School Days Without Education
Tracking the number of school days our son has been without suitable education.
As of [YYYY-MM-DD]
Our 9-year-old son has now been without suitable education for 295 school days.
This is not elective home education. This is not refusal. This is a child without suitable provision.
Why We Keep Counting
We count the days not because we want to be confrontational, but because numbers make visible what systems can ignore.
Each day represents:
- A lesson not taught
- A skill not practised
- A friendship not formed
- A piece of childhood not returned
EB deserves better. All children do.
This website documents our experience with Somerset Council and the steps we have taken to secure the education our son is legally entitled to.
We are not seeking special treatment.
We are asking for the law to be followed — and for children to be protected when school is not accessible.
Why School Was Not Safe or Suitable
EB is autistic and has high sensory needs and anxiety. Before he stopped attending in September 2024, we ensured he went to school every day, even when it was extremely difficult.
EB masked during the school day. From the outside, he could appear to cope. But the cost of that masking was severe. After school he regularly experienced prolonged dysregulated distress responses at home.
We put safeguarding plans in place for his siblings. Over time, it became clear that continuing to force attendance was unsafe physically and mentally.
After we stopped forcing attendance, these incidents reduced dramatically in both frequency and duration.
This decision was not made lightly. It was a safeguarding decision — and it did not remove the need for education.
What Section 19 Is
Under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996, local authorities have a legal duty to arrange suitable education for children of compulsory school age who cannot attend school due to illness, exclusion, or otherwise.
Section 19(6) defines suitable education as:
“Efficient education suitable to the age, ability and aptitude and to any special educational needs the child may have.”
The duty applies when a child is not receiving suitable education and the local authority knows, or ought reasonably to know, that this is the case.
It is not dependent on:
- An EHCP being finalised
- A medical diagnosis
- Internal panels or assessments
- Appeals being ongoing
Our son has not received suitable education for 295 school days.
What Somerset Council Has Known
Somerset Council has been aware of our son’s prolonged non-attendance and needs through:
- School attendance records showing extended absence
- A Family Intervention Service Officer (part of the local authority) who worked with us for approximately 12 months
- A council Attendance Officer who has attended meetings for at least 9 months
- Ongoing communication with his school regarding his needs and barriers to attendance
Despite this sustained awareness across multiple services, no suitable alternative education provision has been arranged.
Interim Support
Because no suitable education has been arranged:
- We have been privately funding a tutor for 2 hours per week.
- This is not equivalent to full-time suitable education.
- One parent left work to provide full-time care.
- We have also waited over 3 years for his autism assessment.
Timeline (Key Milestones)
We are sharing a simple timeline so it is clear how long this has been ongoing. We will add precise dates as we update the site.
- October 2022 — Attendance difficulties (EHA applied for).
- March 2023 — Level 4 Children’s Social Care referral from school.
- May 2023 — Social Services (Local Authority) involved; first contact initiated by parents.
- March 2024 — Family Intervention Services direct involvement began (continued until May 2025; 12-month maximum support period).
- January 2025 — EHCP application submitted.
- April 2025 — Attendance Officer involvement began.
- December 2025 — EHCP issued.
- December 2025 — EHCP appeal process started.
- December 2025 — Section 19 form submitted to the Local Authority.
What We Are Asking For
We are asking Somerset Council to:
- Arrange immediate specialist alternative education suitable for autism and anxiety-related barriers
- Put in place appropriate longer-term provision via the EHCP process
- Provide transparency about how Section 19 duties are triggered when the council is aware a child is without suitable education
We are committed to working collaboratively.
But education cannot continue to be delayed.
If you would like to follow our journey, support change, or share your own experience, we invite you to stay connected.
This is not just our story. It is about how we protect children when systems fail.