quick question about statementing process

[Saker]

Ds2 has finally been accepted for statutory assessment. They have sent me the letter saying is there anything else I want to add like reports etc. I have already written them a letter setting out my views about his needs when requesting assessment. So at this point there is nothing else I need to add is there? I don't need to put my views forward on what should go in the statement or what school I want him to go to or anything like that yet do I? - they will ask me that if and when they agree that he needs a statement. Can someone just confirm to me that I have got that right?

I'd say about which school or any needs at any opportunity. But I'm awkward like that.
IIRC you can still give views/preferneces right up till they send you the preliminary statement. I.E before they finalise everything.
HTH

Obviously I do want input about things that should be in the statement but I didn't know if there was any point in going into detail at this point before they have actually agreed a statement. So do you think I should be writing to say that I want such and such a school with x no of hours of OT, SALT etc at this point?

Thanks for the advice. I have already sent a letter outlining what I think Ds2's needs are and that I want him to have a place at a full special school as opposed to the unit he is at now. The statement was applied for by the teachers at his unit and so we have a strong case for special school because they are saying he has more needs than they can support even in a special unit. I have discussed with the educational pyschologist and he is in support also as is paed, clinical pyschologist etc. So it ought to be straightforward (ha! I should be so lucky).

However where he is unusual is that he needs a lot more OT support which I am keen to get put into the statement and I don't think he will get this automatically even at special school. I have made this clear in the letter I wrote already, but I am not sure if I should be writing it again now.

Have you got a report from an OT you could send? When we applied for DS2's statement we sent everything we had (BIBIC reports and private SLT report) together with our parental submission. The LA then asked the state providers (Early Years, nursery, EP, OT and NHS SALT) for reports. When we got our proposed statement before Christmas there was no OT quantified in Part 2 at all - just a mention that OT should be carried out by trained staff at school. We had a meeting with our statementing officer about this and other things we wanted to change. OT was the only sticking point - because there simply isn't one for school age children (without physical disabilities) in this area atm . We talked it through with the special school (in Somerset) that we want him to go to and the head's answer was the same - no OT, however much he writes and pushes. However, he did urge for us to push to have it written in, because it gives him more clout when he complains!

Sorry - the reason for this longwinded story is that I think you may have trouble getting OT quantified in Part 2 - and your DS2 needs it, perhaps more than anything else (prob not true for my DS2). So any evidence you can gather at this stage would be good - and I would say push it at every stage of the process. Best of luck - despite what I've just said, the process for us has been fairly smooth and it sounds as if you have everyone who matters on your side .

Thanks Sphil

We have already sent in the school OT's report which found him in the bottom centile for everything (mixture of and [happy] because it helps the statement) and a great long 37 page report by a private OT who assessed him in October. The two special schools we are looking at have OTs attached and working there for some of the week but I agree that getting a regular frequent input is key and could be hard. I need to visit the schools and start talking about it asap.

Oh I think you're a long way there in that case - good news!