Special School Reports for Review

[kafkesque]

DS 9 started Special School this term. Our EHCplan review is due in February so I asked the SENCO will DS have a new Ed Psych report as it will be over 18 months old then. The reply was that they would look into it.

Which made me think I want all new reports done. What are the schools duties? What reports should they do and how often.

I am talking about:
IEP
Sensory Needs
Speech and Language
Occupational Therapy
Educational Psychology
DS's eating
amongst many others

It's the only proof they have actually done any work with my son.

In the past it has been quicker to go to tribunal for all the various reports. Do I have to go down this route for every review?

Is this a LA maintained special school? DS is at an Independent special schools so I know nearing the Annual review deadline, they will be reassessing him and getting new reports done.

I'm not sure how it works in LA maintained special schools. Maybe it's the same??? Sorry I couldn't be of much of help, but I will give SOSSEN or IPSEA (google them) a call tomorrow if you can as they know ALOT about these sort of things.

Yes this is a LA maintained special school.

I will give SOSSEN or IPSEA a call.

Might sound thick but i wasnt aware specail schools had sencos,neither was i aware they had to get an ed pych in for an Ehcp,your child is in a specail school what would make you think that they are not doing all this work with your child anyway?

Have a look at the guidance on transition to EHCPs - www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/463320/Transition_Dept_advice_sept15.pdf . I haven't checked how this applies specifically to you but I think the general principle is that they have to do a full reassessment when they transfer to an EHCP. They can only use old reports if you consent. It's a local authority duty rather than the school's.

Thank-you

Reading between their lines. I am guessing we will have to go to tribunal to secure an EP report for DS. We would have expected one for DS when he was transitioning schools but this did not happen even then.

Both my children have only ever seen the EP under tribunal conditions as the County seems to be so short on EP time. That they are only ever likely to.

It has taken us six years to get DS into special education missing out on precious early intervention.

Best wishes,

In my SS children see an EP before transition to secondary, or if there are any concerns. Everything else is updated at annual review

At my ds special school there is no senco. Ds has an annual statement review and we meet with the teacher regularly to set / update IEP. SALT and OT have input into the review but not EP - he hasn't seen one since before he had his statement and EPs have little to do with any of the pupils in the school unless there are exceptional circumstances.

At ds school there are many systems in place to monitor and assess progress - are you saying that there are no tracking / monitoring systems in place, when was the last inspection, that is something Estyn / Ofsted are very sharp on. Don't you meet with his teacher to discuss targets and progress during the year?