Draft statement advice please

[claw2]

I have the draft statement sitting here in front of me.

Where do i start?

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Ask the school you are thinking of to send you an annonymised statement or draft for a child that cuurently attends with funding, particularly if they are from the same LA!?

[StarlightMcKenzie]

D you have all the supporting documents electronically?

[claw2]

Good idea, i can ask the school. No i dont have the documents electronically.

Part 2. They are just giving history and concluding ds doesnt need a direct programme of SALT.

Cog and learning good potential and school report progress etc

Behaviour, emotional and social. Mum says difficulites. School says happy, had friends and loved school. Then ds' mum removed him school without consultation with the EWO to gain a full understanding of her decision.

Sensory and physical just giving history

medical conditions mentions soiling

Summary of need
ASD
soiling
school anxiety
self harming
sensory difficulites
eye disorder

Objectives
Manage anxiety
use language
incread self help
build fine and gross motor skills
foster social interaction and communication

then just access to ASD advisory, SALT service, social stories

Part 4 blank
part 5 blank
part 6 blank

I sitting here thinking according to this statement ds doesnt actually have any difficulties, so why the hell did you give him a statement! Its the most begrudging thing. He has a statement so he can recieve social stories etc.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Send an email request for the statement at least electronically. They should oblige pretty quickly. No-one's expected to comment or make tracked changes to any document that isn't online these days.

[claw2]

I can do that too.

But why would any kid need a statement to access ASD advisory, SALT services with no direct input. Anxiety management from CAMHS (although they are not involved) and social stories?

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Claw Don't try to work it out.

Where I was, the Parent Partnership advised me against appealing ds' statement on the basis that I was lucky to have got one at all given that the provision within it could be delivered without one.



They probably give you nothing as they know that they'll be 'negotiations' and it is in their favour to begin from a baseline of zero.

[KOKOagainandagain]

Parts 2 and 3 look like any m/s school could meet needs despite what it said in the covering letter.

Finalise and appeal.

[claw2]

Right so i respond to this how?

Do i literally sit here go through any inaccuracies in part 2, then quote from reports for part 3. Or rewrite the whole thing?

For example in part 2 communication and interaction, talks about the pleasing progress ds has made and how his vocab difficulties have now 'resolved' and all formal assessments are in expected range. Ds doesnt need a direct programme.

Then cog and learning they talk about how EP assessment idenitified a relative weakness with regard to vocab.

Another is part 2 sensory/physical needs. It states there are no reported concerns with motor skills. Yet part 3 objectives is to build his fine and gross motor skills.

[claw2]

Keep, can i finalise without first asking for changes?

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Yes. You can say you think the whole statement is a complete bag of shite so could they please finalise to give you your right of appeal.

However, I would word it a little bit better and say that since the statement does not quantify and specify provision, nor list the recommendations from x,y,z reports, you can assume that they are expecting you to appeal so could they finalise to give you your right to do so.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

I suppose though, that there is one hitch with that approach and that is that if they DO name your choice of school in part 4. Then you are stuck with a shite part 2&3 which will follow your ds throughout his schooling and the unspecified nature of it could be used to remove provision later on.

Of course they could do this anyway, even if you suggest wording.

Do you know that you can buy time if you need it by asking for a meeting with them. The clock of 15 days resets from the date of the meeting.

[claw2]

Lol @ complete bag of shite! that is exactly what it is, i literally have nothing to work with. I thought it was a story book, not a statement!

They have just taken any positives from any reports and quoted them and totally forgotten to mention any difficulties.

Seen as ds hasnt been to school since June of last year and is signed off with school anxiety, i think its safe to say that school reporting ds is skipping through the corridors, surrounded by flowers and love hearts is irrelevant!

[claw2]

They have issued this statement as there has obviously been pressure on them to return ds to education, as the longer he is out, the harder it will be to return.

Now i will seem like the 'unreasonable' one and the pressure will be on me, now they kept up their end of the 'bargain'. With CAMHS and social services fence sitting, willing to change sides at any given time.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

I presume the logical argument is that the statement doesn't specify anything within it that give you any confidence that once in school his needs will be met, and your concern for his wellbeing remains, despite having a statement.

A statement doesn't change outcomes, quantified and specified provision carefully targetted to need does.

[Ilisten2theradio]

It sounds like it is so bad it needs re-writing.
Based on my experience they won't do it for you.
I was told in my LEA that they send out the statements to a " report writer" who does them, therby absolving themselves of any "mistakes" that have been made. Also they haven't a clue how to re-write them.
I wrote and told them i wasn't happy as it wasn't quantified or specified.

I asked for a non materialising meeting so I send in my amendments which were ignored. The finalised the statement.

I appealed.

In the meantime I had some indi reports done and re-wrote it again.
About a month before the appeal they finally met with us and we thrashed out the amendments. I had to make them all on the document. At the meeting I was asked where I got some of the levels of provision I had put in. I told them that since there were no levels specified in the LEA prof reports then I made them up.
They went back to the profs and got advice. I ended up with more support than I was asking for when they first refused to amend the statement and finalise it.
I got the final signed corrected one the evening before the tribunal.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Similar story for me with appeal no.2.

It's a circus. But you know that. The thing is that for you, hopefully this is the home run. You won't be shocked and dismayed at the attitudes you face.

[claw2]

Thanks Star, everyone seems to be agreed that ds has undergone enough assessments, that he gets very distressed at assessments etc, etc and more assessments are not in his best interests (including CAMHS)

I have no up to date SALT or OT, BUT the LA are saying they considered out of date indi SALT and OT in this statement, but just havent used any of the recommendations.

Im wondering if it might be worth trying to thrash this out with them?

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Yes. It might be. BUT, don't spend months doing it. If they are showing no signs of budging, and send round more idiots to make judgements about you, go straight to appeal.

It might be worth getting a subject access request again at that point too.

[claw2]

Last EP only managed to do 3 sub tests with ds, before he started crying and shaking. I dont think ds could face another formal assessment.

[claw2]

I will point that out to them in my letter too, so if more assessments are needed because they wont include 'out of date' recommendations, it will be due to them. I am happy to go with the recommendations i have.

CAMHS were adamant at the last meeting when the tutor suggested OT assessment, that they were against it due to the distress it causes ds.

[claw2]

Thanks guys, i have some direction now and can get stuck into it.