Got our draft statement, and vvv pleased

[pigletmania]

Yay we got our draft statement for dd 4.5 years (dev delay 2 years and autistic traits). It is just what we wanted stipulating 15 hours of support, MS school dd is attending have also got a budget to provide 5 hours per weeks, bumping it up to 20 hours, 4 hours per day which is great. I was dreading it, after reading some parents bad experiences of the draft statement and really having to fight for further hours. When I telephone dd case officer she said that if anytime dd needed more hours that school could call a review of the statement to increase her hours. It seems so positive so far . The statement detailed just what help dd needed and was very positive, feel confident about it all. DD has started her MS school and though a shaky start (due to bad sleep) she seems to be settling in well. She did attend the schools pre school so the environment was not entirely new.

Very glad that you're happy with the statement

Make sure you read it thoroughly (part 2 as well as part 3) and that everything is covered that you want to be. Part 2 needs to be the full, accurate picture of dd, and part 3 needs to thoroughly cover every aspect that she'll need help with.

Don't want to dampen your mood, but I think if you actually want 20 hours you should demand that this is in the statement. All very well the school saying they'll make up the rest but unless it's in the statement they are under no obligation to do so, and can change their minds about this whenever they want. If it's in the statement itself they have to provide it.

And a review is normally only held annually, so again, you should probably make sure the statement says what you want on this. If it only says annually, the LA or school are under no obligation to review it any more frequently than this.

Anyway, other than that, well done!!

It was bialy thats why I am so pleased, they seemed to have understood dd and what she needs.

Thanks for the advice, I will make sure that the 5 extra hours school are meant to provide are featured on the statement.

V v pleased for you

Its a bit looking at dd SEN on paper and the extent of her difficulties, but hopefully this is the way foward.

So happy for you and your DD

Well done! Happy for you I am still waiting and its so good to see positive statement results.

I can imagine its hard looking at dds difficulties, had the pead report in the post today and it definately made hard reading.

But onward and upward as they say at least your dd has a great head start with the provision

This statement took about 3 months, application in June, just got draft statement today which is great. Just need to stipulate the total number of hours in writing, they missed off the bit which the school were budgeted to provide.

Does it say x will access upto 15 hours support per week?

If so this is not 1:1, it is the existing class support that is shared with the rst of the class and now your child.

The wording is not lawfull. It is not specific detailed and quantified.

Who supplies the additional 5 hours is neither here nor there. The 5 hours should be specified in the SSEN.

I would suggest the following wording will be lawful.

"X will receive x hours a week of 1:1 support and X hours a week of small group [upto a maxium of 3 chidlren] support from a teaching assistant who has received at least 4 hours training from the x suport team in managing the condition."

If he is to get 1:1 support then there needs to be a team who he knows and they know him who can supprt the child if someone is sick or absent. For full time support I would look for a team of 3.

I hope this is helpful.

nigel I telephoned the case worker and she said that the actual statement will have the actual hours school budgeted and those stated in the statement that dd will receive as they don't put it in the draft statement. She did say that the actual statement will state that dd will recieve 20 hours 1:1 support on the actual statement.

Piglet - this sounds very fishy to me. What possible reason could there be for them to do this? If your child is assessed as needing 20 hours of support, then that should be in the proposed statement, not just the final one. You 'make representations' on the proposed statement, not some future statement (although you can appeal the final one to SEND). I would write to the local authority to clear this up, and make them write back. Someone telling you something on the telephone is not good enough. Also check any SALT provision is in part 3, not part 6. If it's part 6 you will not be able to appeal it. Case law says it should be in part 3 unless there are 'exceptional circumstance' - it is deemed to be an educational need. You can always run the statement by IPSEA / SOSSEN / NAS Education helpline if you can get through

I would venture to suggest that the reason why they dont put it in the draft is that if you dont challange it then it will not go in the final!

