URGENT!! Need new Statementing system in Herts explained, please.

[bid]

Hi all,

 

I'm supporting a friend in a meeting tomorrow, but I know the whole Statementing system in Hertfordshire has changed/is changing.

 

Please can someone explain the new system to me, as my DS was Statemented under the old system, and left school two years ago anyway.

 

Many thanks.

 

Bid

Edited April 17, 2008 by bid

[BusyLizzie100]

Please can someone explain the new system to me, as my DS was Statemented under the old system, and left school two years ago anyway.

 

Hi Bid (fellow Herts person),

 

In principle the Statementing system hasn't changed, but the way the funds are delivered has, which inevitably has a knock-on effect on the Statementing.

 

In principle you can still ask for statutory assessment in the usual way, be assessed and a Statement written. But the wording of the provision in terms of how many hours has changed, and seems to vary from one case to another.

 

For example, DS2's original Statement said:

"This provision will be made by school using its existing resources supplemented by extra funding from the Authority equivalent to 12 hours per week additional teaching assistant support."

 

When it was amended after the delegated funding was introduced, it read:

"This provision will be made by school using its existing resources, that is 12 hours per week additional teaching assistant support." But at the same time, a friend received her son's new Statement with NO hours specified. She has been told verbally, and school is working on the basis, that he is entitled to 9 hours support a week, which has to come out of the school's SEN budget. However, it is more or less up to the school how they use their budget, for example, they may give a child 2 hours of support one week and 10 the next, or it may be administered through groups if 1:1 is not specified.

 

The notion is that schools now each have an SEN budget that is able to deal with any child, Statemented or otherwise, who receive 15 hours or less of support a week. There is no Earmarked Pupil Funding any more. Children who get more than 15 hours of (Statemented) support a week are said to have 'Exceptional Needs'. Since the start of the new funding, the school can apply for Exceptional Needs status for an individual child through a series of panels, starting at clusters of local schools and going on up to the LEA itself. DS2 got through the first panel but was thrown out at the next stage.

 

Funding for a child with Exceptional Needs comes directly from the LEA, that is, not from the school's budget. This is how it used to be with all funding come through Statements.

The notion is that schools will have bigger SEN budgets now, but in reality many have much less (because of the criteria being used). There are huge implications to this system, as you can imagine. And I hear through the grapevine that not many children with autism get Exceptional Needs status because autism is so much more common now and not particularly 'exceptional'...

 

However, we've just appealed to SENDIST against DS2's amended Statement, and the provision element now reads:

"To support the above aims and implement the above provision, XX will have access to 23 hours per week 1:1 LSA support. The head will employ a LSA for an additional one hour per week to allow the regular LSA to undergo additional training... Total individual LSA support time = 24 hours."

It is presumed that my son now has Exceptional Needs, and the head is expecting a big cheque to be able to support him!!

 

BTW, you can still apply for stat assess etc even though you don't expect to get Exceptional Needs - it may not change the school's budget, but a Statement is still a legal document and will still detail a child's SEN (Part 2) and the provision required (Part 3). And of course the school (Part 4).

 

Does that help at all??!! Sorry if I've gone off on the wrong tack, but if I can answer any other questions, feel free to PM me.

 

Lizzie xxxx

Edited April 17, 2008 by BusyLizzie100

[bid]

That's brilliant, BL...thanks so much!

 

Bid

[mum22boys]

M's school applied for exceptional needs funding for him. It was turned down at district level because as his teacher put it 'kids with autism don't get exceptional needs funding!!!' Seems to sum up the Hertfordshire funding system nicely doesn't it.

 

As for statements because they don't tend to put hours on statements or allocate extra money, as the school is expected to fund this from their standard SEN budget it seems our schools Head is of the opinion statements are worthless. She is reluctent to even bother applying for statutory assessment. Yes I know I could apply , but the way she works if I did this and it wasn't 'her idea' she wouldn't back me but just make it 10 times more difficult for us. So if you ask me the whole system sucks!!!! The Head will only bother to apply for stat assessment so we can try to get him into special school when he gets to the end of primary school.

 

Why is this made so difficult for us??????

 

mum22boys

[Kathryn]

Nothing much to add to what Lizzie said. It's important for your friend to understand that the law on statementing hasn't changed - it's the same as it was when you were going through it. In practice though, it's becoming more difficult to get a statutory assessment and statement.

 

With so many Herts schools having had their SEN budgets cut, the funding just isn't in the schools to support the children who need it, and so it's becoming more still very much worth pushing for a statement, appealing if necessary - and not listening to the powers who tell you that no more statements are being issued.

 

But you know all this already, you were the one who introduced me to the dark side!

 

If you're burning to read more, I can provide links to SEN docs if you want them

 

K x

[bid]

Thanks Kathryn

 

Bid

[BusyLizzie100]

That's brilliant, BL...thanks so much!

 

Bid

 

Happy to be able to help!

 

Just wanted to emphasise the complete turnabout that the LEA has made v recently regarding our son - arguing right up until days before the tribunal that his needs were being adequately met, and then turning around and agreeing to 90% of what we were asking for. They even ADDED OT - the cynic in me says it was to buy me off so we would settle before the tribunal - the grapevine has it that this particular LEA is getting a panning at tribunals currently... something about not providing units attached to mainstreams...

 

Wishing you and your friend good luck for tomorrow

 

Lizzie xx