SEN Reforms: Letters from Govt issued this week

[TooOrangeyForCrows]

Here's the link
www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-educational-needs-and-disabilities-send-reform-letters

Apologies if someone has already posted. Does anyone know when the SENCOP will be published? So much seems to depend on this document......

And here we go..

The sceptic in me says this can't be a good thing..

Has anyone else been involved with the parent consultations on the local offers? We have found LAs are just using it as a chance to write up a list of things they already do, with no room for parental choice or change

I thought it was supposed to be a chance for parents to influence change, get a bit of a customer focus into staid old LAs? Maybe I am in dreamland!

It would be good if the letter to local authorities just told them to obey the law. Given that they've studiously ignored the current law for years when it was inconvenient to them.

I tried to be involved with the consultations but they were all during the day when I work and because I am a one to one I cant take time off unless I am absolutely desperate.

I went to a meeting where 2 members of the LA tried to tell us how wonderful it all is and got a copy of the local offer off them. It is a waste of a tree, it says nothing other than putting all the responsibility for children with SN's onto schools.

The early years bit is complete rubbish, it just contains phrases lifted directly off the EYFS documents.

I think we are in for a rough ride over the next few years [ sad]

National Local offer:

Give children with SEN access to teachers.
Give children with SEN the right to ask for provision that we don't have and won't provide.
Give children with SEN a few meetings now and then.
Give children with SEN a document stating all the above.

You forgot,

Give the teachers access to the absolute minimum of training in general SEN.

We have found LAs are just using it as a chance to write up a list of things they already do, with no room for parental choice or change

This. I went to a couple of so-called consultations, but noticed that any concerns raised by parents were pretty much dismissed and reasons were given why their suggestions couldn't be taken on board. It basically boiled down to 'the budget has been cut, therefore services will be cut' (not that they were good anyway). Just a lot of fancy re-wording that means jack shit.

Same here. My LA are busy rebadging an existing database as the "Local Offer". They also said something about all LA schools publishing SEN info on their own websites...so that we as parents can compare provision across schools.

Mine are making schools publish every nurture type group they have ever run and upload it themselves onto the council website as testament to the LA's offer.

What a load of baloney why would anyone have any faith in what is being proposed given how this started out and what is now emerging. No mention of SEND tribunalsor how rights will be enforced is in the letter to parents as far as I can see. I suspect there will be no quantification in care plans so nothing to enforce or request? We are going to have fewer rights as are our children but we won't have the detail until after next years elections I suspect. It'll be the same old drip drip effect of information being shared to avoid challenge. If the charities are colluding with this then shame on them.

Do we know if they're actually sending these out or publishing them anywhere other than the internet? If I receive one as a parent I would be tempted to reply direct to Mr Timpson to ask what on earth is the point of removing School Action and School Action Plus, why they're wasting so much money on mediation advisers, why they didn't take the chance to make the health and care elements appealable and enforceable, and much, much more.

I picked this up from Hansard on the 10 Feb 2014.

It relates to a question from Graham Stuart – Chair Education Committee House of Commons and a reply from Edward Timpson, Minister.

10 Feb 2014 :
Column 655 - Mr Graham Stuart (Beverley and Holderness) (Con): Chair of the Education Committee
I am told that it [New CoP] might not be published until June, which would leave very little time for the new system to come into force from September.

Column 663 - Mr Timpson:
It [the CoP] will be made available as soon as possible after Royal Assent, but I am sure he will appreciate that we want to get it right.

Colleagues elsewhere have met with the Department and they have suggested September.

So at this stage there is only the draft CoP to go on , which was universally condemned, even by those taking money from the Govt to implement elements.

So anyone offering training in this area should be viewed with some scepticism until the final CoP is published. When practising SEN Law you have to have a very clear idea of the detail. Right now there is no detail. The only thing you could train on is the very general "headline" offers made in the draft and legislation.

OMG, the are actually going to publish a parents version of the Code Of Practice!!!

What parent seeking out CoP information will ever want THAT version?