phasmid Report post Posted December 20, 2005 No problem - but what I found is buried deep on their website. You REALLY have to look for it. Hope that is a help to you both. If not have a trawl through the 'links' link and see what you can find. As Nellie says this really IS supposed to be freely available. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nellie Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Hi folks, I have already trawled through the website for their Criteria for Statutory Assessment and couldn't find it. It might be there but in must be buried very deep. Have a look at this. http://www3.hants.gov.uk/cx-foi-requestinfo.htm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nellie Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Code of Practice. http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=3724 LEA Policy framework. 1:13 and 1:14 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phasmid Report post Posted December 20, 2005 This is the closet I have been able to find to any form of 'assesment criteria'. It is, in typical LEA fashion, somwewhat vauge! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phasmid Report post Posted December 20, 2005 I have tried every combination of wording I can think of, the last link is the best I can find. The LEA must have this policy somewhere. I'll see what response comes for my e-mail. It will give me the name of someone at least. I'll go from there. Sorry thats the best I can do for now. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mother in Need Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Oh Phasmid, you couldn't find me the same information from the Cornwall site, could you? I've spent hours on it and haven't found anything really useful yet... mind you, that was before I heard of these criteria, I didn't know they had them. I thought they were suposed to look at each child as an individual, and then meet their needs via thier assessements? (I know, I'm an innocent, I'll keep dreaming of a better world...) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phasmid Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Not tonight, but I will have a good look for you over the Christmas holiday. If it's there (and it ought to be) we'll find it. If it isn't, well, we'll just have to ask them for it! What might help is to look on the DfES website. They (DfES) normally issue model policies on things like this, for the most part LEAs often just adopt these rather than reinvent them. The DfES versions are usualy accepted as 'best practice' policies anyway and any alterations made should therefor only be as an improvement to their original. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fiorelli Report post Posted December 21, 2005 Phasmid, your an Angel! Thank you so much for doing this for us! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phasmid Report post Posted December 21, 2005 M-i-N. Ok, this might turn into a trail of links again but here goes: SEN assesment team Found this: SpecialEducation All of the following publications can be obtained from Special Education at Old County Hall, Truro. Tel: 01872 322 000 Special Educational Needs - a guide for parents Meeting Special Educational Needs - summary of Part 4 of the Education Act 1996 Which School? A guide to parental rights in choosing a school Statutory Assessments - describes the assessment process Extra-SEN-Series: What to do if.....(you disagree with the LEA) Meetings with parents - guidance for officers and teachers Educational choices after 16 Duties of schools' governing bodies (special educational needs) Voluntary Bodies (for special educational needs) List of special schools & units in Cornwall List of special schools outside Cornwall List of approved independent schools for children with: � specific learning difficulties � sensory impairment � moderate or severe learning difficulties, including. autism � emotional and behavioural difficulties � physical disability (bold highlighted bit is mine) This came from: here. A few links that look llike they might be useful are on here:SEN finance and statistics team Interesting article!Behaviour support plan (don't let the title put you off.) Also linked to Child and family services Click on 'Structure of service' link - its top right - for names and contact numbers. This is very useful:education info and links See what you find via these and we'll work from there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mother in Need Report post Posted December 21, 2005 Thanks Phasmid, don't have time to look now, but will as soon as I can!!!! I do have the feeling I ahve looked through most of that before, and that I actually ahve some in print (pretty insubstantial stuff) but now that I know what I am looking for, I'll give it a good whirl!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phasmid Report post Posted December 21, 2005 Hopefully there is something new on there for you M-i-N. If not we'll just have to ask them direct. Smiley and fioreli, can you send me your e-mails please as I have some stuff from your LEA to share. Not looked at it yet so not sure how useful it is. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smiley Report post Posted December 21, 2005 Bit of an update - I filled in the 'freedom of info' link that Nellie posted - requesting the FULL criteria - added a couple of quotes about parents rights etc... Lady from LEA called today - i was out - asking if i can call her back to 'discuss matters' - she sounded mightily miffed. Scared now I am such a chicken! I have found all the bits about parents rights etc, so i can 'quote myself silly', but i need something along the lines of 'you cannot charge for this'. Does anyone know if they can charge? Ta xxxxxx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nellie Report post Posted December 21, 2005 ACE have been flagging up the problem of LEA's widespread non-compliance in publishing SEN policies on their websites for some time. I have an old copy of the ACE Bulletin dated April 2004 which has an article headed. 