LEA want to amend/update DS Statement

[jenk1]

received a letter today from LEA abut DS, cognitive asessment he had done last month.

They have offered us a meeting with the head of SEN Asessment team and the ed psych who did the asess to discuss the findings (my complaint letter must have worked then!).

She also says at the end of the letter that she will be using the cognitive asess to update and amend DS Statement, now his review isnt until november so surely thats when it should be done?

im not well up on statement reviews and what LEA,s can or cannot do, if anyone knows id be grateful.

TIA

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Think your complaint letter worked.

I would have a word with IPSEA about this matter asap. If you cannot get hold of them try SOS:SEN.

HTH

[sarah573]

Are they referring to an Interim review? DS has had two interim reviews of his statemtent since it was issued 6 months ago! He's 10 with AS, and the school called both reviews as they felt they were not coping with him.
I think they can pretty much re-write the statement, and also name a different school at an interim review.
One is usually called if there is new information which will effect the statement (as is presumeably in your case) or a crisis (as in ours).
Everyone who has had input into the original statement came to the reviews.
I actually found them much better than the original statemeting process as everyone was there there and I was able to shout at them!

[jenk1]

well there is new info but only in the way of knowing DS,s cognitive ability, its nothing major and im sure it could wait until november.

i know for a fact that they are looking for any which way to pull him out of the independent school, but they cannot go off an IQ alone, he is still a highly anxious child who cannot and wont cope in a mainstream school.

ive never heard of an SEN Asessment team leader meeting with the parents to discuss a cognitive asessment either, an Ed Psych yes but why the SEN lady wants to be there i dont know.

(mind you i did write a very very strongly worded complaint when we asked for the former Ed Psych to be removed from working with ANY of our children!!)

[chatee]

be very careful as soon as anyone suggests making an amendment to a statement, and all persons involved agree to make amendments -then the lea will try to change as much as they possibly can in their favour and it will be very hard for you to fight(in other words you will be back to square 1)

sorry to be so blunt but this is what i have found

[TotalChaos]

I don't know much about the technicalities, but I agree with chatee that you should be very suspicious that they are so keen to amend his statemetn because they reckon it will benefit them rather than your DS.

[jenk1]

know exactly wot u r saying chatee and TC, and i AM suspicious.

i know that they are looking to reintegrate DS into high school at some point or other, and his school know it as well.

ive drafted a quite strongly worded letter to the boss of the SEN manager am just waiting for my advocate to check it out and give me the go ahead.

[Candlewax]

Once my ds's Statement was finalised and they named his current school on as the placement, I complained fiercely and the school wanted to call an immediate Statement Review which the LEA said they agreed to to name another school. We declined their offer of a Review (they should have got it right in the first place) and have opted to go to SENDIST because once you have a review of a Statement, you are deemed to have accepted the orignial one.

I think in your case you will have to tread very carefully. The LEA will want to amend the Statement in their favour. I have no faith in them amending it otherwise.

Take witnesses to the meeting and take notes!! Make sure you, or rather your witness is seen to take a lot of notes because their minutes will be so different from your own and you will need evidence againist the LEA IF they try to amend the Statement in their favour.

[jenk1]

spoke to DS school this morning.

They have not received a copy of the ed psychs report and are NOT happy, especially as it was the head teacher who asked for his cognitive ability to be asessed to check they were teaching him properly.

so theyve asked me not to write yet until the headteacher has had a look at the report (ive got to give them a copy) and DS keyworker said if the LEA are trying to pull a fast one (ie change his statement without getting everyone involved) then the headteacher will be on the phone to them kicking off.

so we shall see............

[happyhour]

Can anyone tell me the difference between not getting statemented and getting a staementof special needs,Only i'm being told my son doesn't need it and he will still get the help that he needs is this true ? He does only have severe dyslexia

[PeachySoLongAndTa4AllTheFish]

happyhopur- no, not in the slightest, you are being lied to. Start a new thread, you will ge lots of advice!

Jenk- if you need to disprove the relevance of anything, IQ is the one to have- veeeery controversial! so many factors involved, and in your ds's case, the anxiety imo would prevent him functioning at an IQ appropriate level anyhow