statement-part 3

[lisa35]

how specific should this be, in relation to the Cumminicaton aspect Im worrying cos we ve signed and now worried its too vague, the lea are saying that the school dont need extra funding for the speech and language tehrapy

It says-

A structured programme,developed in collaberation with Speech Therapist to dvelop expressive/receptive communication

Small group and 1;1 activities to develop pragmatics of language

small group activities to develop/ practice sociall communication skills

positive models of successful/social communication

 

LThanks

Lisa

[Kathryn]

It should be much more specific than this in terms of frequency and duration - there is nothing legally enforceable here. According to this, provision could be anything from 0 hours a week upwards.

 

For starters, you need to know:

 

How often weekly and for how long will the 1 - 1 activities be delivered?

For both the pragmatics and social communication activities, how often weekly and for how long will the small group activities be delivered, and what is the maximum size of the group?

Who will deliver the programme?

What are the arrangements for monitoring by a qualified Salt ?

 

The new school can help tighten this bit up: If they are saying he should get 1- 2 hours a week, ask them how this would be structured. What do other children at the school usually get? This will give you a clear idea of what should be in the statement.

 

Also look at part 2 of the statement - are his S and L needs clearly described: is enough emphasis given to his language and communication difficulties? Look back at any reports? Does this bit of part 2 accurately reflect what the professionals have said? Getting part 2 right makes it easier to argue for the corresponding provision in part 3.

 

Don't worry about having signed anything. You've done nothing which is legally binding, and you've probably speeded up the process of getting the statement finalised so that you can get into an appeal situation - so far so good.

 

K x