'LEA websites still fail parents'. This article states that almost a year after an ACE survey of all English LEA websites revealed widespread non-compliance with the legal requiremnets on providing details of the policies on special educational needs, two thirds of 12 recently inspected LEAs are still not publishing this vital information. So 20 months later we are still having problems finding this information on some LEA websites. IPSEA have been highlighting the problem of LEA's acting unlawfully for some time. http://www.ipsea.org.uk/pr-dfes-nov05-ketter2leas.htm Parents need to check that their LEA's are acting lawfully, to do this they need their LEA's policies and criteria. I think it's unreasonable that schools and professionals have access to this information and parents don't. They need this to make informed decisions. Don't let them intimidate you, this is not a battle. They are supposed to work in Partership with Parents. (Chapter 2 - Code of Practice) Nellie xx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hectorshouse Report post Posted December 22, 2005 Gave up on the website yesterday, so rang the them direct, after getting passed around a bit, and lots of mumbling while someone had their had over the phone and finally someone knew what I was talking about ... guess what ... its not published on their website ... surprise surpise, and they are just in the process of redrafting it, they will send me a copy after christmas, they also asked what criteria I wanted .. I asked for everything that is related to T i.e. Asperger's Dyslexia Dyspraxia ... and am waiting to see what comes through the post ... also had to use my maiden name, since my press coverage I get little assistance if I use my other name .... HHxx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smiley Report post Posted December 22, 2005 Hullo, I finally got the nerve to call woman at LEA back (did warn you i was a chicken!) - she wasn't there, and i HAVE to speek ONLY to her apparently . PP lady sent me the two sets of criteria she feels are relevent to M.... Physical disabilities and ASD one...... I'm not impressed! Can someone please clarify something for me.. in the criteria there are three steps under each tasklist.... what do they relate to? Thanks xx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nellie Report post Posted December 22, 2005 All authorities will have their own criteria and some may not even have a criteria for statutory assessments. Can someone please clarify something for me.. in the criteria there are three steps under each tasklist.... what do they relate to? Sorry without seeing it I can't tell you. I will send you a PM. Nellie xx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phasmid Report post Posted December 22, 2005 As Nellie says, without seeing them I couldn't say. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smiley Report post Posted December 22, 2005 Reading through the criteria, it appears that steps one to three are the stages that have happened/the child has reached before stat asessment is requested.... Similar to the curiculum guidance for the foundation stage (early learning goals) - which i work from at pre-school. ie; literacy / language; Step 0ne - can respond to 2 simple instructions Step Two - can respond appropriately to a single instruction Step Three - regularly shows non-responce to communication from others. It appears that if the child is at step three - a statutory asessment is required... Or at least i think so! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nevinclan Report post Posted December 23, 2005 I have the criteria for Coventry LEA, if it is of help to anyone. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hectorshouse Report post Posted January 6, 2006 Rang the CSET office again today to ask if they had managed to send me copies of the criteria as per my request before christmas, no-one funnily enough remembered my request .... 1 hour later get a call from SEN officer (the one I normally can't get in touch with at all due to her gate keeper) telling me that the criteria is currently being redrafted. I then asked if I could have a copy of the old criteria as this would have to be what applies until the redraft has been ratified ... silence on the phone ... then she tells me that they don't use the criteria at all anymore due to the redraft ... what they do use I am unable to ascertain ... she did advise me that Devon are no longer issuing statements for children with Dyslexia or specific learning disabilities ... ok now I'm really confused ... I asked her about Dyspraxia and Asperger's, to which she replied that yes they are still issuing statements for these, but not for the verbal form of Dyspraxia ... hmmm hmmmm all sounds like a load of old codswallop to me .... How can you not have a criteria yet still use one for assessment purposes ... is it me am I being dim .. but none of this adds up ... and she wasn't able to give me any idea when the redraft would be complete. HHxx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
