General Information about Special Education Needs
School Guidance Consultancy gives help and guidance to parents who have a child with special educational needs. Assistance is given along every step of the way towards the provision of schooling that meets the child’s particular educational needs in mainstream state, independent or special schools. Special Educational Needs - Moving to the UK If you are moving to the UK with a child who has Special Educational Needs (SEN) you will already be well aware of the need to plan well in advance. Finding schools in a country with an unfamiliar education system is a difficult task and it can be a particularly daunting and stressful experience if you have a child with a Special Educational Needs. If your child has a mild condition you may be looking for a state school that can give your child the right level of support or an independent mainstream school that has a Learning Support Unit able to deal with your child’s needs. All state schools have to support children with Special Needs, but some do it better than others. Many state schools specialise in particular areas. A number of mainstream independent schools have Learning Support Units and are able to cater for children with specific needs such Dyslexia, Aspergers or Attention Deficit Disorder. Families moving to a new area or relocating to the UK to work often need help if they have a child with SEN. If the child’s special needs are mild and he or she does not need a statement, mainstream state or independent schools will be identified that will provide the right environment for the child. If a child already has a statement and is moving to another area the Local Authority in the new area will need to reassess the child for a new statement. If a family is moving to the UK with a child who has special needs, School Guidance can help with the statementing process. Please be aware that it can take up to six months or even longer for a child to be granted a statement in a new area. A child will not be given a place at a special school until a statement has been issued. Children with mild SEN at state schools are supported within the school environment by being placed on the SEN register under the heading “Action” or “Action Plus”. “Action” involves in-house support provided by the school whereas “Action Plus” involves the use of outside agencies such as a child psychologist. Children who have more complex learning difficulties that cannot be met by “Action” and “Action Plus” may need to be statemented. A statement releases additional funding to provide the extra help and facilities needed to enable the child to access the National Curriculum at the appropriate level for the child. If a child is working at a level several years below his or her peers a Statement may fund a place for a child at a Special Needs School. Statements are issued by the Special Needs Education Department of the Local Authority . Parents have the right to request statutory assessment for a statement at any time providing an assessment has not been carried out in the last 6 months. When this happens the Local Authority would normally write to the school that the child attends to assess what action they have already taken. The Local Authority can refuse to assess if they feel the child is still at “Action or “Action plus” and the school has further strategies to explore. Parents have the right to appeal to an Independent SEND Tribunal if they are unhappy with the Local Authority’s decision. If the Local Authority agrees to issue a statement, the process can take up to 6 months. If you are moving to the UK the statementing process will not usually start until the child has moved into the area. The child will be assessed to establish the level of need. If however, after assessment, the Local Authority believes the child’s needs can be met within the environment of a mainstream state school, a Note in Lieu will be issued. A Note in Lieu describes the child’s Special Educational Needs and explains why the Local Authority does not think it necessary to make a statement. The Note makes recommendations about the appropriate provision for the child within the school. Parents can appeal against this decision through the SEND Tribunal. The Local Authority has 10 weeks from the day an assessment is initiated to decide whether or not to issue a statement. If the Local Authority decides to issue one, then it has a further 2 weeks to draft it. The final statement can be issued up to 8 weeks later depending on parental response. The whole process should take no more than 26 weeks or 6 months. If the Local Authority decides to issue a statement it first does so in draft form to allow parents and agencies time to query the document and seek amendments to it. When the parents have agreed the draft the final statement is issued naming the suitable educational placement for the child concerned. The school will normally have already been agreed with the parents. Occasionally the school named is disputed and an appeal to the SEND Tribunal is again available. If the parents want to send their child to an expensive Special Needs school, a maintained school in a different Local Authority, or to a school which is already full the LA can refuse to accept the parent’s choice. The Local Authority only has a duty to send a child to a school that will cater for the child’s SEN, not to send the child to the school best suited to the child’s needs. The parents naturally want their child to go to the best school, and this is often the reason for bringing an appeal to the SEND Tribunal about the Naming of the School. Once a child has a statement the school named on the statement has a statutory duty to provide for the child’s needs as outlined in the statement. It will depend on an individual Local Authority’s funding schemes whether the school will receive additional funding to meet these needs. The statement means the Local Authority is responsible for the all the child’s school placements until he/she leaves the school system or is deemed to no longer require a statement. If your child has special education needs it is important to highlight them when you talk to and visit independent mainstream schools. Schools do not like it if they only find out, after the place has been offered and accepted that a child has special needs. Places have been known to be withdrawn in these circumstances. If a school thinks they might be the right place for your child they will want to see your child’s latest Child Psychologist report, latest school report and their IEP (Individual Education Plan). Most special needs children are now educated in mainstream schools. According to OFSTED, (Office for Standards in Education, the body that inspects all state and some independent schools) "a minority of mainstream schools treat special needs very well." One of the worst aspects of special education, according to the Audit Commission, is the fluctuation of provision around the country, with currently virtually no central monitoring of children's performance, spending or teacher training. It all adds up to a worrying situation for any parent, especially one having to relocate and face what could appear to be an overwhelmingly complicated system. School Guidance helps parents find their way through this system and works with the parents to identify the educational solution which best suits their child’s specific needs. SOME QUESTIONS TO SCHOOLS ABOUT SEN PROVISION
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Penny Bysshe.
School Guidance Consultancy Orchard House, High Road, Cookham, Berkshire SL6 9JT Tel. +44 (0)1628 810696. Email. consult@school-guidance.co.uk |
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