Advice is to get an Ed Psych assessment but

[LIZS]

not on NHS/LEA Phone message from OT (who we saw 2 1/2 months ago) basically saying it would be a good idea to get an assessment done on ds(10) now however would have to be private .

He attends an independent school so LEA can apparently deny responsibility . We meet the SENCO for a review next week so what are our chances of getting any funding for it from school ?

Lizs, I don't know but I to be honest I suspect the chances are fairly slim. We did look at the private sector for DD (dyspraxia & hypermobility) at one point but got the distinct impression that any help she needed would all have to be paid for and decided not to go down that route.

I wonder whether you would get anywhere by going through your GP instead ? A long shot probably but maybe worth a phone call. Good luck, I remember from previous posts that your DS has some similar issues to my DD.

My son attended independent schools and all his assessments (OT, Ed Psych, ear tests) had to be done privately. Only when he attended a specialist school (also independent)the assessments were included, but the fees were much higher. Always worth a phone call to GP though.

DS has just had the Ed Psych go into his independent special school to do an IQ test.

Also OT are going in, i was told that it doesnt matter where your child goes to school its the authority you pay your tax to that counts.

How much would you expect to pay for an Ed Psych coming to home or school, half day assessment , review of all reports and producing a full evaluation ? Need to talk to school again before end of term and not sure we are in the same ball park !

?

My dd goes to a state school and we had to pay. Cost £400 for the full assessment and report. She's been diagnosed as dyslexic and as far as the school are concerned we might as well have not bothered as they refuse to support her in any way. Its made no difference at all apart from increasing my stress levels 100x as I feel I'm failing her as can't get her any help.

My child attends an independent school and the ed psych from the local authority sees him. We also recently had a sendist tribunal as a result of which the lea are fully funding his statement at his independent school. Is your ot nhs or private? The way we got referred to the ed psych was because our gp referred us to a paediatrician regarding our concerns and from there we were referred to the local child development centre where the ed psych assessed him. This was at pre school age but the same ed psych has continued to see him and visit his school as he would a child in the state system. His speech therapist sees him at school as well. I t was aprivate speech therapist who recommended we start wheels in motion for a more comprehensive assessment but there is no reason your child shouldn't be able to access the resources all children are entitled to.

interesting again. I'm told if a child is seen before school age then LEA are obliged to use their resources so maybe you got in ealry enough. Unfortunately from 3-7 ds was educated abroad returning too late for him to and our LEA is quite adamant on this point It was the NHS OT , who we were referred to by Paed, weho looked into it for us.

I'm sure your lea is adamant, so was ours that they wouldn't fork out for a statement in an independent school. But they were wrong. Have you contacted ipsea, they are very hard to get through to on the phone but really know their stuff. It took more than a year for the lea to give in to us and was really stressful but I do strongly feel that all children are entitled to the same resources no matter where they go to school. Would the lea say the same if our children were home edded? Leas say no to all sorts of things and really it's just a ploy to save money. As our parent partnership woman said, they've saved thousands on my child over the last year. I would say your first step would be your GP, ask for a paed referral re development issues. Ours was great, we said our speech therapist had concerns re other aspects of development and he was happy to refer us to a paed and through her we got a CDC referral.If you're in london there are some other support groups I think sos sen, and certainly some parent partnerships are good. Our ed psych and school head all thought we wouldn't get the lea to fund a statement in the independent sector but we did! If he does need ongoing help the financial omplications of doing it all privately are huge so it's really worth fighting for.

Probably no chance of getting funding from an independent school for as assessment - the money does only tend to go one way

IME you'll have to fork out.

I have a number of children that I work with who attend independent schools. They are entitled to the same services as a child attending a state school because you pay your council tax and are entitled to the service, including ed psych time and possibly other LA support services if necessary. The LA may protest but there's not a lot they can do about it. IPSEA should be able to confirm all this as well and contact Parent Partnership for advice also.

HTH

So have arranged a private assessment for this week . What should we (and ds) ask, mention or do in order to get the most out of it as it may well be a once only opportunity.

I guess in general asking just what his school could be doing to help him with education and school life, what practical measures/tweaks would help with areas he has difficult in?

Thanks , have spent today getting all his school reports and previous assessment info together, plus some examples of his schoolwork and exams. Anythng else I may have overlooked ?

Make sure you have any questions/queries written down, so that you don't forget to raise them.

Have you been informed as to the format of the day?

Have the forms/info been sent to the EP in advance?

We paid about £350 4 years ago and never regretted a penny of it: it was a very helpful process. Hope it goes well for you too.

thanks, will write a list with dh tonight

She is coming for about 3 1/2 hours with a battery of tests for ds and talking to me first and during the breaks. I have briefed her over the phone but she said as long as we have the reports to hand she would review them and discuss on the day. She hasn't spoken to the school yet (as it was arranged right at the end of term and had to be either over the summer or much nearer Christmas ) but will do so as part of her report. I wish it were £350.... but if done correctly it will be worthwhile and at the right time.