teaching assistant??

[claire b]

my son is 4 1/2 and everyone involved with him (teacher senco pediatrician ed phsyc) all agree that he needs a TA with him all day. he looses his temper and lashes out and wont learn of participate in groups, yet Ive been told that in order to get one they need to gather two terms of evidence (which will lead him up to the end of the school year) and then it has to go through various panels and things so it will be October at the earliest but more likey to be in January. Ive now heard that its EXTRA funding theyre applying for and that really they could do it from there present budget... is this true? i cant believe its going to take so long especially bearing in mind yr 1 in september is going to be a massive change from reception and he'll need the most help then not months later!

[Sally44]

You don't have an understanding yet of how the SEN system works. This can take a long time to understand, but the basics are:-

 

Schools have delegated funding from the LA. This usually amounts of 15 hours support per week. But that does not have to be 1:1

 

Some LAs have an additional system whereby the school can apply for extra funding. This would usually go before a Panel for them to agree that. No guarantee the extra funding will be approved.

 

The SEN process is that once a child is identified as having a SEN the school should move them to School Action, then is there is little or no progress the school should move them to School Action Plus. At this stage the school should get advice from the SALT and EP. If it was felt that they needed even more help then a request would be put in for an assessment towards a Statement. The school can apply for it or the parent can. Usually you would need two IEPs (individual education plans) as proof that the child needed even more help to make progress. Children usually have IEPs set by school when they are on School Action Plus.

 

Once you or school request an assessment towards a Statement the LA will ask those involved (speech therapist, educational pscyhologist etc) to assess the child and produce a report. The LA will look at those reports and decide if they need to issue a Statement. A Statement is a legally binding document and the provision detailed in it has to be provided within the school for the child. It is for those children whose needs cannot be met by the delegated funding. It takes 26 weeks from the start to finish. And many parents end up going to appeal at the finish because the LA does not produce a legally binding document.

 

So, yes it does take a long time.

 

If everyone in school is saying that he needs full time 1:1 then are they going to put in an application for a Statutory Assessment towards a Statement and they are saying they need to wait two terms (for two IEPs)?

[Kathryn]

Hi Claire,

 

It's unlikely that any school would have the budget to provide full time 1-1 support and it's therefore likely that a statement would be necessary to bring in the extra funding.

 

The statementing process does take a long time as Sally says. The more evidence there is of your son's difficulties the better, but the school don't have to wait two terms before starting the process.

 

In fact you can request a statutory assessment yourself if you feel things are moving too slowly. A statutory assessment is the first step to getting a statement and a request will start the process off. It's a good idea to tell the school what you're doing and to ask them to support you, but you don't need their permission.

 

Have a look at the booklet below which explains more about the process:

 

http://www.ace-ed.org.uk/Resources/ACE/advice%20booklets/Asking-Statutory-Assessment-Sep09LR.pdf

 

K x

Edited April 8, 2011 by Kathryn

[claire b]

he is already school action plus as far as I know and the statement process has already started, from what I understand the deputy head is writing up his report. I don't know about the statutory assessment but his ed psyc has written several reports on him. Thanks maybe that's why they have to go through this as 15 hours wouldn't be enough, but to be honest would be better then nothing right now, his teacher and the classroom TA's are really struggling apparently ( also there are 30 kids in his class)

 

we have been told that they have to have two full terms of evidence (which takes roughly 26 weeks with holidays wouldn't it?) and then they send it to panel which again can take months? I really don't understand this process think I need to do some research lol

[Sally44]

As part of the Statementing process the school should detail what they are doing now.

 

If I were you I would have a word/meeting with the SENCO and ask them to show you (in writing), how they are using the delegated funding to support your child NOW, and ask them to show you in terms of hours of support and staffing provision. For my son it said something like 22 hours support throughout the week; xx mins 3 times a week with 1:1 for literacy, the remainder in small group work.

 

The school should know how to detail this. The reason it is helpful to itemise it all is because the Statement will be basically saying: at the moment Joe gets xxx hours support - as detailed in the school report - and this is not supporting/meeting his needs.

 

I know from my experience that many times it is an absence or lack of communication that can lead to alot of frustration and misunderstanding. So, try to keep calm and collected and just ask them to put that in writing for you because it will help you to understand what is being done to support him now from delegated funding, and will help you prepare your parental response.

 

At the top of the Education forum there is a section for Educational information. Within this you can download a copy of the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. That is essential reading, because it is guidance on how to draw up a Statement.

 

There are also alot of organisations that will help you in this process eg. www.IPSEA.org.uk, www.NAS.org.uk, Network 81.org.uk.

 

If you are in the Statementing process the next stage will be the LA letting you know if they agree that your child needs a Statement - because I am presuming that they have agreed to the assessment taking place?

 

You should get copies of all the reports made about him, and you can talk to the professionals that made them.

 

The contents of those reports make up the contents of the Statement.

 

I would advise that you get in touch with one of the above agencies and find out how they can help with the working of the Statement. If they issue a Statement it will first be a Proposed Statement, during this period of time you can negotiate with the LA about what they have/haven't included. It would help to have someone professional look over the Proposed Statement because the wording needs to be precise for it to be legally binding on the school/LA to provide it.

 

But back to your original post - yes you should know how they are using the delegated funding they have to support your child now.

Edited April 9, 2011 by Sally44