If you are reading this page I assume that things are not going well for your child at school.

Getting appropriate provision could well be a struggle and there are many pitfalls. You will certainly need some advice and maybe even someone to represent you. It will be very difficult to fight this battle on your own. You will need to find a local organisation or support group with experience in this area.

EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT

This guide's purpose is just to let you know the kind of thing you are letting yourself in for.

It may well take you a year to get through the process down to the bottom of this page.

The reference for everything to do with this process is the Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs.

We have a page with more detailed advice on school action, school action plus and the statementing process.

You know there is a problem - but how can you prove it?

You need an ASSESSMENT by a CHARTERED PSYCHOLOGIST with experience in special needs.

Chartered Psychologist

This should tell you

• Exactly what the problem is.
• Exactly what your child should be capable of doing given his/her IQ (predicted reading age, spelling age etc)
• What their current abilities are (IQ, reading, spelling age)
• How far behind they are.
• How significant is their difficulty.

The report may also suggest what should be done about the difficulties - but this is an opinion which will vary from psychologist to psychologist.

Tell the psychologist that you want the report for an appeal to the special needs tribunal (more about this later). This should ensure that the report will give you all the information you need.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO TELL THE SCHOOL ANYTHING ABOUT THIS ASSESSMENT IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO.

You may have to show in the future that the school has not been able to meet your child needs. You must keep a written record of exactly what extra help your child is getting:

• How many hours or lessons?
• In which class or group?
• Who else is in the group (other difficulties)?
• Who gives the help (qualified teacher, classroom assistant)?
• Is it shared with anyone else?
• Is it in class help or withdrawal from lessons?
• What is being done? (Maybe he/she is doing exactly the same as was done as last year)
• How much progress has been made?
• Is there a discrepancy between what has been arranged and what is actually happening?
• How long have they been on "action" or "action plus"?

If you get extra lessons from the dyslexia institute etc - you must also keep a record of this.

Try to get everything in writing - it makes things much clearer. Keep a record of each meeting you have - You might have to write a letter after the meeting, quoting what has been said and asking the school to confirm it.

Don't believe anything!

Question everything!

Don't even believe what it says on this web site - check everything out.

If anyone says they can help - ask them to show you how. For example, if you come to interview at our school we would try to teach your child in front of you.

Try try get a document that confirms everything you have been told.

And one more piece of advice - NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give anyone the original of any of your documents. If it gets lost it could have a disastrous affect on your future tribunal

You are bound to need help with this: But this, in a very simple form, is the process.

Write to the education authority (not the school) asking for an assessment with a view to raising a statement of special educational needs.

Hopefully you will get a "statutory assessment" and then a "proposed statement of special educational needs"

If they refuse, you can go to the special needs tribunal to make them assess with a view to raising a statement.

You are going to have to show the tribunal that there is enough evidence (that paperwork you have been collecting, and that assessment you asked to be done as if you were going to tribunal) that your child should be assessed.

If the LEA do an assessment but they refuse to issue a statement, or they give you something called a 'note in lieu of a statement' (which is pretty much the same as refusing) - you can appeal to the special educational needs tribunal to (hopefully) make them issue a statement.

The tribunal will look at the evidence you provide . This time you are going to have to make a case that your child's needs are such that they cannot be met within the school. He or She needs more help!

If you succeed you will get a "draft or proposed statement of special educational needs"

You thought it was bad before - this is worse!

The final statement has got to be right. But you have probably never seen one before so how do you know?

There are many pitfalls - here are just a few of them.

Make sure the statement is precise:

• Exactly how many hours
• With a qualified teacher? or learning support?
• Is it one-to-one or group work?
• What lessons will be missed?

Make sure statement is good enough:

• The provision MUST be better than what you are already getting (remember all that paperwork you have collected).
• You have got to find out exactly what level of provision is needed for YOUR child. (Go to all the possible schools or units in the area. Show them the psychologists report and try to get them to tell you (preferably in writing) what they would need to do to help.)
  Try to get them to show you - is it any different to what you were getting before?

Never accept anything that is vague:

• E.g."Provision at band F" - What is band F? Will it change? Will you find that next year the help disappears?
• Any vagueness could end up in the provision being cut, or shared with other pupils. Your child could lose out.

The Trap:

• Once you have a final statement it is very difficult to get it changed. You may be stuck with something inadequate! Never accept a "trial statement" - they don't exist! You have got to get this right.

Parental preference:

• You can ask for a provision (For example Maple Hayes) to be named in part 4 of the statement. If the statement is for SpLD or dyslexia you should be told about Maple Hayes School - but usually our existence is hidden as a small entry inside a big document listing all DfES approved schools which is given to you with the draft statement.

If you don't get what you want - you will have to appeal to the Special Needs Tribunal

This time you are going to have to PROVE that what the LEA is offering is not good enough for your child's level of difficulty.

AND

That what you are proposing as an alternative - is appropriate AND available. (That could be Maple Hayes School - if your child is dyslexic OR it could be a much higher level of provision in your local school.)

You have what you wanted - A statement of special educational needs. It says

• What the problem is
• What is to be done about it

The authority is now responsible for providing it (and the transport - if necessary). You've just got to make sure it is actually happening.

Guess what - if it isn't happening you can go back to tribunal to make it happen!