Is it possible to take less than 6mths?

[justine1]

Hi

I got confirmation that they are going ahead with the stat assesment for Sam.I am a little worried,I have known for awhile that it will take 26 weeks but now I am hoping it wont take as long,because of the fact it will be summer holidays in 14 weeks.

 

What will I do if he only gets it after the holidays,I cant face sending him back to his current school and I cant look after him.Just feel a little low right now

[Suze]

Gosh is that how long it is supposed to take now???...........we did it about 7 yrs ago and it took about 3 mnths I think...could be wrong though it was long ago and the bad memories lay hidden

[bensmum2]

Hi , i dont want to make you feel any worse, i am going through a low point myself at the moment, but i actually applied for my sons statement in April 2009 and it took a full 12 months before i had a finalised statment. I am now having to appeal as he was so ill at mainstream school i had to deregister him and home school at the moment, but even after a statement they are trying to send him back to mainstream, they say now he will be getting help to cope he will be ok and he is going in year 10 in september and i still dont know if he will have a suitable school by then. The actual assessments for my son were done in just over 11 weeks in the end, but thejn they have so long to send the proposed statement then if you ask for changes they send another proposed ,then a final statement , and they are allowed so many weeks in between each stage. I have today at last sent my appeal to SEND they send it to the LEA who then have a number of weeks to respond again and so on. I hope it goes well for you i really do, just be prepared if they delay as much as they can, i even tried complaining about the length my sons took, but they said it doesnt count from when i first asked them as they refused to assess, it only counts from when they agreed to assess which was 6 months later!!

[Kathryn]

Hiya Justine,

 

Great news about the assessment.

 

The 26 weeks includes the 6 week period from the time they get the initial request to assess (from the parent or school), to the time they make the decision to do it. So you can subtract 6 weeks, which means you should expect the final statement after 20 weeks from now - not much consolation, but a bit shorter.

 

If the LA agree to issue a statement, they have a limit of 8 weeks to finalise the statement - this doesn't mean they have to take 8 weeks to do it. But as Bensmum and others have found, this process is often subject to frustrating delays. Even if the process is completed in the shortest possible time and assuming everything goes smoothly and they do agree to the statement, you won't get it before the holidays, I'm afraid.

 

K x

 

 

[JsMum]

Be careful that you dont give the impression you are eager to recieve the statement as soon as possible either because thats how you end up singing a statement that isnt that good, I was soo shocked and desperate to get Js statement that I excepted first draft in the early days, looking at it now it wasnt adequate to meet his sen and we had to then battle years down the line to get a statement that reflected his REAL needs, lets just say its a few more A4 pages longer, and has whole new compartments in it because we missed out things like Social, Communication, Speech and Language needs.

 

Dont be in too much of rush that it ends up been a crappy statement, it is far better for it to take a few more months but have a strong statement in place with the right support specified and quantified other things done tightly.

 

So my advise is it takes as long as takes to ensure it reflects your sons needs and support, that may take four or five drafts before been finalisied, if it is your looking at a specialist school for your son then it is very probable a tribunal is to be expected, with evidence that his needs are not met in mainstream school or any other school they may offer but doesnt meet his needs.

 

It took J until yr 7 to get it right, he was assessed in 2005 if only I wasnt in such a rush to get his first statement we might of not been in that situation.

 

Ensure you get specialist support via NAS and other organisations such as Contact A family.

 

JsMumxxx

 

Edited April 14, 2010 by JsMum

[justine1]

Thank you all so much for your comments <'> <'>

I am not impatient and dont have any problem with waiting especially if it means getting him into the right school in the end.My major issue is the school he is at is completely unsuitable and has missed more school this year then the two previous years put together.He is also dreadfully unhappy.

 

Since being on holiday he has put on weight because he is so relaxed,he goes out to play for most of the day and comes home in the evening so hungry that he eats anything.It makes me so happy He has also started walking to the corner shop with his brother,which he would never do before.He has been reading and writing to.I just know when he returns we will be taking a giant step back!

 

I have sent emails out to a few schools,one school in particular does accept certain pupils whilst going through the statement process,I know that his current school and his paed will back up the decision to go to special school,so trying to take a chance.I dont want him changing schools until september anyway but dont want him to go back to him current school after summer and then go to another school after two months that will be hard.His older brother changes to middle school in september so I feel if he changes school at the same time the transition will be easier.

 

I will live in hope but realise it will take a long time.Thank you everyone your comments have actually made me feel better.

[bensmum2]

[Hi Justine, just posting on here and getting such supportive replies really does help. 2 days ago i posted that i was ready to give up my appeal as i felt so down and didn't think i had a chance of winning, The supportive comments really got me over that glitch and i finished all my paperwork and posted my appeal this afternoon, i still don't think it's a really strong case, promised camhs letters still haven't arrived , but i have at least registered my appeal now and hopefully can get some supportive letters or reports whilst i am waiting for the appeal date. iT really helps to know you are not alone and others are there with support and hlpful suggestions when you need them most, Take care and good luck x

[JsMum]

[Hi Justine, just posting on here and getting such supportive replies really does help. 2 days ago i posted that i was ready to give up my appeal as i felt so down and didn't think i had a chance of winning, The supportive comments really got me over that glitch and i finished all my paperwork and posted my appeal this afternoon, i still don't think it's a really strong case, promised camhs letters still haven't arrived , but i have at least registered my appeal now and hopefully can get some supportive letters or reports whilst i am waiting for the appeal date. iT really helps to know you are not alone and others are there with support and hlpful suggestions when you need them most, Take care and good luck x

Well done Bensmum2, it is such a reliefe to hear you are going to tribunal, and like you say take what you have, by going you have a bigger chance than not going and giving up to secure a better educational support.

 

Can I say I did get supportive letter from Gp and CAHMS but the LEA still insisted we went to Tribunal, so it is possible that you still have to go, lets just say a week before the date, the LEA agreed to EVERYTHING and MORE to Js statement changes, sometimes you have to go all the way, but never give up, I too recieved fantastic support from Kathryn, Flora, Bid, and lots more on the forum so you know you can come here for support.

 

Goodluck BensMum with the process of SEND, its not easy but at least your still fighting back!

 

JsMumxxx