Statementing process

[pinkbunny2012]

Hi
Im hoping someone will be able to help. My daughter starts school in September 2014. She currently is at a special needs nursery. Shes delayed and we are on the waiting list for an autism diagnosis. When I spoke to her nursery teacher she said there is no guarantee that she will be statemented as due to new rules if they require 15 hours or less of 1:1 then a statement is no longer needed and that the school will provide the hours. How do I go about making sure she needs a statement. I am panicking as my little girl would not cope with not having a 1:1 and if they don't provide her with adaqute support she will either being homeschooled or I will go to the school and provide her with the 1:1 myself. When did ur children start the statementing process. I am worried as it isn't long before the school applications have to be submitted. I am so stressed about this so any help or advice would be much appreciated :)
Thanks

it takes 6 months from start to finish to get a statement and then if they refuse there the time it takes to appeal to factor in as well. you often will get the general fob off but you can apply yourself and lots of people on here have done just that me included! I got mine quite easily although then it would prove to be inadequate and we ended up at tribunal and won an independent placement. as the teacher says - no guarantee she would be statemented but unless you apply you will never know if they will get it or not

Thanks for ur reply :) I have been asking for over a month now if the school are going to apply for a statement and seem to be getting the fob off. I know the process is quite lengthy and need to know if she is going to get one so I know what schools to look at, as there is a few nearby but not in our catchment area that there is no point looking at if she is not getting statmented, is it difficult to do yourself? and what is an independent placement? Thanks for ur help :) xx

to apply is just a letter initially so not that difficult at all - its as the process continues it can get a little more difficult as you have to show why they would need a statement but again plenty of us on here have been through it. an independent placement means one outside of the LA control so basically a private school is the best way to describe it.

as it stands now without a statement you apply for a school place like anyone else would as to get a specialist place you would need the statement. if in 6months time you get a statement then you will have an opportunity to name a place beit the current mainstream school you may have already chosen or a more specialist place. without a statement, mainstream school is probably your only option and if you wanted one that isn't your most local then you would have to transport the child there yourself. do you have an idea of a school or type of schooling that they will need?

No it's not hard to apply for statutory assessment - I am currently doing this. You need to gather lots of evidence - nhs reports, nursery reports etc. then be prepared to get knocked back and come back fighting.

Yes the nursery she is at have said to me to apply for a school like everybody else incase she doesn't get the statement. I am happy to transport her myself, I cannot drive but my husband can and we have a car so I will have to learn to drive before she starts school in September. I think I am happy with mainstream for her as our local sen school isn't that great and is on a warning system thing from Ofsted, but the one I like is under our local authority but is about 10 miles from the house. I have already been to look around and there sen inclusion is great, they have makaton trained staff, provide speech and language therapy out of there own budget and have a therapy room etc and the staff had a great attitude, she just needs a statement to get the place, plus she also needs the 1:1 help as she still isn't potty trained and her speech, although improving isn't upto scratch, its so stressful!! xxx

I have lots of reports for her, and she is currently in a sen nursery doing an intensive therapy course funded by the local council on top of that, I don't know how she can have so much help now and them not be sure if
she will be statemented??! xx

Have a look at the IPSEA website, there's information on there about how to apply for statutory assessment and the statementing process generally.

There is in law no new rule saying you don't get a statement unless the child needs more than 15 hours 1:1. There are new funding rules, but they don't change the criteria for needing a statement. A lot of local authorities are bringing in these policies to try to put people and schools off and save themselves money.

If she is having lots of intervention you have lots of evidence for a statement. I don't get it either. My son is disabled and failing in school but doesn't get any 1:1 so go figure. This country sets people up to live on the dole hence why everyone in the world seems to want to live here. I wonder how we will fair when no ones employed and paying taxes anymore

due to new rules if they require 15 hours or less of 1:1 then a statement is no longer needed and that the school will provide the hours.

That's one of the standard lies that parents get told to persude them not to apply for an assessment that may lead to a Statement - don't believe it

You cannot tell, until you have conducted a statutory assessment, the true extent of her difficulties and what support (1:1 or otherwiae) she would need to help her overcome them. That's why an assessment is required.

As nursery isn't keen to make the request for an assessment (probably scared of kaving their knuckles rapped by the LA because Statements cost money) then the best thing to do is apply yourself directly to the LA.

Good advice above - apply yourself for the statement and don't allow yourself to be fobbed off by those who tell you she does not need enough support to warrant one, or that she is too advanced for one. If you feel she needs full time 1:1 support then you need to start the process now and be prepared to fight for it as you go. Standard procedure in some LAs appears to be to decline every statutory assessment request and wait to see who then appeals before considering the request properly. IPSEA is a great website.

With all that support she currently has I imagine she's have a pretty good case for a statement tbh. That support woukd have generated substantial evidence.

"When I spoke to her nursery teacher she said there is no guarantee that she will be statemented as due to new rules if they require 15 hours or less of 1:1 then a statement is no longer needed and that the school will provide the hours"

You were basically lied to; there is no such requirement.

Pinkbunny, as you have likely gathered already, you are your child's best - and only - advocate here. You are truly best placed to fight her corner for her, this is because no-one else will (nursery manager being a case in point).

Use IPSEA's website and apply for the statement asap www.ipsea.org.uk. Also arm yourself with a copy of the SEN Code of Practice available online.

Nothing more to add.. I would start ASAP. If I hadnt heeded the advice given by caring public servants, my daughter would atleast be a few months ahead of where she is today.. They are bl00dy liars

Thank you all so much for all your help, sorry I haven't managed to reply, I have had a problem with my internet, typical! Had a look around our closet school today just to see what they had to offer and I couldn't imagine anything worse! 60 children in one classroom, with 2 teachers and 1 teaching assistant, a massive pond with a little gate saying "Danger pond" which when I said about would my daughter be supervised I was told, there is a sign stating its dangerous, I then went on to say that she couldn't read and loves water and she went on to say that she wouldn't be left unattended and then 2 minutes later a reception age child run past by themselves from the classroom, past the pond and into the library. It really wasn't suitable, so I am now panicking as that is our catchment school and if she doesn't get a statement it will be that school that she will be forced to go to. I have been ringing up the educational physiologist but am as of yet unable to get hold of her as she has reduced her hours to part time, but have found out there is a meeting at my daughters nursery between themselves and the EP at the end of this month and going to see if I can attend to air my concerns. If I don't get any joy then I will put my own application in in October half term. As of yet the nursery have still not put a statement in. I am so so so stressed out, and am thinking I may end up home schooling my daughter as I cant take the stress anymore, I am currently just pregnant after just having a miscarriage and don't know what to do anymore. Sorry for such a long rant just needed to get it out of my system! xxx

If she needs FT 1:1 in nursery she will need FT 1:1 in school which will be for more than 15 hours so likely to need a statement. Safety concerns are a very valid reason for FT 1:1 especially if an escape risk. The EP is employed by LA so it depends on your LA's attitude.

Thanks. Just so stressed and worried just hope it gets sorted soon otherwise I will homeschool my daughter which might not be best for her but I know that she is safe. As awful as it sounds I never imagined my life being this way, I always imagined she would just go to the local school and that would be that, why does life have to be so crap sometimes and such a fight??!