annie Report post Posted January 6, 2006 Clear as mud to me Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smiley Report post Posted January 6, 2006 .. but none of this adds up ... and she wasn't able to give me any idea when the redraft would be complete. HHxx Why am i not surprised?!!!!! Are you sure they 're-drafting' or is that maybe to put you off ?? I can't see how they can't be using the old one if the new isn't ready - they must be using something!! I'm still having a nightmare of a time tracking down the FULL criteria for Hants. PP lady has vanished off the face of the earth since my meeting on Wed............funny that!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nellie Report post Posted January 6, 2006 HH, telling me that the criteria is currently being redrafted. I then asked if I could have a copy of the old criteria as this would have to be what applies until the redraft has been ratified ... silence on the phone ... then she tells me that they don't use the criteria at all anymore due to the redraft .. I did hear of someone else who was told the same thing. I'm wondering if this is due to the education minister's forceful letter requiring LEAs to stick to the law on SEN. It's possible that the LEA's are redrafting their criteria because it's unlawful. The may be unwiling to carry on using the old criteria. Of couse I could be way off the mark. Nellie xx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hectorshouse Report post Posted January 6, 2006 Nellie, I see where your coming from, and theirs a part of me that is hoping this is the case, but when she passed her comments on the refusal to give statements to children with dyslexia/specific learning disability I became confused and smelt a rat ... On the IPSEA website they have published the fact that they took DCC to task over this very thing 'refusal to assess or statement' http://www.ipsea.org.uk/devon05.htm The SEN officers comments are in direct opposition of the LEA's response to IPSEA, I'm thinking another email to IPSEA is in order ... HHxx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pumpkinpie Report post Posted January 6, 2006 iVE JUST EMAILED OUR LEA FOR A COPY. i TRIED FOR AGES ON THE WEBSITE ITS BEEN REDONE AND ITS EVEN HARDER TO FIND ANYTHING NOW THAN BEFORE. ANYONE KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE ACTUALLY MANAGED TO GET A COPY? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phasmid Report post Posted January 6, 2006 Rang the CSET office again today to ask if they had managed to send me copies of the criteria as per my request before christmas, no-one funnily enough remembered my request .... 1 hour later get a call from SEN officer (the one I normally can't get in touch with at all due to her gate keeper) telling me that the criteria is currently being redrafted. I then asked if I could have a copy of the old criteria as this would have to be what applies until the redraft has been ratified ... silence on the phone Oh yes! backed into a corner and made to squirm!!! Well done HH. ... then she tells me that they don't use the criteria at all anymore due to the redraft ... what they do use I am unable to ascertain ... she did advise me that Devon are no longer issuing statements for children with Dyslexia or specific learning disabilities Really? Isn't that akin to a blanket policy on SEN? Wasn't that something the DfES wrote a letter to IPSEA about recently??? ... ok now I'm really confused ... I asked her about Dyspraxia and Asperger's, to which she replied that yes they are still issuing statements for these, but not for the verbal form of Dyspraxia ... hmmm hmmmm all sounds like a load of old codswallop to me .... How can you not have a criteria yet still use one for assessment purposes ... is it me am I being dim .. but none of this adds up ... and she wasn't able to give me any idea when the redraft would be complete. HHxx This smells of something male cows drop...They must be using 'something' at the moment, or is she saying that they have nobody currently being assessed, perhaps it's LEA panto season 'Do you have a policy...oh, no we don't...oh yes you do! Er...oh no we don't...OH, YES YOU DO! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hectorshouse Report post Posted January 6, 2006 (edited) Phas thanks for that, I can just see my SEN officer now on stage phone in hand, the audience of parents saying 'we need a statement' and her saying 'oh no you don't' ... parents saying 'what about the criteria?' her saying 'what criteria?' us saying 'your criteria' her saying 'its in redraft' ... and us saying 'why is it cold?' LEA panto season is on hand ... and by the looks of how many parents have been contacting there councils asking this question at the moment, I think its only going to get worse. I will keep hassling them though, I am drafting a letter to the schools forum and the DIR asking them when they propose to finalise the redraft. Yep and about that blanket policy .... exactly!!! directly against the DfES instructions ... I'm thinking if I could get some of what she told me in writing I could be on to another interesting newspaper story ... HHxx Edited January 6, 2006 by Hectorshouse Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phasmid Report post Posted January 6, 2006 I was in one of those 'warehouse' type shops the other day. For 99p I picked up a device that plugs into the phone line and goes to a tape recorder...now, as long as you say "Is it ok for me to record the call...oh, hang on I'll just get a pen" and she says 'Yes'....need I say more? (The pen....well you didn't say you were going to use it, not really!) