Statement

[bochead]

Hi

Query for you all - the letters re the statement say that my lad will get 1:1 LSA for 21 hours per week but I can't find this in part 3. Also SALT, OT etc are listed in part 4 - shouldn't they be explicitly specified in terms of hours per month in part 3?

Am I right in thinking part 3 is the checklist against which you can verify your child's rights long term to support?

As he is changing school I'm really keen now that everything is written in black and white as a new environment is exactly what freaks him out & I want to minimise this.Can anyone advise? His statement made sense when even the dinner ladies were aware of his needs, but looking at it agin it tells a new school sweet fa as far as I can tell.

(Son is ASD & ADHD traits - anxiety is his key barrier to learning. Keep him calm and everything else follows).

PART 3: SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL PROVISION

Educational Provision to Meet Needs and Objectives (continued)

5. Child X will develop a range of strategies to monitor and manage appropriately any feelings of anger, frustration, anxiety and stress ? Targeted intervention to ensure Child X develops the ability to listen and follow adult directions ? Child X would benefit from a programme to help him manage changes to routine and to support his attention and listening skills.
   ? Child X requires a structured approach to managing his behaviour and learning opportunities, which has clear routines, rules and meta-routines, focuses on specific areas of difficulty and rewards positive behaviours. He is likely to continue to need adult mediation with adults who are containing and nurturing but also skilled and resilient in containing his range of emotions and behaviours and enable him to manage his anxiety

Monitoring

Specific short term targets should be set by the school?s Special Needs Co-ordinator in Child X? school in consultation with his parents within two months of the final statement being issued. These targets should serve as the first steps towards the longer term objectives and should be incorporated in to Child X? Personalised Learning Plan.

Child X? Personalised Learning Plan should be reviewed, at least termly by his class teacher, the school?s Special Needs Co-ordinator, his parents and any others working with Child X.
Child X? statement should be reviewed each year. At this annual review meeting consideration should be given to the progress Child X has made in working towards the short-term targets set for him during the previous year. New specific targets for the coming year should be set at this meeting and the school should ensure that these targets are shared with all relevant adults in Child X? life. These targets should be incorporated in to Child X? Personalised Learning Plan.
Copies of the Annual Review report should be sent to the parents, the Authority, and to all other relevant professionals working with Child X.

sorry should have said part 6 for SALT & OT

Sounds like another LA trying it on by not specifying and quantifying in part 3. SEN C o P @ 8.37 states they should and mustn't have blanket policies not to. His 1 to 1 sounds good but must be on part 3 to be legally binding and transferable. Fight it. They have put OT and Salt under non educational and not specified it ? Do they have responsibility for them or does NHS? That might be why but if it's essential for his education I'd fight that one too. HTH

Hi bochead,

You're going to have to reject this I am sorry to report and I would prepare for Tribunal if the LEA do not budge either on rewriting.

SALT should be in part 2 as well as 3 and certainly not in part 6.

This is not at all acceptable and I would reject this proposed statement outright as it is neither specified or quantified as required by law. It all requires a complete rewrite on their part to get it up to scratch!.

One to one needs to be in part 3 as well, again this needs to be properly qualified and quantified.

Speak to a charitable organisation like IPSEA, ACE or SOS;SEN and repeat parts 2 and 3 to them verbatim. They will tell you what it should say rather than this LEA's make believe. LEA has no excuse at all for such crap, they know the law.

Words like "would benefit from" mean bugger all in statementing terms and that wording should also be rejected. You need to see instead "Child X will receive...".

Ta - thanks for confirming my suspicions. I was far too trusting of his old school when I first got this. Will get to it tomorrow : )

Anyone have an example of a well written statement so I can get some idea of what it SHOULD look like?

you might find this booklet helpful. You want salt and ot in part 3 otherwise you probably won't get any. What are parent partnership like in your area, they may be able to help but be aware they are part of the LEA and some services are more independent than others.

Thanks - I've just sent another email requesting quantification, been working on the theory it's all a written record (as opposed to phone calls) if I need to appeal.

Parent partnership have been suspiciously quiet the last 3 weeks lol!

PP is deffo part of the LEA, they were great when I made the statement application but now it's all gone wrong i suspect they've distanced themselves (or developed a sudden fatal allergy to answering the phone/responding to emails).

I've got this awful feeling it's gonna go to appeal - total PITA considering my deepest desire is to move away.

Wish I could get hold of IPSEA or SOSSEN but hey ho.

Have you tried the NAS education line?

Once you've put in your appeal, you can call the IPSEA tribunal line which should be easier to get hold of.

Have a look at this Treehouse booklet on ASD statements, it has a few examples taken from real statements.