Parents Guidance to Special Educational Needs
Assessment and Statements
Information for parents regarding Special Educational Needs
Most children's needs should be met by their ordinary schools. But perhaps 1 child in every 50 across the country will need more help. The LEA are best placed to provide this help, whichever type of school your child attends.
- Introduction
- What is an Assessment?
- Phase 1
- Phase 2
- Phase 3
- Phase 4
- What if I am Unhappy with the Outcome?
- Web Addresses for Tameside Documents
- Useful Addresses
- Commonly Used Abbreviations
Introduction
This guide describes what will happen during an assessment of your child's special educational needs.
It tells you how long each step of the assessment will take and what you can do at each step.
It also tells you how you can get independent help, advice or support during the assessment, and the name of the person from the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Service Unit who will be responsible for your child's assessment.
More detailed information is available. If you do not have access to the Internet at home, you can do this at any Tameside library.
We will:
- Work closely with you during this assessment
- Carry out the assessment as quickly as we can
- Listen to your views
- Reply to your phone calls and letters promptly
- Reach agreement with you where we can
- Tell you how to take matters further if you are not satisfied
What is an Assessment?
You may find that this process is called:
- Assessment
- Statutory assessment
- Formal assessment
- Statementing.
All of these mean the same thing.
It means that either you or someone else has told the Council that they are concerned about your child's educational progress.
Your child may have difficulties with one or more of:
- Reading, writing, speaking or maths
- Behaviour
- Hearing or sight
- Physical or medical issues
If your child's school has taken actions to help your child, through an Individual Education Plan, and these have been unsuccessful, the Council may agree to carry out an assessment. This process is laid out in the 1996 Education Act, which was revised in 2000.
Note-in-Lieu: Sometimes the Council decides not to issue a statement after an assessment. This is usually because the evidence collected in the assessment does not show that the child's needs are significant enough to need a statement. It may be, however, that the Council thinks that extra care needs to be taken in planning the child's education: this might be because they are very young and the situation is changing fast, or because they have a medical condition which needs careful oversight. In these cases the Council may issue a Note-in-Lieu. This will describe the child's special needs and the provision which will be made to meet those needs in the same way that a statement does. The Council will attend reviews of Notes-in-Lieu.
Parent: A child's birth parents have parental responsibility for their child wherever they are living and however often or rarely they see their child, unless this has been taken away from them by Court Order (eg a Care Order). Other people only acquire parental responsibility by order of a court (eg in adoption)
Statement of SEN: This is a document which describes a child's needs and the special provision which will be made to meet those needs.
Transition Plan: If your child has a statement there will need to be careful planning for the move from school to further education or training. This is described in a transition plan, which will begin when your child is in Year 9.
The Council has ten weeks to collect these reports.
During this time you may tell us any relevant information which will help us to gain a picture of what your child finds difficult and how they are best helped to make progress.
Phase 1
When a school or a parent asks the Council to assess a child's educational needs, the Council will write to you to tell you that they are considering this request.
The Council has six weeks to decide whether an assessment is needed.
During this time you may write to the Council to tell us your view about whether an assessment is needed.
Phase 2
If the Council considers that your child's needs should be assessed, we will then write to you again to tell you so. In that letter we will send you a form to help you tell us about your child's needs. We will also send you a form for your child to fill in to tell us their views about what would help them.
At the same time, the Council will also ask the following people for their views about your child's educational needs:
- Your child's school, nursery or playgroup
- An educational psychologist
- A school doctor
- Adult Services (they will only be asked to comment about matters which relate directly to your child's education)
- Any other people who have worked with your child.
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A statement is in 6 sections:
Part 1: Personal details (name, address, parental details);
Part 2: A description of your child's special educational needs, their strengths and difficulties;
Part 3: A description of the special educational provision which will be made to meet the needs described in Part 2. This section will also set out the objectives of the statement. When these objectives have been met, the statement will normally be withdrawn;
Part 4: This section names the school your child should attend;
Part 5: A description of any non-educational needs (eg medical, therapy or social needs, but not usually speech therapy);
Part 6: This section sets out the provision which will be made to meet the non-educational needs described in Part 5.
Phase 3
When all the reports have been collected, they are considered by a panel of people which includes:
- Two senior managers from schools
- The SEN Service Unit Manager
- The Principal Educational Psychologist
- An Education Officer
- Your child's Named Officer.
This panel considers:
- Whether the Council should issue a statement of SEN for your child;
- What that statement should provide.
If all the reports are clear and in agreement, the Council will write and tell you the outcome. You will either receive a proposed statement for your child, or a letter to tell you why the Council has decided not to issue a statement.
The Council has two weeks to do this.
You can appeal if:
- You or your child's school have asked for an assessment and the Council has refused.
