Does LA have duty to inform parents when

[keepyourmouthshutox]

they decide to refer ds to a panel to try to get him a place in sn school?

Annual/emergency (depending on who is asked) review was held late June and school asked for increase of 5 hours (might be temporary) and we asked for a place in sn school. No amended statement issued yet but I was thinking of asking for minutes of Panel meeting (held early August) so I asked Parent Partnership who I should make the request to. PP checked the minutes of the meeting and told me that addtional hours have been approved and also ageed to refer ds to panel for sn place.

While this is all good news, my question is should I have been told that they agreed to refer ds for a place in the sn unit (lao always said how difficult it would be and gave no inkling that she would agree to it) so that we can prepare our case/arguments?

Neither school nor local authority has bothered telling us about the approval of 5 hours.

anyone?

Hi keepyourmouth, i have only just started to read about the review process. Ds doesnt have his statement yet and i have trying to take it one step at a time, so i am no expert.

"If you have had a review of your child's statement, your local authority will write to you, your child's school and the professionals involved in the review. They will let you know about any changes they want to make and will ask you for your views. You will always be asked what you think before any changes are made"

Once you've heard from your local authority, you have up to 15 days to ask for a meeting to discuss the changes it wants to make. The local authority must tell you its final decision and any changes it has made within eight weeks of suggesting a change.

If the changes are to part four of the statement (changing the name of the school), you have the same rights to choose a school as you had when the statement was made.

You also have the right to ask the local authority to change the name of the school in your child's statement, if it is at least 12 months since you asked for a change or since the statement was made or changed"

Hope this is of some help to you. Quoted from direct gov.

As you asked for the placement at a SN school I expect they thought you'd be aware that the next step would be to decide whether to grant him one.

LAs are told that they must work 'in partnership with parents'. That means involving them - however many don't.

The LA will need to consult any SN school about whether that school feels they could meet his needs before they amend the Statement to name that school.

As Claw says, you then have 15 days from receipt of the amended Statement to contact them to register your disgareement.

Good practice would be to discuss the outcome of the review with you, and to keep you informed at each step of that process.

However LAs have no legal obligation to tell you of their internal discussions, just to advise you of the decision / issue an amended statement.

SO really it depends what your case officer is like.