Secondary Transfer Annual Review

[fiorelli]

L is in year 5, will be in year 6 in September, will start secondary in 2010.

 

I recieved a letter from the LA today, I am now officially freaked and don't feel like I have the time to look properly!

 

As you may already be aware, ... the Local Education Authority (LEA) is require to amend the statement by 15th February 2010. The amendment to the statement will reflet the pupil's new placement from September 2010.

 

In order that the process can be completed by this day, the SEN Service needs to begin planning for this as soon as possible. ...

 

I have written to (school), explaining that the AR ... should be held in the summer term 2009. Transfer to secondary shcool should be fully discussed ... and recommendations made to the LEA accordingly.

 

If specialist provision ....

 

If placement in a mainstream ...

 

The evidence provided for the review will be used to write the amended (updated) statement. Proposed amended statements to reflect the change of school placement will be issued to parents from September 2009 onwards.

 

You should be aware that the CC normally only provide free transport ....

 

[Sally44]

Use the helplines and educational advisors and the tribunal service if required from the National Autistic Society.

Moving to secondary school is a big jump.

You need to consider the type of school your child is in and whether it is working and you are happy with the level of support she currently receives.

What are the options of secondary schools that you feel would meet her needs in your area.

What school is the LEA proposing to name as the placement?

If you feel that none of the schools will meet her needs you can get advice from the NAS. If you can prove that another school is the only one that can meet her needs then you can go to tribunal to get that placement and the LEA will have to pay for transport and pay any fees.

Things to consider is whether a school goes post 17, does it include any life skills training etc.

Do you have any concerns about issues you would want professionals to look at an address to be included in the Statement at Annual Review? If so write them a letter asking them to look at this need and to make recommendations that can be included at the Annual Review.

Does your child receive input from a SALT. If so she may lose that support at secondary age, check that. If she will loose it, ask the SALT if they consider she has any speech disorder (eg. check Semantic Pragmatic Speech Disorder). A child that has a speech disorder cannot be discharged from SALT because a disorder is for life. A child with a diagnosis of 'delay' can be dropped at any time it is felt the child is doing okay.

Also get in touch with your Parent Partnership so that they can explain and talk you through anything you are unsure about.

But don't forget the NAS they do have specialists that can help in exactly these situations.

[Karen A]

L is in year 5, will be in year 6 in September, will start secondary in 2010.

 

I recieved a letter from the LA today, I am now officially freaked and don't feel like I have the time to look properly!

 

 

 

 

Hi.Please don't be freaked.You are fortunate that the LEA is organised.They need to plan ahead in order to have Statements amended in time for the February deadline.I would think that at this stage the LEA will be looking for general recommendations regarding the type of placement.In my area the date for submision for the transfer application was in about October so I would think you should have a while to consider options.

I will find the NAS transition info for you.It is very good.Karen.

 

[Karen A]

Hi again.I have read the letter again.I think it is worth phoning the LEA to clarify the situation.Tell them that you do not feel you have enough time to consider options in order to meet the deadline for proposed amended Statements in September.I am confused.In my area the proposed amended Statements were issued on mass on the 15th February.I cannot understand how the situation might occur where parents of children with Statements are notified regarding the choice of school before most parents have even applied. In my area it is also the norm to notify all parents of children with Statents re the school to be named on the same day rather than by sending out proposed statements as they are agreed by the panel.

Please don't worry too much.Ben is in year 6 this year.We did not even have an AS dx until October. Karen.

[Karen A]

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1763&a=6741

This may be helpful.

[Karen A]

http://www.ace-ed.org.uk/advice-about-educ...ual-reviews.htm

This one too.

[Karen A]

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1068&a=3359

....and this one.

[Sally44]

To: Karen A

Those are useful links.

Don't you think that all parents of children with an ASD should get a 'Degree' certificate in 'Government and Local Authority Educational Systems'. It amazes me that parents are somehow supposed to amass all this information. When my son got a diagnosis two years ago I just got an A5 handout!! But my experience of the NAS has been amazing. I'm going to a training day about the SEN process (to prepare for Annual Review), organised by the Parent Partnership.

 

 

[Karen A]

To: Karen A

Those are useful links.

Don't you think that all parents of children with an ASD should get a 'Degree' certificate in 'Government and Local Authority Educational Systems'. It amazes me that parents are somehow supposed to amass all this information. When my son got a diagnosis two years ago I just got an A5 handout!! But my experience of the NAS has been amazing. I'm going to a training day about the SEN process (to prepare for Annual Review), organised by the Parent Partnership.

