School said they were applying for SA 5 weeks ago!

[Bluesunbeam]

But they still haven't sent the form in!

Do you think I should send my own letter, the one from IPSEA? Should I tell the school?

If so I really don't know what to write in the spaces for needs, should I just concentrate on education or include social, language etc?

Just to add, school are trying to be supportive but don't seem to 'get' my DS. Expecting him to do the same as his peers when he is so not able to and then we face the consequences at home! He is a little angel at school although he is beginning to display some anxiety.

Ed Psych is on board and supporting the application.

DD1's school agreed to apply for a statutory assessment on 2nd April at the request of the ed psych. She said at the time that school should aim to get it to the June panel (which actually meets today!!!!). It seemed like an age away at the time but the ed psych felt that it would take a while for the school to get the information together. As it was they only got it in by with hours to spare.

If you are concerned that school are not moving it forward I'd phone and ask when they expect the application to be in and how often the panel which makes the decision meets. Pin them down to a panel date if you can.

If they duck the issue then apply yourself but ask the Ed Psych if he/she will support your application because that can't be assumed.

Although our school had said they would apply, we also sent our own request in, using the IPSEA template and also explained that school supported the application. We also told school we were doing this. It just speeded things up a little and focused minds! In our case it actually took the LEA 26 days to respond then the 6-week timescale kicked in and we sent all our further information. Not sure what the delay was and I don't think that is supposed to happen but generally just best to get things moving especially as coming up to holidays (in which case make sure school will get their info in before they close???)

Write the letter yourself to the LEA using IPSEA's template example. Schools can sit on such applications unnecessarily which is probably what is happening here. Would not tell the school either.

BTW you have far more power re a Stat Assessment request than school ever would. They cannot appeal in the event the LEA say no but you can!.

Thanks for the replies. I am going to send the letter myself today.

School just keep saying they need evidence but they have a mountain already so not sure what else they need. I thought the SA was all about gathering evidence so maybe they are trying to speed things up.

DS isn't going to manage next year without substantial help so I'm really worried that it won't be in place for September.

If they agree to SA, is that when we have to do the parents view?

Statements usually take around 6 months to set up so at the very earliest you're looking at December of this year.

More information is sought from all involved when the LEA do agree to assess (getting them to actually agree to assess can be a trying process in its own right).

Timescales can depend. We applied for SA last week in March and have been told they will assess and to expect the results of that mid-August - but we are aware delays could occur along the way.
What should happen next is they acknowledge your request, they ask you then to supply your views and a list of people you would like them to contact if they do agree to assess, and they will also give you the date by which you will receive their decision whether or not to assess. If school are onside they should be supplying information during this period. If LEA then agrees to assess that is when they seek opinions of others who either submit reports already done or have to assess etc. if need be.
That seems to be how it is going with us anyway, although may be different in other areas.

Apersand44 the timescales are the same across the country. There is a statutory timeline which must be adhered to:

6 weeks to decide whether to do a SA
10 weeks to gather evidence
2 weeks to decide whether to issue a statement & inform parents by issuing a proposed statement or a note in lieu
8 weeks to negotiate and finalise statement.

26 weeks in total start to finish.

There can be a little delay if health services don't comply with the 4 week limit for submitting reports.

There can be a bit of a speed-up if no amendments are necessary (ours was finalised by week 20).

This is all so helpful but can you tell me what a note in lieu is?

I'm guessing it's not as good as a statement. Parent partnership haven't mentioned that to me but they have said there is a chance that the statement could be through by Sept!

Make a paretnal request for statutory assessment. There is no different in the right of appeal or that a school request will get you there quicker. SEN Code of Practice 7.21 fwd.
From makeing the request the LA has 6 weeks to make a decison and communicate that to you. There is no statutory break for Easter half term or anything else.
If any part of the 6 weeks falls in Aug then the time line extends until 1 Sept by that amount of time. See para 8.134 SEN Code of Practice.

Bluesunbeam, a 'note in lieu' is a document written by the LA, giving reasons why they feel that your child does not need a statement at that time. It will set out what they feel your child's needs are, and what they feel the school should be doing out of their own resources to meet those needs.

There is very little chance that the statement will be through by September, being blunt. There are only 12 weeks until September. Even if you write the letter today, the LA would have to do their initial assessment and decide to do the full statutory assessment. THis takes 6 weeks. That would leave them 6 weeks to carry out their full assessments, including Ed psych, decide that your DS needs a statement, draft that statement, send it to you for approval, receive your approval and issue the final statement.

The best thing you can do is to write a letter using the www.IPSEA.org.uk template letter, and send it first thing in the morning by recorded delivery, next day preferable. That will make sure that the initial decision to assess is taken before the end of term.

However, it is unlikely that the assessment process will be completed before September, because if the LA decide to assess, they won't ask the school to give their full assessment until at least the 23nd of July (6 weeks from now), and the school then has the right to wait until September to respond.

That means that the LA can tag the 7 week summer holidays on to the 26 week timescale. Unfortunately, the result is that even if the process goes very smoothly, you are unlikely to get a statement until January 20th 2011 (26 weeks statutory process + 6.5 weeks summer holidays).

Lou - sorry, you explained much more clearly what I was trying to say - that there is a set timescale, but it does not always quite happen - i.e. in our case initial 6 weeks to decide they managed to extend by taking 26 days to start it!

Ahh, I get you. They were a bit naughty, weren't they? I think IPSEA should write a template letter thus:

Dear LA

Tick tock, tick tock. You only have 42 days, and you have used 38 of them.

Yours

Parent

Yes and I should have chased. Not so familiar with MN back then either, I am sure everyone here would have put me right! Anyway, they have agreed to SA thankfully and will be keeping my beady eye on things from now on!

So much clearer now, I had a feeling Sept was unlikely.

School are giving DS as much 1:1 as they can during lessons as well as speech and language but not able to support at play times. He really struggles then. Also PE is particularly difficult for him.

January seems so far away!

So many appointments that sometimes it's hard to know what to do first.

Thanks so much, I'm sure I'll have lots more questions as times goes by.