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Education deferral for 5 year old. What to do in gap year

Blue7788

My autistic 5 year old did not get an offer for school when he turned four in Spring last year. As a result he has not started reception but the nursery was happy to have him until the term he turns 5 which is now,. He finishes nursery in December. We are aware there are 2 SEN schools offering a place to start next academic year in 2026. Between Jan and July next year he will be out of school. I am wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation and what you did for your child diring that gap. What help and support is available. He is non verbal and not yet potty trained. 

We were offered to name a mainstream school on his EHCP but we did not as he needs to be in a specialist setting. Until 2026 September, we do not want him to stay at home and have no interactions or learning for 2 terms. We are having a final meeting with the nursery and early years support end of November for his EHCP. 

This is worrying us the parents and I am lacking sleep from this situation. 

  • Are you able to home school him for these months?

    If the local authorities are unable to come up with something then this could be a way to get a bit of a head start on the basics and ideally some social skills that he is likely to struggle with learning.

    There is an interesting article on this subject here:

    https://atgtogether.com/social-skills-training-autistic-children/

    This sort of thing would certainly have made a big difference for me as a child and avoid a lot of the mistakes I made socially.

  • Hello Blue7788,

    Thank you for your post and I am sorry to hear about the problems you are facing. We have a section dedicated to Education on the NAS website. Please find the link here: 

    https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/school-education

    If the school named on the EHCP cannot meet the needs of the child the Local Authority should offer help and support until another school is offered or found. The SENCo at your child's nursery will be able to help with this and should help you find the right person to contact at your Local Authority. Or you may be able to source the contact details on your Local Authority's website.

    I really hope something helps and you can find someone to reassure and support you. 

    With best wishes, 

    Anna Mod