Statement Question

[smileyhappyperson]

Can you apply for a statement even though you don't think your child needs 1:1 help?

And also can you do it without an IEP in place?

My daughter is currently undergoing assessment but it is likely not going to be until early next year until she has a diagnosis. She cannot get any help whatsoever at school without a diagnosis.

You can though the fight is likely to be harder without good backup information. A statement should be about need not about a diagnosis - though often the LA respond better to a diagnosis being in place. What help do you think your child needs that can not be provided at school action plus? If you have evidence of need and an idea of what provision is needed above and beyond the norm then go ahead. You have nothing to lose by applying anyway, though expect the process to be somewhat frustrating along the way and to need to appeal.

She shouldn't need a diagnosis to get help. Diagnosis is just giving a list of needs a name. Many, many of the children at DD1's special school (including her) don't have a proper diagnosis.

You can certainly get a Statement without 1:1 support on it. For instance, a child with a visual impairment may not require 1:1 support, but the software they may use and the resources they need may go beyond the resources of the school.

Of course, now that funding has changed and schools have to provide the first £6000 of any Statemented provision nation-wide, we have to be clearer about 'beyond the resources of the school'. It isn't just a cost measure - it could be that the equipment needed is very specialised so the school is unable to commission it by itself and needs LA support to do so and this, combined with the other needs goes beyond the resources of the school, even though the total cost may be less than £6000.

My child is currently receiving no help at all at school. She is not on school action, she is not on school action plus.

The senco has refused to do anything to help her until she has a diagnosis.

She basically has all the social and emotional problems of a child with HFA.

I know what she needs help with, but I have no idea what could be put in place to help her. I have no idea what could be put in place in a school setting to help a child build on their social skills or any of her other problems. I actually have no idea what help can be provided for her. The senco says nothing can be done for her as she does not have any problems academically.

It sounds like the school are trying not to identify her needs so that they don't have to provide support for her. Statements are not necessarily about academic need though it can be harder to get them where the child is achieving the average or above. Support should be in place if your child is not achieving her potential however so you need to get an Ed Psych involved to look at what she is doing vs what she can do. Don't dismiss 1:1 support for her here as beneficial. Social skills groups and if necessary support at break times may be needed. Does she need speech therapy or OT? Does she have any sensory needs or difficulty with concentration etc. Unless these are properly assessed it can be hard to tell and of course until that is done then the provision to support is impossible to gauge. Be aware though that the NHS professionals and LA Ed Psychs often work to an unofficial agenda to keep caseloads low and therefore may not recommend all the therapy that would be helpful. You may at some point need to consider paying out for private reports if you do go down the statementing route.

Have you considered changing schools at all? It would be worth having a hard think and checking out schools that have places available to see what their attitude is like for SEN and support. If you can get a place that has a better feel you may find a totally different situation for her in school for the better.