanding environment for every student.  

We know it is normal for many teenagers to have an increase in anxiety during these their teenage years.  If these worries are impacting on their everyday life and it is the anxiety that is causing them to avoid school this would constitute EBSA.  The guidance to schools includes how to assess and identify whether it is EBSA or something else.  

 

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