Urgent - Timings for Tribunal and the month of August

[Fattypuff]

I have read that you have 2 months after receiving the final statement within which to appeal to the SENDIS Tribunal and the proposed hearing date is normally 20 weeks after the the filing for Appeal.

Can anyone tell me if that EXCLUDES the month of August - this does not seem to be written down anywhere but I have heard it mentioned many times and my lawyer has also said this is the case

Unusually, I am trying to BUY time for the Tribunal date as am hoping to have it in Spring rather than Winter so that the Sept 2012 placement can be reasonably considered rather than having to go through the whole process again when DS starts reception (he has a year of nursery to go)

Sorry - clarification..... I know the 20 weeks wait until Tribunal date excludes August but am trying to work out if the 2 months limit to appeal following the issue of a Final Statement also excludes August. thanks

Yes I'd like to know this too. If there is a spare month I'd rather have it than them. I haven't appealed yet but want to know whether to do it return of post or hang on until the end of August

Am about to answer my own thread ! I just phoned SENDIST - they said that if you had a final statement dated today (23rd June) then the two months would fall within August so they accept the Appeal on the first working day of September (which is the first)

ie August IS excluded from the 20 weeks

But what if you got your appeal in on the 31st July?

Or more importantly what if you got your appeal in on the 24th June?

I took it to mean that if an appeal landed on their desks over August, they would not 'stamp' it as lodged until the 1st Sept.
Good for me as I am trying to string mine out as long as poss. The lady at the end of the SENDIDT phone (picked up on the first ring) was really helpful - I'd spent two hours trying to get through to IPSEA, IPSEA Tribunal and SOSSEN without success !