Well we will give them the benefit of the doubt, the SALT support is stipulated in part 3 and dd is getting 1:1 at the moment, funded by the school. We will agree to the statement and wait to receive the final statement, if the support is not stipulated on it or if its not what we expect, we will challenge it.

Piglet. The whole POINT of the draft statement is that it is for you to put forward your comments and agree it/or not.

If you don't comment, and the final statement doesn't say what you want it to then it doesn't look very good that you didn't comment.

The very least you should do is write to the SEN case worker to clarify what she has said on the phone to make sure you have understood it correctly.

Look. We can't tell you what to do, and we don't posess the full facts of your case, the school, or your LA, but taking the 'average' school, the 'average' LA, I would not trust a draft statement like that. For the pure reason that if they were a cuddly loving LA, they would have put it in the draft in the first place.

Ask for a version by email. Then amend it (strikethrough 15 and put 20 + any other changes you want) then email it back saying you agree to the proposed subject to the changes agreed by telephone and in the attached document.

Thanks everyone, I think what I will do on MOnday is get them to confirm in writing the total amount of hours that dd will receive, including the statemented hours and school budgeted ones.

You don't need to write to them specifically to ask this. Just send back your Agree/Disagree form ticking the 'Disagree' box, and making the amendment on the draft document itself. Simply change "15 hours" to "20 hours".

I too am extremely dubious about them saying they wouldn't include the 20 hours in the draft statement but would in the final version. Why on earth would they do this?

The thing about the school allocating funding for the extra 5 hours is irrelevant. The LA won't write to you saying the school are allocating the five hours. They can only order the school to give you those five hours by putting it in the statement.

They don't know (or care) what the school are doing other than what is specified in the statement, so unless the 20 hours are stipulated in the statement you have no guarantee of getting them.

I would agree with the others who have advised you re 20 hours and would send back the form as Bialy has mentioned.

BTW, SALT should also be in Part 2 as well as 3 of the proposed Statement document.

Well I have it in writing that they are providing 15 hours as a result of the statement, but should they put that the other 5 hours are going to be funded via the school budget on the statement?

So they have not said the statement itself would ever specify 20 hours?

If that's the case, they are unlikely to change the statement unless you make a stand on this.

What the school does on its own is nothing to do with the LA. The LA have no power over making the school provide anything other than what is in the statement. So it's all very well the case officer cheerfully promising you xyz but if it's not in the statement it means nothing to them.

you can get the school to agree in writing that they will provide five hours from their own funding stream, but they can withdraw this any time they like.

The only way you can ensure 20 hours is by getting it in the statement. Tbh I think you have nothing to lose by asking for this to be put in the statement via the agree/disagree form.

They should put 20 hours on the statement
Who pays is irrelevant to you. Thats back office stuff. It does not need to be on the statement at all.
The LA have the duty to make sure the statement is implemented. If the school refused to pay the 5 hours the LA would have to step in and fund it. Thats why its important it says 20 hours.
If it says 15 and the school then decide not to pay extra 5 hours, the LA don't have to do anything as the statement is being implemented.

LAs have a legal duty to provide whats in a Statement
Schools only have to use their best endeavours to provide for SEN.

One has to do it. The other only has to try their best. Thats the difference.
If its not in the statement it is not legally enforceable.

Are you able to post the exact wording, word for word, that it actually says?

Piglet, we're all going on and on because we learned the hard way.

We probably look like a bunch of bitter moaners but we didn't start out that way. We became this way from making the mistakes that it looks like you might.

I want you to be clear too that if you take none of our advice on this NOT ONE of us will hold it against you, and don't be put off posting in the future.

Where are you in the country?

Thanks very much everybody I know. I was very happy she got a statement as she has been rejected before for one. I have been on the IPSEA website and have got some good information and a draft letter that i will enclose when I do not accept the statement. If we are still not happy we will meet with a case officer. I live in Milton Keynes so MK council provide the funding.