- The Council has decided not to issue a statement and you do not agree.
- The Council has issued a statement but you do not agree with what has been written in Parts 2 or 3, or the name of the school in Part 4.
- You have asked the Council to change your child's statement and this request has been refused.
Parents, schools and the Council also have access to a Disagreement Resolution Service. This service provides an independent person who will aim to help the parties reach an agreement. If you decide to use the Disagreement Resolution Service you may also go to the Tribunal at the same time.
The Disagreement Resolution Service which Tameside Council uses is run by the Boys and Girls Welfare Society.
If you would like more information about Disagreement Resolution, please contact Claire Bibby on 0161 342 3822.
Phase 4
We hope that you will be satisfied with the outcome of the assessment.
If the Council has issued a statement and you agree with the contents, we will finalise the statement. This means that your child's school will receive a copy. The statement will then run for a year, after which your child's needs and progress will be reviewed.
You may discuss the proposed statement with the Named Officer. The Council has eight weeks to agree the proposed statement with you before finalising it.
Words you may see in reports:
Annual review: Every year your child's progress will be checked. You will be invited to this meeting. It is important that you attend. A report is produced. You will receive a copy.
SEN Code of Practice: This guide tells Councils and schools how to organise help for children and young people with SEN. It is issued by the Department for Education and Skills.
Individual Education Plan: This specifies what your child's targets are for the next period (usually six months), and what will be done by the school, you and your child to meet those targets.
Inclusion: This term means meeting a range of needs in one school. The Council has issued a policy statement called 'Inclusion: a statement of intent' which describes what the Council will do to promote inclusion. The Council aims to help schools meet the needs of as many children as possible in their local school.
What if I am Unhappy with the Outcome?
If you are not happy with what is happening at any stage, you should contact your Named Officer.
You may also contact the Parent Partnership Service.
If you do not agree with the wording of a statement please phone or write to us. Your Named Officer will meet you to discuss this. Very often, these difficulties can be resolved quite easily.
If you do not agree with the outcome of an assessment please contact us to discuss this. Your Named Officer will meet you to explain exactly how the decision has been taken.
If we have met with you and you are still not in agreement you have the right to appeal to an independent Tribunal, called the SEN and Disability Tribunal. You can get information about this tribunal from us, from the Parent Partnership Service or directly from the Tribunal Office.
If the reports are not in agreement, or if the panel is not clear about what should happen, the Named Officer will invite all those who have given advice to a meeting to discuss this. You will be invited to this meeting.
Following this meeting, the Council will either decide to issue a proposed statement or will write and tell you why a statement will not be issued.
To decide whether a statement should be issued, the Council uses a document called 'Matching Provision to Needs'. This describes the arrangements agreed between the Council and its schools.
Web Addresses for Tameside Documents
Useful Addresses
SEN Code of Practice available from:
DfES Publications, PO Box 5050, Sherwood Park, Annesley, Nottinghamshire, NG15 0DJ
0845 60 222 60
dfes@prolog.uk.com
SEN and Disability Tribunal available from:
Mowden Hall, Staindrop Road, Darlington, DL3 9BG
0870 241 2555
sendistqueries@tribunals.gsi.gov.uk
There are four Assistant Education Officers who work in the SEN Service Unit. One of them will be the Named Officer for your child's assessment.
Your Named Officer will be:
- Sue Cooley - 0161 342 2207, if your child’s school or nursery is in Stalybridge, Hyde or Hattersley (Secondary)
- Andree Hughes - 0161 342 3217, if your child’s school or nursery is in Longdendale, Dukinfield, Audenshaw, Mossley or Hattersley (Primary Only)
- Linda Humphreys - 0161 342 2604, if your child’s school or nursery is in Ashton or Droylsden
- Diane Lee - 0161 342 2876, if your child’s school or nursery is in Denton
If your child is not in a Tameside school, your Named Officer is the person who covers the area where you live.
If your child has special educational needs you are also able to contact the Parent Partnership Service for independent advice and support about the SEN process - 0161 342 3383.
Commonly Used Abbreviations
- AEO - Assistant Education Officer
- EBD - Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties
- EP - Educational Psychologist
- EWO - Education Welfare Officer
- HI - Hearing Impaired
- IEP - Individual Education Plan
- LEA - Local Education Authority
- MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
- PRU - Pupil Referral Unit
- SEN - Special Educational Needs
- SENCO - SEN CO-ordinator
- SLD - Severe Learning Difficulties
- SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulties
- VI - Visually Impaired
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 Parent Partnership Service Tameside MBC Council Offices Wellington Road Ashton under Lyne Lancs OL6 6DL View local map 
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 0161 342 3383
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 0161 342 3305
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