Borough suspending new assessments for statements until September

[autumnsmum]

Hello everyone had a meeting with my sons senco today .He has a dx of high functioning autism and hypotonia .Senco was really positive and is getting something for my son to type his work on .She then asked me what my view was on applying for a statement I said I was keen and she dropped the bombshell that in my borough the backlog of children going through sa is so big that they are not starting any new assessments until September! I asked her to do the paperwork anyway but she also said he may not be assssed because he is working to age appropriate national curriculum levels but I know many of you on here have fought against that and won.

They can't put blanket policies in place like this. Apply for the statement yourself without delay. The school will be asked for their input in all of this anyway if you apply so they will be able to give their information, but at least they will have a deadline by which they must act. If you let them do the paperwork they may drag their heels and string it all out.

Be prepared to get a "no" response from the LA to your request for assessment and be prepared to then start fighting for what you need for him. IPSEA is a great place to start and get model letters to apply for assessment etc.

Oh FFS. Just do it yourself. If they're that overstretched they won't want a tribunal in the mix as well.

And if anyone asks, their staffing issues are not your concern and you are not prepared to put your child's needs on hold whilst grownups with significantly better life chances than him whinge about their working conditions.

The LA on one side of mine has been sending its statutory assessments out of county to be finished off, they are so behind

I'll do them. Send em my way! whatever ir costs I'll charge half.

I guess people are rushing due to the coming changes.

Thank you for your replies starlight your so right I need more that's crazy

listen, autumnsmum, see if you can somehow get that nonsense in writing before the holidays then submit your own application straight away.

It might be very handy to have proof of illegal refusals to assess / and blanket policies come the tribunal

What a shame that they are struggling. Unfortunately, the SEN CoP uses the word must in relation to the timeline for Statutory Assessment.

Such a pesky little word. It means "be required by law". No ifs, no buts, no maybes. They must respond to a request to assess with a decision within 6 weeks and then they must assess within 10 weeks unless the relevant exceptions apply.

Send the letter, do it tomorrow. Then they can run around sorting all their paperwork out. If they'd done it in the first place, they could have done it when it was convenient to them. They didn't.

^what Lougle said in regards to the law^

Go to the IPSEA website, copy a model letter from there. Send it via special delivery tomorrow & retain your reciept so the fookers can't claim they never recieved it. No more discussions or pleas - just do it so the clock can start ticking for your child to get the support they need to access the curriculum the same as the rest of his peers.

Our job is to parent, they are paid good money by the tax payer each month to do their jobs. We'll concern ourselves with our own responsibilities and let tptb fret about theirs. Life is just simpler that way

They cannot place the education of umpteen children across their juristiction on hold for a year just because they can't get their s^*t together, apart from anything else it's illegal & would make a great headline for Panorama

Please tell IPSEA you can just send an email and even consider telling your MP
If people don't shout about the effect of cuts then nothing will change

Could be worth going to a lawyer if you can get clear evidence that that is their policy. It's obviously wrong that you and other parents should have all the expense of going to a tribunal just because the LA can't do their job, and you could take action on legal aid in your child's name.

It reminds me of when I told the SENCO I was making a parental request last July, she said "but you can't, I will be on holiday"

Poor love