When school is hard: part-time timetables, exclusions and attendance

How can I tell if school is too hard for my child?

Often you see it at home, not at school. The NHS says an autistic child's behaviour "at school and home may be different and they may need time to settle when they return from school" (NHS). So "they're fine at school" and "they fall apart at home" can both be true.

Signs that school is taking too much out of your child include:

• meltdowns, shutdowns, tears or silence straight after school
• not wanting to go, or not being able to get out of the door, through the gate or into the classroom
• worry before school days, such as a churning stomach, feeling sick or poor sleep, which the National Autistic Society lists among signs of anxiety (National Autistic Society)
• masking, meaning hiding their differences to get through the day. The National Autistic Society says children may mask "to cope at school and avoid negative attention or punishment (for example for moving around or stimming)" (National Autistic Society)
• tiredness that builds over weeks. The NHS says some autistic children "can become very exhausted from trying to cope with daily life. This is called autistic fatigue or burnout" (NHS); see autistic burnout

None of this means you, your child or the school has failed. It tells you your child needs more support, or a different set-up.

What is emotionally based school avoidance, and what helps?

Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) is a name for when a child finds it very hard to go to school because of anxiety or distress. It is not a legal term. DfE's statutory attendance guidance (July 2026) talks instead about "anxious feelings about school attendance" (DfE attendance guidance).

The guidance says pupils with SEND have "the same" right to education, and "additional support may need to be provided". Schools are not expected to diagnose or treat, but they should:

• offer pastoral support
• make formal reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010, agreed and regularly reviewed with you and your child
• consider "a time-limited phased return to school" for children with anxious feelings about attendance
• remove barriers in school, such as uniform, transport, routines, access to support and lunchtime arrangements
• if your child has an EHCP, tell the council when attendance falls and work with it to add attendance support to the plan

It also says medical evidence for recording absences "should only be needed in a minority of cases" (DfE attendance guidance).

What can I do?

1. Keep a short daily note: sleep, mood before school, what happened, and how your child was afterwards.
2. Plan quiet recovery time after school, with few questions or demands.
3. Ask to meet the class teacher and SENCO. Take your notes.
4. Ask for specific adjustments, using the examples in DfE's guidance, and ask for them in writing.
5. Agree a written plan with a clear review date (SEND Code of Practice, para 6.48).
6. If your child has an EHCP, ask the council for an early review.

Will I be fined?

Not automatically. Schools must consider a penalty notice once a pupil reaches 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks. But the first question in the guidance is "Is support appropriate in this case?" If it is, schools "are expected to continue with the existing support without a penalty notice", or to issue a notice to improve if support is not working or not being taken up. A penalty notice can follow if neither works. Schools should also weigh their Equality Act duties to disabled pupils (DfE attendance guidance, paras 184 to 185).

Is a part-time timetable legal?

A part-time timetable can be legal, but only in limited cases. DfE's attendance guidance says every pupil of compulsory school age is entitled to a full-time education. A temporary part-time timetable is for "very exceptional circumstances, where it is in a pupil's best interests", and it "should not be used to manage a pupil's behaviour" (DfE attendance guidance, paras 65 to 70).

It should:

• have the agreement of both the school and you, as the parent your child normally lives with
• be part of a wider support, health care or reintegration plan
• have regular review dates that involve you and your child
• have a proposed end date, although it can be extended at a review

If your child has an EHCP, the school should discuss the timetable with the council so the support package can be reviewed. The guidance was last updated on 9 July 2026 (GOV.UK).

My child keeps being sent home. Is that an exclusion?

If it is because of behaviour, yes. Being sent home without the formal process is often called an informal exclusion. DfE's exclusion guidance, in force from 26 July 2026, says: "Telling or forcing a pupil to leave school, or not allowing them to attend school, is a suspension (if temporary) or permanent exclusion (if permanent)" (DfE exclusion guidance). The guidance also says:

• A half-day suspension is allowed, but the formal process must be followed and you must be told in writing, with reasons.
• "Any time a pupil is sent home due to disciplinary reasons and asked to log on or utilise online pathways should always be recorded as a suspension."
• "Any exclusion of a pupil, even for short periods, must be formally recorded. It would also be unlawful to exclude a pupil simply because they have SEN or a disability that the school feels it is unable to meet."
• Its examples of off-rolling, meaning removing a pupil improperly, include "sending a pupil home without a formal suspension regardless of whether it occurs with the agreement of parents" and "placing a pupil on a part-time timetable for behavioural reasons".

