Statutory Assessment, I need your help.........

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Hi, we have applied for Statutory Assessment for my Son who is 10 and is in year 5, he has been under a SLT since the age of 4 and School action plus since he started school. He has speech and language delay and Auditory Memory / processing disorders (just identified). We have taken the word / advice of the professionals for 5 years, until 3 months ago when we hired an independent SLT who identified all these new learning difficulties. The school only saw me on parents evening and only on one ocassion we had a meeting with SENCO. I wasn't aware his IEPS had to reviewed and his progress discussed with us, I accepted everything they were telling me. We were under a paediatrician who signed my son off saying there was nothing medically wrong with him, the EP saw him 2 years ago but never diagnosed my son with anything, so like I said I accepted everything they said. I feel so bad and angry I never took the fight up sooner. Now armed with this independent report which reported my son in some areas 5 years behind his peers, his word finding skills is severe and aged at 4 years and 6 months, he has very poor auditory memory and dyslexia mentioned (he has never been tested for this). The school now see me nearly every week, I have the EP assessing my son in 5 weeks, I have another appointment with the paediatrician in 3 weeks and I am getting my son referred to an audiologist. I have also applied for statutory assessment because his progress in 5 years has been very slow and I worry about secondary school next year, so I feel he needs more support, 1:1 (which is 2 x 10mins a week) to meet his educational goals. My problem is I have received a letter from the LEA, advising they received my S.A request and will be asking my sons school for information in order to decide if there is enough evidence to justify a formal S.A. This worries me as surely the school will paint a rosy picture, saying he had made adequate progress and just following the advice of the SLT etc. I mean they are not going to admit that his IEPS have not been reviewed, his progress is slow and they simply had just let him struggle in class. They have asked me to fill out a form stating why I am applying, which will contradict the school. Does anyone have any advice and tips that could help me fill out my form, what are they looking for as I guess I am just waiting for them to decline and then of to a tribunal. At the end of the day I want more support for my son and a proper DX so we can move forward with the appropriate help / strategies in place.
Any advice would be appreciated as I am sure many of you were or are in my position and I am anxious about the whole process.
Sorry for the waffling, thanks for reading.

Sorry forgot to include, we have been paying privately for additional 1:1 with a SEN teacher twice a month for an hour (all we can afford) and a private SEN group every monday (which really we can not afford). Should I mention this in my form as I don't want them to think well as we are paying for additional support then we don't need any more. I don't want this to jeopardise my application for S.A, I really can't afford this extra help but I felt I needed to do something.
Thanks for reading again.

Hi
Your son has been failed really badly by his school. I'm glad you've recognised this and sought independant assessment from the private SLT.

His difficulties are obviously long-standing and without specialist support he is certain to fail to thrive at secondary school in a year or so' time - so you've done exactly the right thing in taking matters into your own hands and applying for a statutory assessment - something school should have done a long time ago.

Your application for statitory assessment shoud describe his difficulties, explain that they are long-standing and contain enough information for the LA to agree to pursue your request. You can mention that he's had these difficulties since early childhood that he's now several years behind his peers and that school's strategies to date have not produced the improvement he requires. You can mention tghe dxs he has received and state that his difficulties are complex and therefore can only be fully determined by stat assess.

You could mention your private SLT report but you don't have to. I would as it is hard evidence and may make the LA take notice and agree an assessment rather than refusing and forcing you to take the matter to appeal (SENDIST).

The LA will ask the school for a report on the support they have given him and his abilities. School will either admit they have not been reviewing his IEP so can't produce the information the LA wants or will try to present the rosy picture as you fear they will. But you have hard evidence and school does not.

If you are refused an SA definitely appeal, using your private SLT report as evidence of difficulties.

He should be on Schools Action level of support as a minimum and probably should already be on Schools Action Plus as he is so far behind. He should also have a SMART IEP that is reviewed at least termly.

You will already know that time is running out to get the support he needs before secondary transfer where he will struggle badly without specific support.

I wouldn't mention in your application that you are seeking any specific level of support - it's for the stat assess to determine all his difficulties and until that's done you don't know the level of support that may be required. However you certainly should not be paying for additional SEN support. Can you ask his current school to provide this level of support that you're currently paying for from within your school's own resources? He's certainly going to need a lot more 1:1 than he's currently getting if he's going to catch up for so much lost time.

The big problem is that once schools identify difficulties they have to pay to provide the support that's required - so they often don't go actively looking for them. Same applies to the EP, who is an employee of the LA so is hardly independant. It's often only through commissioning your own private assessments you actually get thetrue picture. It's depressing but it's worth bearing in mind throughout the entire stat assess process.

Best wishes

I think you need to get in touch with someone like IPSEA or SOS:SEN for advice about all of this.

How is your relationship with the school? If you get along ok with the staff there then it is worth trying to discuss with them the SA request and try and just find out how they intend to handle their report. You never know they might ask you what you want them to include to help support you. From your own point of view though gather as much evidence in your favour as you can as you see it and from the professionals and ensure that you submit this to the LA. Be prepared for a fight to get this but don't give up. Hurdles will pop up all the way so keep going.

Try and get hold of a book called "Surviving the special educational needs system" by Sandy Row. She had 4 dc's which were failed by the system and its about how she fought for statements for them all. Very well set out as to your rights as a parent and how the system works. Just finished reading it as I'm about to head down this road too.......Good luck

Thanks WetAugust, I appreciate your advice it has helped so thank you. My son has been on School Action Plus since the day he started, his 1:1 support has decreased every year as the school said he was making adequate progress and he would learn more in the class environment. The problem I have is the school are telling me they have been acting inline with the SLT guidance on my sons 1:1. So I just feel what ever my concerns are the school will just say this, I do have my independant report so hopefully this will help.

Beautifulgirls - my relationship with the school is ok, I think they see me as a troublesome parent as I have been their faces so much lately they do not know what has hit them. They tell me they want what is best for my son but everytime I have a meeting It feels they are talking down to me and not taking what I want to seriously as they feel my son has made adequate progress. In terms of evidence, not sure what I can provide other than my independant report which I sent with my initial application. I have only just started fighting for my son so I don't have that much other than just my concerns.

I won't stop until I have to, at the moment I am so stressed and anxious I worry about my son all the time and feel he only has his parents to keep fighting for him, if I stop then he will just fall into the education blackhole as really no one else truly cares for him. Over the last few months he has started to twist his hair and pull it out in clumps he now sports a self inflicated bald spot in the middle of his head (he doesn't know why he does it as he's not very good at explaining himself). I got angry with him tonight over it as it all just hit me tonight, I guess all parents have these days so sorry for whinging.

Thanks again