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Statutory assessment

Statement of Special Educational Needs

A Statement of Special Educational Needs is a legal document the authority may produce following a statutory assessment of your child’s special educational needs.

What is a statement of Special Educational Needs?

A statement is set out in six parts:

Part 1 – Introduction:

• The child’s name, address and date of birth.
• The child’s home language and religion.
• The names and address(es) of the child’s parents/carers.

Part 2 – Special Educational Needs

The details of the special needs identified from the assessment.

Part 3 – Special Educational Provision

The specific help which will be made available to meet your child’s special educational needs.

• The objectives the provision should aim to meet.
• The provision the authority consider appropriate to meet the needs specified in Part 2 and to meet the specified objectives.
• The arrangements for monitoring progress and for meeting the objectives.

Part 4 – Placement

The name of the school where the provision specified in Part 3 is to be made or the arrangements for the education to be made otherwise than in school.

Part 5 – Non-Educational Needs

All relevant non-educational needs of your child as agreed between other agencies and the authority, eg Health Services or Social Services.

Part 6 – Non-Educational Provision

Details of the non-educational provision which will be made to meet the non-educational needs as stated in Part 5.

The Proposed Statement and Parental Notice - how you can respond

If a Statement of Special Educational Needs is issued, then you will be sent a Proposed Statement. All sections will be completed except Part 4 (the named school), which will be left blank. Along with the copy of the Proposed Statement, you will receive a letter and a Parental Notice from the local authority advising you how your views can be made known on the Proposed Statement before a Final Statement is issued.

• Details of all LEA mainstream and special schools in the area are available if required, as are details of all non-maintained and independent schools, approved by the Secretary of State for Education as suitable for pupils with Special Educational Needs.
• You as parent/carer have a right to express a preference for the local authority maintained school you would want your child to attend. This may be the school your child is already attending, if you are not wanting to request a transfer to a more appropriate setting.
• You may wish to visit schools in order to familiarise yourself with the provision made in Calderdale. You have 15 days to make any comments and express your preference for the school you want your child to attend. If you decide not to make a preference the authority will make the decision on which school to name in Part 4 of the statement.

The authority will usually agree with your preference providing:

• The school you choose is suitable for your child’s age, ability, aptitude and special educational needs.
• Your child’s attendance at the school will not affect the efficient education of other pupils already at the school.
• Placing your child in the school will be an efficient use of resources.

Advice and guidance

You may seek a place at a non-maintained or independent school outside of Calderdale, although the authority is not obliged to fund a place in one of these schools as we normally try to make provision for children in one of our own schools.

Deciding which school you would prefer your child to attend is very important and we will be pleased to talk to you and provide you with additional information to assist you with making your decision.

Alternatively you can contact either the Parent Partnership Service on 01422 392695, or The Yorkshire and Humberside SEN Mediation Service on 0800 9530662, who will be pleased to help. The services are provided free of charge to the user.

Final Statement

The authority will usually issue a Final Statement within eight weeks of the Proposed Statement date. You will be informed of your rights of appeal against the authority if you do not agree with the final statement. The appeal would be to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST); this is an independent body.

An assessment should not take longer than 26 weeks. The guidelines for timescales are detailed in the literature sent to parents at the start of the process.

The authority must consider parental representations and arrange any meeting(s) you request before issuing the final statement. Please remember if you do not wish to speak to an officer of the authority, the Parent Partnership Service or the Yorkshire and Humberside Mediation Service are there to help.

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