First Annual Review in July - help please

[Choupie]

Our current statement offers full school support (full ABA programme at school), weekly SLT and weekly OT in mainstream independent school (fees paid by us). All term time only.

We have our first review in July - no dates fixed as no one has contacted me from LEA. Should I contact the LEA to arrange the review or is it for the school to organise this. Basically we do everything as it's an independent school.
Who should attend the review and what reports are required. What happens at the review meeting please?

Your statement document should specify who calls the review meeting - it's usually the head teacher of the school.
Different school and LEAs have different proceedures. There is usually the parent or carer, the child head teacher or member of the senior staff team, the class teacher. The SaLT and the OT should be invited too. Reports should be written by the class teacher and usually the SaLT and the OT. You can write one too, your views do need to be taken in to account and these can be given in person rather than a report and the head should add them to the review documentation. Your child should be asked for their views on how the year has gone, if they want to write something if they want (supported if need be). The school often arrange this anyway. You should recieve the reports at least a fourtnight before the meeting.
For the legal and mecessary formal advice see the IPSEA website (www.IPSEA.org.uk - in the links bank here) It has really useful information and letters and what to expect guides. It's a good independant, free and up to date parental support site.

My experience was:

• About a month or so before the review was due, the school sent out a document asking for thoughts and opinions on how the year had gone. There was a section for adding ds' comments.

• Various people were invited to the review (including the LEA) but the only people who attended were the class teacher, the Head, and the parents. Ds was also brought in later on to talk about how he felt things were going.

• The adults went through the statement and discussed any areas which needed to be changed and/or updated.

• The new proposed statement was later sent home, with an option to either sign it or say that you didn't agree.