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What
do I need to do if my child has special education
needs?
There
are a number of organisations and groups that
are available to provide support and answer more
of your questions. Click on Links to Other Sites
for further details. If you believe your child
has a learning difficulty or a disability and
your local school, or the school your child currently
attends is not able to provide the support your
child needs, you should first discuss your concerns
with your child's Head Teacher. You may then wish
to contact your Local Education Authority (LEA)
in writing and ask to discuss your child's needs
or request a "statutory assessment". The Head
Teacher of your child's present school could also
write on your behalf or in support your request.
Infomation
for Parents
There
are a number of organisations and groups that
are available to provide support and answer more
of your questions. Click on Links to Other Sites
for further details. If you believe your child
has a learning difficulty or a disability and
your local school, or the school your child currently
attends is not able to provide the support your
child needs, you should first discuss your concerns
with your child's Head Teacher. You may then wish
to contact your Local Education Authority (LEA)
in writing and ask to discuss your child's needs
or request a "statutory assessment". The Head
Teacher of your child's present school could also
write on your behalf or in support your request.
What
will the LEA do when they receive my request?
The LEA
should respond to your request to discuss your
child's needs and arrange a meeting. If you request
a "statutory assessment" the LEA must decide within
six weeks whether to carry out an assessment and
let you know that this decision has been made.
A "statutory assessment" will not always lead
to the production of a Statement of Special Educational
Needs.
What
happens if the LEA decides to make an assessment?
The LEA
will contact you, your child's school and other
professionals for evidence of his or her needs.
The evidence received from you and other appropriate
agencies and professionals relating to your child's
learning difficulties and educational needs will
be considered by the LEA. A decision will then
be made either to draw up a Statement of Special
Educational Needs, to describe your child's needs
and the ways in which these needs should be met,
or to suggest other ways of supporting your child
without drawing up a Statement. The information
collated during the assessment may, for example,
indicate ways in which your child's local or current
school can meet the special needs identified.
What
happens if the LEA decides not to make an assessment?
The LEA
may decide not to make a statutory assessment.
If this is the case the LEA must contact you,
explain the reasons and set out the provision
it considers appropriate to meet your child's
needs. You can appeal to the Special Education
Needs Tribunal if you disagree with this decision.
Appeals must be lodged within 2 months of the
LEA's decision.
What
happens if the LEA decides to draw up a Statement
of Special Educational Needs?
Following
a statutory assessment, the LEA may decide that
your child has special educational needs, additional
provision will be required to meet these and a
Statement of Special Educational Needs should
be drawn up to describe both the identified needs
and the special provision required. If so the
LEA should produce a Proposed Statement and send
this to you. This should outline your child's
special educational needs and ways in which those
needs will be met. You will have 15 days to respond
to the Proposed Statement or you can arrange a
meeting to discuss it with an LEA officer. It
is very important that you read through the proposed
Statement and check that it lists all your child's
needs and difficulties and the provisions required.
Do not accept the Proposed Statement if you are
not happy with it.
Choosing
a School
A Proposed
Statement will not name a particular school. LEAs
must however provide full information to parents
of the wide range of options that are available
for their children's education. This should include
details of non-maintained special schools and
independent schools providing for children with
special educational needs.
Parents
must be invited to consider any maintained school
which can meet the special needs of their child
as set out in the Statement.
You can
express a preference for a mainstream school or
a maintained special school and the LEA must go
along with your preference unless it feels the
school you choose is unsuitable for your child.
You may
also, if you wish, make representations to the
LEA for placement in a non-maintained special
school, an independent school approved by the
Secretary of State to provide for children who
have special educational, or some other type of
provision. The LEA must give full consideration
to your representation.
For information
on NASS member schools click on Schools &
Orgs.
What
happens if a parent does not agree with the school
or placement the LEA wants to name in the Statement?
If you
do not agree with the provision proposed in the
Statement you can appeal to the SEN Tribunal.
Your local parent partnership service and/or disagreement
resolution arrangements can be of assistance.
Further details of these should be available from
your LEA.
SEN
- A Guide for Parents and Carers is now available
The revised guide sets out the main points
of the Code of Practice. Copies of the guide
can be ordered from DfES Publications,
tel: 0845 60 22260, or through the website: www.dfes.gov.uk
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