Please or to access all these features

SN children

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

Proposed Statement Help Needed

8 replies

corkysgran · 23/03/2012 16:05

Hi, First time here (or on any other forum!) but have been lurking for over a year and now need help. My grandson (DGS) is ASD and additional needs. He is 3.6 and due to start school in September. He is non verbal and we are having private speech and OT as LA provision is almost non existent. We asked for him to be deferred for a year as he is developmentally about a year to 18 months behind and his birthday falls 2 days before the cut off date for next September. We wanted morning nursery place in a maintained school and 2 afternoons a week private language/ASD unit (which we are paying for at the moment). Proposed statement arrived with part 3 saying 'to be advised'. Went to meet with LA officer this morning but meeting was cancelled 15 mins before start as she was ill. Managed to get into the office and persuaded a colleague to look up result. They have refused deferrment, refused place in private unit and offered MS in September with a TA for 26 hours. Their SALT provision is 10 sessions over the year, to be used to assess DGS and then 'train' the TA. No actual one to one therapy. No OT provision in part 3, just mentioned in part 5 and 6 that the LA OT will 'advise and monitor'. WTF! So they expect DGS to start school, without being able to even say his own name, and a TA will provide his therapy. Please someone, tell me we can appeal this? You ladies are my last resort, IPSEA have never answered their phone in the 3 months I have been calling them. Parent Partnership are nice but obviously part of the LA. Hoping for some good advice. LA are calling Monday to re-arrange the appointment and we would like to go as prepared as possible. Can't believe we now seem to be looking towards a tribunal. I had hoped to introduce myself to you all today and thank you for all the info I've got from here over the last year since diagnosis but sadly will now have to put that off for a while!

OP posts:
wasuup3000 · 23/03/2012 16:13

Conact a family have well manned helplines atm and have just taken up doing SEN advice.
Download the tribunal papers fill them in and have the tribunal copy ready to post and a copy ready to give to the LEA at the meeting if they still won't budge.

corkysgran · 23/03/2012 16:17

Thank you wasuup. Will do that immediately and fill out over the weekend.

OP posts:
WetAugust · 23/03/2012 16:23

Get youself a copy of the SEN Code of Practice - it's free. It's the bible on how schools and LAs should support SENs.

In that book it explains what to do if you're not happy with the Proposed Statement which is basically within 15 days of receiving it you should request a meeting with the LA to discuss and propose amnemdments. The LA may reissue an amended Proposed Statement and you have another 15 days from receipt of that to contact the LA and ask for a meeting to discuss.....

And so on until you either end up with a Proposed Statement you're happy with at wich point the LA will issue the agreed Final Statement OR neither side can compromise further and you then appeal to SENDIST.

Wassup's advice is right - let the LA know you will take this to Tribunal if you don't get what you want.

Part 2 should state all your GS's difficulties.

Part 3 should state quantified support to address each of those difficulties

Based on Part 2 and the level of support decsribed in Part 3 a suitable school that can support these needs should be named in Part 4.

Best wishes

corkysgran · 23/03/2012 16:56

Woo! CaF answered phone straight away! She has given me some case law precedents to quote at them. Didn't realise they might reissue the proposed statement. I have downloaded the SEN Code of Practice and highlighted the relevant bits. Seems as though we need to be lawyers as well as therapists. Can't believe how ignorant I was before all this, I used to think the LA would look after SN children, how naive was I? Thanks again waasup and thanks WetAugust.

OP posts:
wasuup3000 · 23/03/2012 18:33

You are welcome corkysgran glad to have helped, most of us have learned the same that we have to fight.

WetAugust · 23/03/2012 18:49

Corkygran - so glad that you're helping your GS's mother (your daughter??) with this.

Is can be quite overwhelming, especialy when you have small children to look after. It's also essential that when you have meetings with the LA that 2 of you are present.

wasuup3000 · 23/03/2012 18:57

If you have a parent partnership service sometimes they can help although be aware that the LA employs them so don't rely on everything they may say in regards to statements. BUT they can be useful taking down notes in meetings and supporting you if you have no one else to come into the meetings.

nothinginthefridge · 23/03/2012 19:02

sorry but just had to say love to corkysgran for being so supportive.

A lot of posters on here do not have the kind of support you are giving, so Thanks to you on behalf of your DGS

New posts on this thread. Refresh page