Blimmin heck, we've got a statement!

[streakybacon]

Right here, in front of me, and do you know it's not half bad!

It's a mini-miracle to get one at all. Home educated 4 and a half years, application refused while he was still at school, 'difficult' LA in terms of home ed so I'd expected a bit of a fight - yet here it is. A flippin' statement!

It will need some tweaking and rewording to fit with home ed but all the same. A STATEMENT!

Well done, that must be a great relief.

WoW! What does a Home-ed statement look like?

wow!

A statement for home ed?

Didn't know that was even possible.

I've been trying for years. My LA always insisted that home educators weren't allowed access to statutory services and I couldn't get round them as it came right from the top (Director of Children's Services), and even my MP couldn't make progress with it. I've applied now because of the changes in legislation next year - MP advised it so ds's needs would be officially documented and it might go towards securing support post-16 at college. Nobody really knows how much the legislation will change in that regard so it's a security measure more than anything. He won't get any practical support because there isn't anything relevant available, but I've got what I needed .

It doesn't look any different to a regular statement lougle, except that the 'named school' will say Elective Home Education or Educated Otherwise Than At School, and I'll have to fiddle with the educational provision bit to make it less school - but it's there on paper at last.

The description of his needs is actually very good and really accurate. I'm pleasantly surprised.

Mind you, I submitted REAMS of evidence of his needs, so it was all there for them to reword. And no back-covering school to tell fibs about his support needs, either.

Yay! Brilliant news. Well done.

I think it does, zzzzz.

That's where the tweaking and rewording will be important.

Ds is 14, doing exams and on the way to college in a couple of years, we are very structured and the LA likes how we operate, so there's very little chance of them wanting any changes to his existing provision.

It will remain our responsibility to provide what's in the statement as it always has been. The LA has provided no support whatsoever so nothing will change.

zzzzz As I said upthread, what I wanted was his history of need to be documented as evidence of the support he'll require as he moves towards college. It may not be required, but I have it now in case I do. We're aiming for a specialist autism college and the admission process may need it.

That sounds like the best of all worlds and a very wise move. If it doesn't change anything for you now, but unlocks the future...what's there to lose?

That was my thinking lougle. Believe me, there's a lot of thought gone into this, pros and cons etc. We could get an excellent joint arrangement with the specialist college and a very good local sixth form, but to qualify for funding we have to prove that mainstream colleges can't meet his needs as the specialist setting can. The statement will contribute to that as far as history goes, even if the colleges do their own assessments for admissions.

It's a complicated business, especially as nobody knows for sure how the changes will pan out.

I didn't think you were criticising zzzzz, not at all .

With ds never having had professional input from the LA or NHS (although he certainly needed it throughout his life) I had concerns that he'd never have his needs recognised if it hadn't been officially noted anywhere, and worried that lack of support would impact on his achieving successful adulthood. I'd put off pushing for the statement when an early application (started while he was still in school) was rejected - lots of reasons, family bereavement, ds VERY unsettled when he first came out of school but as he got older I knew that I had to make provision for him beyond HE. A second statement application seemed to fit what I needed, hence going for it again this time.

Of course it's a very individual thing and depends a lot on the LA, education style and lots of other things, but after discussing it with various people both in and out of HE I felt it was the right way ahead for ds.

There's still a bit of admin to do before the document is finalised, so it's not all sorted yet, but it's well on its way .

Wow! Well done. I hope it helps to smooth his transition to college, guess it won't hurt.