SA questions/experience with family solutions

[xenzani]

I know, I know, I should have done it sooner but I didn't.

Anyway, long story short, dd2s behaviour has come to a head, yet another exclusion from school.

Finally the school are on board with her, trying more things, and have said they will be writing a report for me to take to the pead in august ( unless i can get her seen sooner) which will list all of her issues and struggles at school.

anyway, the senco is off aick at the moment, but the head and deputy head are 100% behind me applying for a statement. The only problem they have said about is I wont get one until we get a diagnosis. She has extremely challenging behaviour and shows signs of ASD/PDA and scored 11 on the CAST test a year and half ago.

when i send the letter, am I doing it under the current statements or the new ones coming into place in september?

The school are going to start the ball rolling with family solutions too as dd fits the criteria and the school are at a loss what to do next. Statemented, family solutions and diagnosis are probably our last chances before the school can do no more for her. She is only just eight years old :(

They are wrong about needing a diagnosis for SA. We did not have one until after statutory assessment was agreed for ds1 and ds2 although HFA was highly suspected. It is given on the grounds of educational need so behavioural grounds preventing access to the curriculum should suffice if it is well documented.

Thanks for confirming that. Hopefully the report from the school will help my application. I should have it by the end of next week the absolute latest so will be getting the ball rolling then.

if you apply now you will go under the current system - if the application is refused and you end up having to go onto tribunal and you win after the 1st sept the tribunal will order that an EHCP will be issued rather than a statement. I would be inclined to go and apply under the 'old' system as most people on here are very experienced in it

Thanks for that little bit of information there. As soon as I have the repot from the school, I will be sending tje application off. I have no doubt SA will be refused even with all the exclusions and report from the school, none other than Essex CC.

Hopefully tribunal will be before September.

DS got a provisional statement before diagnosis.

If you do it now you do it under the old system which is more coherent than the new one.

If the school are 100% behind you about the statement why haven't they applied and why are they lying to you?

You can't go to tribunal until you have a decision on whether they will assess. That will be at least 6 weeks and then the tribunal waiting list is around 5 months after that.

The school want me to do it as the senco is off sick and it will be quicker for me to do it.

I hope they don't refuse to assess her as she is at a very real risk of being permanently excluded now but fully expect it.

Who at the school wants you to do it?

The head and deputy head.

Then write to them informing of your impending application for Statutory Assessment, thanking them for their advice that you do it as it will be faster given that the SENCo is off sick. If you can quote the date, time and person that actually said it that would be helpful.

Do it as carefully and politely but it is important that there is a record of this 'advice'.