Notification of statement (or NIL) and Bands or hours?

[Jerbil]

Just wondered how long you have to wait after a panel hearing to hear whether your child has a statement?

Also are they awarded as bands or hours of provision?if they use bands is this standard across the country or specific to an lea?
If anyone can help I'd be grateful. dS1 panel was today!!! After 5 long years of begging for help!

The statement should never define provision in terms of banding, because that enables them to vary support by changing their banding definitions without formally amending the statement, and parents would have no right of appeal. That doesn't mean that some LAs won't try it. If yours does, tell them that it's illegal and that they must properly detail and specify support so that if, for example, they accept that your child needs 10 hours 1:1 per week the statement must say so, and it must also define what training and experience the 1:1 person should have and what arrangements should be made for monitoring and supervising what s/he does.

There is no reason why they shouldn't let you know if they've come to a decision. Our case went to panel for various reasons a number of times and I did get the stage where I was phoning to find out. There are no hours mentioned on our sons statement, but I think this is because the setting he requires is specialist. I presume hours would come into play only at mainstream.

Our panel hearing was on Wednesday and I rang the case officer the morning after. She told me the panel had said yes to granting a statement, although the details and level of funding hadn't been agreed yet - that will take another week or more.

After they refused to assess, I had no qualms about hassling ringing them, and also emailing the senior inclusion officer when things really started to break down with school. Make sure they know who you are and that you won't go away!

I don't know about bands etc., but I was advised that when you get the statement to take your time to go through it carefully checking that everything mentioned in the reports is covered, specified and quantified, and make any amendments / meet with the senior inclusion officer if there is anything missing. Good luck!