Statement of special educational needs
What is a statement of special educational needs?
Only a small percentage of children with special needs require a statutory assessment and a statement. A statement will describe all your child's special educational needs and the special help your child should receive. The Local Authority will usually make a statement if they decide that all the special help your child needs cannot be provided from within the resources of the school/setting. These resources could include money, staff time and special equipment.
A statement includes information about:
- details of all your child's special educational needs as identified in the statutory assessment advice
- all the special help that the Local Authority thinks your child should get to help meet these needs
- the long-term aims and the arrangements for setting short-term goals, regularly reviewing your child's progress towards those goals and how your child's progress is to be monitored
- the school/setting your child will go to to get the special help they need
- any non-educational needs your child has, as agreed between the Local Authority and the health services, social services and other agencies
- how your child will get help to meet the non-educational needs
Once the assessment is complete, and if the Local Authority decides to issue a Statement, you will receive a Proposed Statement of Special Educational Needs along with a copy of all the advice collected as part of the assessment. The Statement sets out your child's needs and the provision to meet those needs. The school/setting placement is not written in the Proposed Statement but this does not necessarily mean that your child will not continue at their current school or setting.
If the Local Authority decides not to issue a statement of special educational needs after carrying out an assessment, a Note-in-Lieu will be written along with the reasons why a statement is not being issued.
You can make any representation to the Local Authority regarding the Proposed Statement, following which the Local Authority will confirm or amend the Proposed Statement and then issue the Final Statement. You should receive the Final Statement within eight weeks of receiving the Proposed Statement. A copy will also be sent to the Head Teacher of the school/setting your child is attending or about to attend.
Following discussions with the Inclusion and Statutory Assessment Service, if you are not happy with the Final Statement or the decision not to issue a Statement, you have the right to appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST). Information relating to your right of appeal will be included in the information sent with the Local Authority's decision letter.