During a suspension, the school should set and mark work for the first five school days, and its duties to disabled pupils, such as reasonable adjustments, carry on. If a suspension lasts more than five school days in a row, the school must arrange full-time education from the sixth day. After a permanent exclusion, the council must do this.

If your child is permanently excluded, you can ask for an SEN expert at the independent review panel. If you think an exclusion was disability discrimination, you can make a claim to the SEND Tribunal within six months (DfE exclusion guidance; GOV.UK).

What are the rules on restraint and seclusion?

Since 1 April 2026, schools in England follow new DfE guidance on restrictive interventions, including reasonable force (GOV.UK). Schools also have a new legal duty to record and report seclusion and restraint (DfE restrictive interventions guidance). The guidance says:

• "It is illegal to use force on a pupil for the purpose of punishment."
• Schools must report each significant use of force to you "as soon as practicable after the incident, and they should endeavour to do this no later than the same day", and should do so in writing. The report should cover when, where and for how long, why force was needed, what kind of force was used and how much, and any injuries.
• You must be told about seclusion and restraint as soon as practicable, ideally the same day. Maintained schools must have a way for you to get a copy of the written record.
• Pupils "should not be restrained in a way that affects their airway, breathing or circulation", and holds on the ground should be released or changed as quickly as possible.
• For pupils with SEND, triggers "may include pain, sensory overload, unfamiliar situations", and behaviour support plans should be reviewed with you and your child.

Schools should not agree to requests never to use force. Instead, ask to help write and review your child's behaviour support plan, so staff know your child's early signs of distress and what helps them calm. If your child is hurt, get medical advice promptly and ask for the written record.

What should I do if school is not working?

Start with the school, put things in writing, and get independent advice early.

1. Keep a log of every phone call, early collection and incident: the date, the time, who said what, and whether it was about behaviour.
2. Ask the school in writing whether each early collection was a suspension.
3. Meet the SENCO and ask for a review of your child's SEN support: what support they get, what it should achieve, and a review date. Ask whether a specialist should be involved (SEND Code of Practice, paras 6.48 to 6.59).
4. Ask for reasonable adjustments in writing. Schools must make them for disabled pupils (Equality Act 2010, Schedule 13).
5. If things are still not working, ask the council for an EHC needs assessment yourself (Children and Families Act 2014, section 36). If your child already has an EHCP, ask for an early review. Our guide on requesting an EHC needs assessment explains how.
6. Get free advice from SENDIASS or IPSEA before any big decision.

Should we think about home education?

Elective home education is a big decision, and it should be your free choice. Get independent advice first.

• DfE's exclusion guidance counts "exercising undue influence over a parent to remove their child from the school under the threat of a permanent exclusion and encouraging them to choose Elective Home Education or another school place" as off-rolling, and Ofsted considers any evidence of it (DfE exclusion guidance).
• The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 became law on 29 April 2026. It brings in "Children Not in School" registers in every council in England, and extra checks before some children can be taken out of school, including "children attending special schools" (DfE Education Hub).
• Under the Act, parents of a child at a special school, or an independent school specially organised for SEN, will need the council's consent before taking them out to home educate. The council can refuse if school is in the child's best interests or the planned home education is not adequate; otherwise it must agree, and a refusal can be referred to the Secretary of State. Taking the child out without consent is an offence (Browne Jacobson).
• As of September 2026, we could not confirm whether these parts of the Act are in force yet. Check with your council or SENDIASS before you act.

Some children with EHCPs are taught outside school in an arrangement the council makes, called education otherwise than at school (EOTAS): 16,000 children and young people with EHCPs in England had EOTAS in January 2026 (DfE). Ask SENDIASS or IPSEA which options could suit your child.

Where can I get help?

• Your local SENDIASS: free, impartial advice on SEND, exclusions and attendance. Find yours through the Council for Disabled Children.
• IPSEA: free legal advice by appointment, a tribunal helpline, and template letters (IPSEA).
• SOS!SEN: a free, term-time helpline (SOS!SEN).
• Contact: a free helpline on 0808 808 3555 for families with a disabled child (Contact).
• For your child's anxiety or mental health: your GP, or the YoungMinds Parents Helpline on 0808 802 5544 (see our help page).