Statutory Assessment

[Mumtoprem]

We are going through the Statutory Assessment process at the moment for our daughter who is nearly 4 and is due to start primary school in September. Daughter has been on Early Years Action Plus at nursery for about 18 months. Request for SA was sent in Feb and agreed in March. I was hoping for some advice on the process.

None of the professionals have asked to see our daughter before writing their "advice", most of them last saw her in December. Is this normal? And one of them has asked for details of any changes since the last report by email.

We have found out today that the primary school we wanted her to go to was oversubscribed and she hasn't got a place. Can she still get a place there by naming that school in the statement?

Daughter has SLI and may potentially be offered a placement at a speech and language unit. What are the pros and cons of this over a mainstream school?

Thanks for any help. Starting to get quite stressed about her starting school!

I think the professionals reports have a 'use by date' of 6 months, so reports and observations from Dec would still count and save them £££s in not reassessing.

I'm not sure about the school place. If you had already got the final statement a place would have been guaranteed, but now that it's full I'm not sure of the procedure. Admission or phrbridge from the primary ed board are great at these types of question and others on here may know.

You need to have a look at the special unit. It may be great for your DD. she may get much more SALT there than in MS. Staff are often better trained and you still may get the role models of the NT children at the attached MS school.

hi, I think I am at a very similar position to you, after the agreement to carry out an assesment was given, our closing date for info is due next tue 24th.
we also had heard nothing and it is also for sli. (apraxia) when the salt knew we had applied she did a standard advice for sen and also did a complex official form as she was certain he would be granted an assesment. the ed psyc had already carried out an non-verbal assesment and knew our views. She phoned to make sure this was still our view last week and said the evidence she had from the original visit would be enougth. so I think it sounds like you are similar. we would like a unit, but have no idea if we will get it. our 26wks will end in the first week of aug, which is unsettling as we dont actually know where he will go in sep. the sch we applied for is also overscribed, but i wrote a letter explaining he was in the system of statement and they offered him a place. i am guessing as it is a catholic school (we are not) it ment they did read the letter rather than a computor.
if i was you, I would get into the school you want, explain you are in the system of getting a statement, and this would be your named school if she doesnt get a unit and can you go on the waiting list, as at a guess, this might just bump you near the top of the waiting list. I would accept the school place you got as you dont want to have no school or one miles away and they have fufiled their duty to offer you a school. this wont harm your wait on the schools waiting list. sorry this doesnt really offer you help, and to be honest, i am at the same stage as you so this advice might not be right!

If you haven't got a place at that school should you not have had another m/s school named?

You have a right to mainstream unless the LA cannot reasonably put in the support needed.

If you get a statement your child could potentially get into the first choice school as an excepted pupil (infant classes are not supposed to be over 30 but children with a Statement admitted outside the usual admission round can be excepted pupils). The school would have to agree they could meet needs though.

Everyone has different views. On a personal basis given what I have seen of SALT provision in mainstream I would take the unit place if offered. Your child will get much more access to speech therapy. My son with severe language delay and autism sees a SALT once a term and even then its a pointless exercise.

It doesn't rule out mainstream. Many children attend a unit for a year or so and then transfer into mainstream. You can also consider a dual placement if you get a statement.

The rule about 30 only applies to infants, once they get to year 3 they are allowed bigger classes so you could always plan to move her then.