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hectorshouse Report post Posted January 6, 2006 I like your style phas ... am going to makro tomorrow, so will have a little lookey in there ... HHxx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UltraMum Report post Posted January 6, 2006 Ha, that explains why I couldn't find it on the website ! Do you think the 'draft copy' was just that, drafted to reply to your request ??? I amused myself looking at the inclusion newsletters, the most recent being 2003 ! wac Nice to know our LEA is up to date with the newsletters! Is the policy not on the website? - hmm - might ask for an up to date copy ... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phasmid Report post Posted January 6, 2006 Funnily enough this is the same thing that happened when I asked my LEA for a copy of their SEN specific transport policy. One minute they (or rather she) said they hadn't heard of the DfES guidance saying they needed one, the next they are 'reviewing' it! Hmm...coincidence? Yeah, right! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UltraMum Report post Posted January 7, 2006 Seems to have happened to a lot of us then Phas ... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UltraMum Report post Posted January 7, 2006 Waccoe - they must exist as I've found mention of them in the inclusion policy on the website: tucked awat in the appendices on p20! 13 The LEA has well established protocols and procedures for accepting referrals from schools for formal assessment of SEN, including guidance for schools on the evidence required by the LEA on the provision made by the school in an attempt to ameliorate the pupil's need, the involvement of outside agencies and the progress of the pupil. The LEA has developed criteria guidance for schools and other agencies on levels of need and associated pupil progress that indicate the need for a formal assessment under Education Act 1996. These criteria are currently under review as a result of the revised Code of Practice on SEN (DfES November 2001). Such advice and guidance is available through the 'Meeting the Needs' folder, which is in all schools and partner agencies. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tensing Report post Posted January 7, 2006 I can't find it on our LEA website, so I will write and ask for a copy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Malika Report post Posted January 7, 2006 Hi I did request by phone and letter a copy of my LEA criteria regarding a decision to assest, never received it but been told it was in their folder of SEN ...well it wasn't asked again 6 months ago and i am still waiting... When I have accumulated enough evidence and energy to go back to fighting I will ask again with a recorded letter it may be more convincing..... Malika. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nvapid Report post Posted January 9, 2006 I can't thank you all enough for responding! Sorry I have been so quite and lurking, but as you will see I had very good reason. As far as i can tell, all the links you have posted and all the info that you have been sent is NOT the official document I had hoped you would have seen. Because my LEA acted illegally by rejecting our application for assessment before the 29 day limit - they (someone jr) sent me 2 documents outlining the ACTUAL criteria the BOARD uses when making a decision. AND ALL of the startegies that each school should be employing at School Action and School Action Plus. It is a REAL eye opener. I have been investigating whether I can post a copy of thes documents (20+ pages each). I am close to a resolution on that matter. I am sorry I can't give you more right now, but the next few weeks should be very interesting... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smiley Report post Posted January 9, 2006 Ohhhhhh - very interesting !! I would LOVE to see those !! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hectorshouse Report post Posted January 9, 2006 Received blurb from statementing manager today ... "please find details of criteria for statutory assessment as discussed. Please note Devon is looking at new criteria but at present is only in draft form" The actual document is called ... Guidance for schools and governing bodies on the identification and provsion for children with Special Educational Needs - 2002 She has only sent me pages 25 - 29 and 40 - 44 The interesting section for me was ... 4.2.4. Before initiating a statutory assessment, the LEA will need to consider clear, recorded evidence from the school as details in paragraph 1.0.4 above. The school will need to provide evidence that the child has significant difficulties due to his/her autistic spectrum disorder I only have from 4.2 onwards, so will be on the phone for the whole guidance ... interesting that it is the school that has to provide evidence of the childs difficulties .... HHxx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hectorshouse Report post Posted January 9, 2006 he he he ... have just phoned her and had lots of huffing and puffing down the phone and her final reply was a very miffed we'll see what we can do ... he he he HHxx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pumpkinpie Report post Posted January 9, 2006 I think LEAS are pushing for late statemtnting in the hopes that school sencos will not think it is worth the effort. Lets face it is a lot of work and often the monies and support offered is not much more than that devolved to schools anyway from the funding strategies. In our area any statements below 15 hours support do not carry extra funding. They are activley changing procedures to rigourously review statements to discontinue as many as possible. I think there is a misconception that statemetns are fior the most needy kids and that means many who need help just dont get it> Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
