Give me last minute boost...meeting with LEA tomorrow

[ReasonableDoubt]

I'm meeting with our LEA peeps tomorrow to go over the (joke of a ) proposed statement we received last week for our DS (aged 5, AS).

It's a vague, badly worded document, offering mainstream ed, '34 hours with a TA' (doesn't specify who this TA should be in terms of experience/training or what they should be providing), input from a SALT (not quantified or specified) and a whole lot of provision by the school which has all been in place for a year and hasnt worked.

We want a place for DS at another mainstream school in the borough with an ASD unit plus transport to the school (the school has twelve places and 10 of the children who attend at present get an LEA funded school bus, which passes through our area already).

So, I am not able to get solicitor's advice until end of the week now and have had to trawl through the statement myself picking holes in it. have made some notes and have my arguments in place for why this provision is the ONLY way my son's needs can be met...but I am nervous (and I am a bolshy cow...not usually nervy).

Any tips?

they are coming mob-handed (two advocacy and monitoring staff and possibly their boss).

Should say - Head of school with ASD provision is supportive of us as far as she can be (told us off record that they are 'full' but that places can always be found of the LEA are pressed hard enough).

got meeting on Thursday with Head and SENCo at DS's current school and I think they will be supportive, too...or relieved, anyway

Take notes, be clear. Read Chapter 8 of the SEN Code of Practice Make notes of clauses that support you, so that you can say "Clause 8:20 of the SEN COP says.... - this statement sucks" (paraphrase )

Don't stress too much if the LA refuse to budge. Let them know what you think should be amended, but don't ask for another meeting - negotiating for too long simply delays the statement being finalised. Once it is finalised, you can appeal to SEND who will be far more impartial.

Thanks all. Have read the whole SEN COP again this morning (nice bit of light reading over brekkie ).

Deep breaths!

RD

You have been given good advice already so won't repeat.

If at all possible do not attend this meeting on your own. Make copious notes.

DH coming with me as note-taker!

Thank you x

Meeting done.

They have agreed to change Part 2 of the statement - and as a result, will have to change part 3 - in quite a major way. The proposed statement listed DS's SEN under two headings - Emotional/Behavioural and Social Communication; we have asked for a third heading 'Academic ability' to be included, detailing the fact that he is in top 0.1% for his age group in reading, verbal and non-verbal reasoning etc and that his academic ability is a special need that must be addressed in Part 3 of the statement. I quoted their own Ed Psych report at them extensively, so they didn't have a leg to stand on.

They are going to amend the statement today and email it back to us to amend further. They are going to put our case - for wanting a different school named in Part 4 - to the panel next Friday.

Got solicitor on the case now, who is looking at Part 3 and going to draft suggested changes to this part, as obviously it will need to change quite drastically if we are going for 'mainstream with resourced provision' rather than just mainstream.

It was a weird meeting. They were very nice and understanding, and seemed to agree with everything we said, including the fact that the school we want is the best option (only option, actually) for our DS. They even nabbed the head of their advisory teaching service, who is some sort of world wide guru on ASD, and told her we wanted a place at the resourced provision and she was really enthusiastic and said it was marvellous and would suit our DS very well. All very...encouraging. Sort of.

Solicitor is a narky bint (thankfully!) and says not to trust a word they say until it has all been actioned properly.

So...we will wait and see what happens next.

I have to go off now and put what came out of the meeting in writing in an email to the LEA, just to cover my back.

Exhausted by it all!