 

Three years ago I knew very little.A teacher at my son's school who has a son with AS was brave enough to say that she thought Ben was rather like her son.The rest is a very long story but Ben was finally dx AS last October.We did not even get the A5 handout......

When I joined the Forum I knew very little.Others here pointed me in the right direction.

I don't know of an establishment that would award the certificate.....Local Authorities and schools do not always reward those who are well informed.

For me obtaining DLA for Ben last week having been informed by CAMHS that he would not qualify is reward enogh.

 

[Sally44]

I started to have concerned with my own son at age 3+. I raised concerns with the Health Visitor and with my local GP and was fobbed off by both. The GP told me that school would raise any issues if there were any. Well they did when he was 6 months into reception year. And for so long you just trust and believe everything you are told and you think everyone is working for the benefit of your son. Then slowly you see that actually nothing is happening, and no one is doing anything, and everyone is just trying to stall you for as long as possible before you apply for a Statement. I could write a book on the things that have been said and done to me and my son by the LEA and their professionals and his previous school. Unbelieveable stuff.

It seems that parents experience of the Parent Partnership is very variable. Mine was quite good, but not proactive. However they were useful as they always took notes of meetings and always confirmed what had been said to me. But the best was the NAS. I found their educational advisor a bit militant at first, because she was so forceful. But when I looked into it I found out that she was 100% correct and I had been fed the lies. For a while is almost seemed like a parallel universe were the LEA/School/NHS were saying things were not and could not happen because of XYZ, and my solicitor was telling me that everything they were saying was irrelevant because BY LAW they had to comply. I had been sent for years jumping through hoops and assessments and processes and targets and staffing difficulties and lack of provision and school not being able to complete paperwork correctly or demonstrate what his needs were etc - for a solicitor to simply cut through all of that so that I could step back and see (through the Code of Practice), that the solicitor was right all along.

When we went to Tribunal the LEA caved in within 5 minutes. The Panel tore the Inclusion Officer to shreds and told them "we are not interested in anything you have to say other than you are willing to comply by the Code of Practice otherwise we will make an award". We went into a separate room where the LEA agreed to everything. In the end we didn't even go through the Tribunal process. So it is always worth calling their bluff, you have nothing to lose.

I have also been told by another parent that if you do go to tribunal, and it goes against you and you appeal, that from that stage onwards your legal fees are paid because the appeal is for your child and children don't have to pay for legal services. I know of a couple of mothers who have gone all the way and have won a private education for their child. At one appeal the panel decided it was a better use of resources to spend some money now on the child (in a private school) to ensure he was more independent later in life and need less money spending on him as an adult.

 

[Kazzen161]

Hi again.I have read the letter again.I think it is worth phoning the LEA to clarify the situation.Tell them that you do not feel you have enough time to consider options in order to meet the deadline for proposed amended Statements in September.I am confused.In my area the proposed amended Statements were issued on mass on the 15th February.I cannot understand how the situation might occur where parents of children with Statements are notified regarding the choice of school before most parents have even applied. In my area it is also the norm to notify all parents of children with Statents re the school to be named on the same day rather than by sending out proposed statements as they are agreed by the panel.

Please don't worry too much.Ben is in year 6 this year.We did not even have an AS dx until October. Karen.

 

Fiorelli's CC works differently. It is good that they are keen to start the process early (Fiorelli will most likely be looking for an independent specialist residential school). Places are taken early, so it pays to get in quick. Once the place is agreed, there is no point in waiting to amend the Statement (it says "from September onwards" not IN September). Statemented children get priority for mainstream school places, so why should they not be told straight away what school is named? If they are not told til Feb 15th, there is little time to appeal against the school named if it is necessary.

 

We started discussing secondary schools with the LA in July of Year 5, and it was only finally agreed in the June of Year 6!

 

 

[Karen A]

Fiorelli's CC works differently. It is good that they are keen to start the process early (Fiorelli will most likely be looking for an independent specialist residential school). Places are taken early, so it pays to get in quick. Once the place is agreed, there is no point in waiting to amend the Statement (it says "from September onwards" not IN September). Statemented children get priority for mainstream school places, so why should they not be told straight away what school is named? If they are not told til Feb 15th, there is little time to appeal against the school named if it is necessary.

 

We started discussing secondary schools with the LA in July of Year 5, and it was only finally agreed in the June of Year 6!

 

Thanks.I did not know that Fiorelli is likely to be looking for an independent specialist school.It is an area I am ill equipped to advise on. Karen.