SENDIST hearing - those of you who have done it, tell me what to expect

[drowninginlaundry]

Ours is in two weeks, hoping that the LEA will budge so that we won't have to actually attend one, but just in case, tell me what to expect on the day

• is it very formal/informal?
• what will I be expected to say?
• what should I wear (I know, but is it a day for a suit and heels or 'smart casual')
• any tips that may help

thanks!

hiya DIL we attended one last may.

ours was quite formal.

they asked us to put our point across as to why we thought DD deserved to be asessed for a statement, they allowed the LEA to ask us and our witness questions and vice versa.

ours got quite heated at times and we were told to take a break.

i just wore black trousers and a nice top,DH wore jeans and a nice top.

HTH

We attended one last april. It was a little formal, the chair person was very obviously a lawyer, but the room itself was informal. I went smart casual, and the place had no facilities for tea coffee snacks etc so bear that in mind although yours may be different. They started by asking me about my child and in fact asked if we had a photo for them to see. Although the chair was relatively formal the lay people were much less so and in fact gave the lea rep a bit of a hard time about some things. In my case the lea actually folded at 4.30 the day before the 9am tribunal so it was more a thrashing out of details, the tribunal members were very sure to put things so the lea couldn't weasel out of it all later.In fact it was made clear to the lea rep that if they hadn't conceded the tribunal would have been unimpressed as another parent had won a similar case.You will be expected to say just what you want and why, it was stressful in the leadup but I knew that I was right and they were wrong so that helped. I also personally found Ipsea brilliant just in terms of bouncing ideas, we didn't have any representation as such. I also posted here.So my tips, allow lots of time to get there, dress comfy, even though the lea conceded it still took a couple of hours. They give you water but I had a coffee and snack in my bag if it took longer. I was very pleased to have a cute photo of my child to show so they could see him not just the label so I think take one along and even if they don't ask when you're talking just give it to them, it helped me focus. I don't know if you work but if you do take some time off just prior to it. I didn't and ended up a basket case the day before at work and was sent home early. I also found that although the relationship with the lea had been fraught to say the least I decided just to view their rep as someone doing their job in the same way I was doing mine as a mother. It made the meetings beforehand much easier. Sorry for the essay, it was incredibly stressful but worth it in the end for us.HTH Gaia

Thank you both for replying, very helpful!

(good luck drowninginlaundry)