how do you keep your submission for a SA Tribunal short?

[claw3]

Im working on my draft submission for a SA tribunal and the draft is currently running to about 8 pages!

How do i shorten it and stop everyone from falling asleep while reading it.

First page is a short bit of background and why i feel the school are unable to meet his needs on their own.

I have broken it down into 4 headings Communication and interaction. cognition and learning. Behaviour, emotional and social. Sensory and physical.

I then list what professionals have identified his difficulties to be in bullet points. What recommendations are.

Difficulties the school have identified in their IEP, what strageries have been put into place and why these have failed

I havent even got around to what i want in place and what will happen if its not and im up to 8 pages!

HELP im obviously waffling, where can i cut down?

Do you actually have a word limit? Because if you don't I wouldn't worry too much as long as you keep doing what you are doing, i.e. bullet point lists of the key points at the end of each main section, or 'boxes' with the things you want them to pay particular attention to. That way the longer account is there and they can't say you haven't sufficiently made your case, but you also made it easier for them to read. I think.
Do you have time to go through IPSEA/SOSSEN?

No word limit, just a boredom limit!

I am quoting quite a lot of what professionals have identified, i think i should just reference the report, but then if they dont bother reading the reports i havent got my point across

Oh yes i have a couple of weeks left, plenty of time to contact IPSEA (if i can get through) would like to try and shorten it slightly before phoning them if poss.

Write it in full, then hack it down, keeping what you discard for future evidence if not appropriate at this stage.

Mine was 7 pages, with short key quotations from professionals' reports to back up my case.

Theres a good guide on ACE on what to put.

what you must remember is if it is relevent keep it in...as if you have to go to tribunal you can defo say you mentioned it in your parental form....mine was 20 pages and every word needed. Dont worry about it. I have done same headings as you...that is on statement. It is tough though...mine went in last week must have used a whole forest in the process

My actual Case Statement was 23,000 ...can I have a PhD please

I wrote my SA refusal Grounds for Appeal myself and it was quite brief; I realise that it was a bit weak now that I'm using a solicitor and have read the way she prepared my appeal against Contents of Statement. Things that I've learnt from her example are:

Double spacing

Numbered paragraphs

Chronology

Quoting from COP and case law.

Her document is 50 pages, although it's an appeal against pts 2, 3 and 4 so it's more complex than SA refusal.

I wrote my SA refusal Grounds for Appeal myself and it was quite brief; I realise that it was a bit weak now that I'm using a solicitor and have read the way she prepared my appeal against Contents of Statement. Things that I've learnt from her example are:

Double spacing

Numbered paragraphs

Chronology

Quoting from COP and case law.

Her document is 50 pages, although it's an appeal against pts 2, 3 and 4 so it's more complex than SA refusal.

Thanks for the tips everyone, id forgotten i still need to add some quotes from COP too and double spacing will make it easier on the eye.

My difficulty seems to be the school are saying ds's only problem is a speech delay, yet when you read IEP's, class teacher report, it is obvious he has more problems. So im having to quote IEP's too to show that the difficulties are there, the school are just not recognising them.

I will continue to write everything done and then try to cut back on waffling.

Wow 20 and 50 pages has made me feel better!

Chronology, im not sure what to include or exclude. I already have medical record doc, which includes who and when ds saw professional from birth to now. School contact record doc, which includes all my contact and what was said. And incidents in school as reported to me by teachers and ds. Minutes of all meetings (taken by me).

Would i still do a chronology?

Numbered paragraphs, definitely a good idea