LA/School - do they work together re EHCs? Very confused

[Buscake]

Hello everyone I would really appreciate some advice! My 4yr old who has ASD has just been turned down for an EHC assessment. We provided salt, paediatrician reports, iep from preschool, as well as a very in depth form which clearly spelt out that her needs would not be met without some one on one provisions. She has been unable to see an ed psych (can't see one unless you're being assessed!). She has since seen an OT who also says she needs one on one help.

I met the area SENco, school senco, head of preschool and LA special needs officer yesterday. The school senco talked the talk all about the brilliant services that will be available to my daughter when she starts in sept, that regardless of any Ehc plan they will meet her needs etc etc. all sounded great if that is the case! So should I pursue an ehc assessment? I feel that I should, as she clearly has needs and they need to be assessed. Or will they turn down the appeal on the grounds that the school can meet her needs within their budget? I'm so confused. Do the school and LA work together on this?

I want to appeal, I want to do the best for my girl. However I don't want to waste my time if the message the school is sending out is that she will be fine there regardless. She is utterly unmanageable at home at the moment, and the preschool head backed me up about her meltdowns/behavioural problems and the fact that her asd is seriously impacting on her progress, as she is now quite significantly delayed in many areas.

Any help would be most appreciated. I will try to book a call to ipseas tribunal helpline, as the info they have online is brilliant.

[Ineedmorepatience]

I would appeal!

To be honest SENCO's in my experience are very good at offering the moon on a stick but not so good at following through!

There are some [a few] posters on here who have not gone through the statementing/EHCP route and it has worked but not that many.

Having said that people tend to come on here because they need help and support so the group is probably scewed towards the people whose children are struggling.

At the end of the day your appeal could take 6 months to be heard and you will have a better idea of how your Dd is coping! You can pull out of any appeal any time upto the last week!

Good luck

[AntiquityIsDotDotDot]

I don't even know whether I will be doing school or home ed with my child but I'm still starting the process and will appeal if they refuse!

The provision, even if the head is actually truthful, is really only dependent on things remaining the same at school as in they don't change head or change direction eg. less support more chasing easy high achievers, or the money coming in changes etc etc. There are too many variables to your child getting what they need at school to be successful and the EHCP is the only one you have any control over.

[mumsuz]

Hi there. I would appeal and in parallel see how things go at the school.

We applied for my DD's statement in May 2014. More than a year later, we still haven't got the final EHCP, though a draft plan has been issued. My LEA initially refused to assess my dd on exactly the same grounds as you mention (it's the standard response) but they eventually agreed to assess just a few weeks before the Appeal was heard.

It sounds very cynical but often LEAs just refuse to assess as a first tactic.

[Icimoi]

They can't say they will meet your dd's needs within budget unless they actually know precisely what those needs are, for which purpose they need to assess them. If your dd needs anything like direct speech and language therapy or occupational therapy, it is incredibly unlikely that that could be provided without an EHCP.

[Buscake]

Thank you all for your input. Sometimes it is easy for a doubtful niggle to get into your head and eat away at all the legally backed up info you have stored there. It's good to be told to appeal, of course That's the right thing to do. I don't think they have a leg to stand on, it's just that in this meeting the LA SEN officer was basically saying she had been informally assessed and wouldn't require extra help 'EHC plans are only for a small group of children'. Drives me mad. What do they know about her and what she needs?! Really, thank you. I know a lot of you are much further down the line and it may seem pathetic to be questioning so naively so early on, but I really have no experience of this at all. So draining and depressing to be clamouring for help and to be constantly fobbed off!

[Icimoi]

Oh, FGS, what on earth does "informally assessed" mean??! Especially when their own EP hasn't been near her.

I just noticed that SOS SEN have a workshop this weekend about EHCPs generally - www.sossen.org.uk/topic_workshops.php . If you're anywhere near it might be worth going.

[2boysnamedR]

You can appeal, it's not a easy thing to do ( mentally and emotionally - the process itself is straight forward).

I was told my son would never get a statement by sooooo many. Yet here we are. What do they know or care?