EHCP meeting

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Meeting planned for May and professionals invited to give their opinion on whether DS needs an EHC plan. L.A. agreed to assess few weeks ago after I won at mediation.
I am determined to go forward with this and will go to tribunal if he is refused a Plan. This is known to all concerned ,so is this meeting really necessary?

Look at the IPSea timescales. From agreeing to assess to telling you if they will issue a plan or not is 10 weeks (I think!) sendcop clearly states they MUST tell you by week 16 if they aren't going to issue.

So I'd ask them if the meeting will be held in enough time. Ask them if they will have assessed your ds and have specific information about what he needs at the meeting so it can be discussed if school can provide this or not.

The meeting will be pretty pointless if no one has actually determined what your ds needs before it.

I'd also have a list yourself of questions you want to ask - like.... "how will x need be met. Who will provide it and how and how often. What is the outcome expected from the intervention?"

Meeting is set for 6 weeks after the agree to assess decision was made. DS was seen by Ed Psych yesterday and she met me afterwards for my input. School didn't support me in any way. I have done it all alone. They think he is ok despite not being able to sit SATS and teachers have all ticked "significant difficulties" on their asssessments.

Ask the la for their assessment threasholds and criteria beforehand. They can't have a blanket policy but many have a list of what can be met as normal provision and what is considered severe - and so a need beyond that iyswim?

My ds school didn't support me at all. (Different situation) I still got an EHCP for my ds. You can do it! Just stick with the simple specific questions that require an answer not open ended questions they can waffle!

State very clearly what they should be doing and ask how they are doing it.

I found it easier once my la realised I'd be polite but I knew what I was talking about and would get a paper trail proving it!