What is a Statement?
After the assessment the Local Authority may decide to write down all the information they have collected in a document called a Statement of Special Educational Needs.
A Statement will describe all your child’s special educational needs, and the special help they should receive. A copy of the Statement would be sent to you and you would be given time to provide your views before it was finalised.
What is a Statement of Special Educational Needs?
A statement of special educational needs describes all of a child's particular special educational needs and the provision which should be put in place to meet those needs.
The statement of special educational needs is set out in 6 parts, which are as follows:
Part 1
Sets out the child’s basic details, such as the name, date of birth, address and guardian details.
Part 2
Sets out the child’s special educational needs, as a summary of the detail which has been submitted as part of the statutory assessment (the appendices). The detail regarding the child’s special educational needs are set out under four headings in this section, which are as follows:
- Sensory and/or physical
- Emotional, social and behavioural
- Cognition and learning
- Communication and interaction
Part 3a
Sets out the educational objectives for the child, which are based on the special educational needs as set out in Part 2.
Part 3b
Sets out the provision to be made by the school, the local authority and the local health service to meet the educational objectives set out in part 3a.
Part 4
Describes the school the child should attend.
Part 5
Sets out the child’s non-educational needs, as a summary of the detail which has been submitted as part of the statutory assessment (the appendices), and the non-educational objectives for the child (where possible).
Part 6
Details of the provision required to meet the non-educational needs as set out in part 5.
The Statementing Process
The Local Authority has a period of 2 weeks following the receipt of the statutory assessment advice, in which to decide whether to issue a statement of special educational needs or a note in lieu of a statement of special educational needs, and then to write and issue the document to parents.
The Local Authority will first issue a Proposed Statement of Special Educational Needs. This is a draft version of the final statement of special educational needs, which is issued for parents, schools and relevant agencies to comment upon.
All parties concerned will be permitted 15 days in which to comment on the content of the proposed statement of special educational needs. In addition, parents will be asked to express their preference of school placement (and it is for this reason, that a proposed statement does not name a school in part 4).
Should any part of the statement require amendment following this consultation period, the Local Authority will issue an Amended Proposed Statement, again giving 15 days for comment.
If all parties are satisfied with the content of the proposed statement, the local authority will then issue a Final Statement, which will name the school the child is to attend, in accordance with the provision specified in Part 3b. It is at this point the statement becomes a legal document.
What if I am still not happy with the content of the statement?
If you are still not satisfied with the content of the statement you can speak directly with the Special Educational Needs Team.
You may also wish to access the support of the Parent Partnership Service.
What if my child’s needs significantly change?
During the course of a child’s school career a statement may require numerous modifications, which can be done in one of two ways:
- Amendment to the statement following an annual review.
- A new statement issued following a re-assessment. This process is identical to the initial assessment process
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