Draft statement

[InaTizzToday]

Hi, I have namechanged as it identifies me too easily. Mostly a lurker but have posted occasionally in the past, I could seriously do with your thoughts please.
I applied for stat assess for DD (3) in October, amazingly request was successful!
Panel decided no to statement a couple of weeks ago, I told them verbally that I would appeal, then a few days later I get a call from SO saying they have changed their mind! They say they will give statement but for MS (I wanted SS where DS attends). They have also said I can have any MS of my choice.
I feel there is some game playing going on here, they have sent the draft statement which is totally weak.
My concern is what should I do now, there is a MS that I have seen that I really love and has a great reputation for children with SN but it is heavily oversubscribed and not in my catchment area.
The one and only school in my catchment I detest.
So if I appeal and name SS and lose (my LA rarely go to tribunal) they will send DD to the school I hate.
So confused ideally I want her with her brother at a school she has frequently visited.
I am sure they are paying a game, what should I do?
Thanks for any help :)

Would you need transport for preferred MS? If not then you will be allocated that as soon as you name it. However I would recommend NOT naming it until you have tightened up the provision in parts 2 and 3.

If you require transport for preferred MS or you are going to fight for the SS, then you will need to demonstrate that local MS cannot meet need.

Do you think the SS is the minimum she needs to meet her needs?

If so, you need to just stick to fighting for that.

Thanks for replying.
I would likely need transport as DS's transport doesn't collect until 8.50 which would mean that DD would be late every day, I think they would provide transport anyway according to their new policy.
I think that she will 'cope' at the MS for the first year possibly but as soon as they start pushing her to do anything that's not on her agenda all hell will break loose.
My goal was for her to be in a setting where the staff completely understand the complexities of ASD and SPD, she is very clever and the untrained eye will miss an awful lot with her. I have seen first hand (DSS) what a terrible effect the incorrect setting in the early years can have throughout the rest of the childs time in school.

In that case I think you need to go for SS right away. Not least because whatever the transport policy, they won't have to deliver transport by law and even if they care about your pick up times for ds now, they are likely to not do shortly with all of the changes.

SS is the 'cleaner' argument and if you are going to have to do it anyway, do it now whilst there is a shred of funding left.

Thanks again for the reply, I agree that it is best to go for the 'cleaner' argument.
I think I am concerned that the reports I have are a bit wishy washy for want of a better phrase.
I do wonder if the SO either doesn't want me to go to appeal and thinks that by offering what she has she is seen to be offering something, IFKWIM, or she thinks offering what she has would look good in front of tribunal if I go down that route?
Maybe using this approach is to having me tied up in knots not knowing what to do. (If so it has worked).
Annoyingly she didn't send the a letter saying they had decided not to give a statement, that was verbal.

I am also fighting for SS; you have higher chances now than later, when many parent's dc, whose MS are failing them are desperate for a place...that's one of the reason I have decided to fight now, rather than in couple of years..

Ok, so I need to tighten up parts 2+3 and name SS and see what they do then?
They have said in the draft documentation that they feel her needs will be met in MS, so I just disregard that?
Babiki it's so annoying, it is hard enough trying to sort out our DC's education without having all of these changes looming on the horizon making the whole process so much more stressful.

We asked for independent school to be named on statement and also worried that if we lost ,he would have to go to local ms that I also detested.
So we asked lea to put oo borough ms school instead on their final statement which we preferred .We were going to appeal anyway.They did put local school but said parents preferred school oo borough and so they will transport themselves .
In the end we won ooc resi school ,but it is such a minefield.

Yes it is extremely frustrating.

I have sent them back revised statement and said I only want SS, but they insist on MS, so I told them to finalise and then I will appeal...I'm so angry, last year we had Tribunal over refusal to assess and now this. I;ve been telling them from start which school I want and they still name local MS..

So, tell them to finalise and then appeal straight away.

Currently you have a statement, that offers you nothing more than you would already get without a statement and points to mainstream.

This is the usual path and has no relevance to what your child actually needs.

You don't need to name a SS. You just need to make sure that all the information that rules out the possibility of a mainstream school is clearly stated in the statement. If it is borderline, you need to make sure that maximum provision is stated in the statement so that when the school is consulted it will look very expensive for them to take your child and they will subsequently refuse they can meet need.

I think there is some merit in seeing if some of the wording can be changed prior to an appeal. it kind of gives you a leg-up before you start and shows that you have tried other routes than appeal.

Try and tighten up parts 2 & 3 first then see if you can push them to name the SS. If they will not ask them to name the MS school you prefer and finalise, but tell them you will still appeal the SS anyway.

You can name the preferred MS in part 4 by the way as 'naïve' parents who don't yet realise that the way parts 2 and 3 will subsequently be worded after appeal will rule out any possibility of MS of any kind.

Hi, thought I would update.
I arranged to meet with the SO along with a PP rep (who is also a friend).
During the meeting the SO agreed to all of my changes to the draft statement (basically re-written it).
They have also agreed that my DD can go to the SS I wanted.
Looks like I have been fortunate to live in an area that has a high number of statements and doesn't like going to tribunal.
Thanks to everyone for their input it was most helpful :)

Well done inatizz, what a great outcome