Where to post my questions?
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Yes I agree with one of the above respondents who suggested that you should speak direct to the LEA.
It is normally a school that approaches the LEA to set the ball rolling for the assessment process which may result in a formal statement of special educational needs.
I used to work for an extremely large LEA, and they certainly had many staff involved in the statementing process including a deaf and hearing impaired service. There was also a member of staff ("officer" as we called white collar council staff) who was there to help parents with queries about the whole complicated thing.
It takes a long while to get through the process, so you probably need to get your skates on. I really can't see why the primary school would deny contacting the authority about a statement of SEN for your daughter to cover whatever her secondary school needs turn out to be.
They may be able to demonstrate that she has no need for an SEN statement in the current primary school. Even if that is the case it does not mean that she should be denied proper assessment to establish suitable provision for her needs in secondary school.
Good luck.
ps study the website for your council's education department carefully. If you can get through to the right department / person first time this will greatly help you rather than be fobbed off by someone in their call centre who doesn't know. Also, the SEN co-ordinator at your school may be able to point you in the right direction. If not ask an SEN co-ordinator at another primary school. Don't be shy!! Most people in the education world are helpful as they went into it wanting to help.
It is normally a school that approaches the LEA to set the ball rolling for the assessment process which may result in a formal statement of special educational needs.
I used to work for an extremely large LEA, and they certainly had many staff involved in the statementing process including a deaf and hearing impaired service. There was also a member of staff ("officer" as we called white collar council staff) who was there to help parents with queries about the whole complicated thing.
It takes a long while to get through the process, so you probably need to get your skates on. I really can't see why the primary school would deny contacting the authority about a statement of SEN for your daughter to cover whatever her secondary school needs turn out to be.
They may be able to demonstrate that she has no need for an SEN statement in the current primary school. Even if that is the case it does not mean that she should be denied proper assessment to establish suitable provision for her needs in secondary school.
Good luck.
ps study the website for your council's education department carefully. If you can get through to the right department / person first time this will greatly help you rather than be fobbed off by someone in their call centre who doesn't know. Also, the SEN co-ordinator at your school may be able to point you in the right direction. If not ask an SEN co-ordinator at another primary school. Don't be shy!! Most people in the education world are helpful as they went into it wanting to help.
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Schoolbaglady
- Posts: 46
- Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:08 pm
- Location: North London
There is a great deal of anger and distress in the D(d)eaf world about lack of school provision for deaf children. Numbers of deaf schools have been closed over the past few years or are threatened with closure - eg Frank Barnes in Swiss Cottage, London. Increasingly, government policy seems to be to get as many deaf children as possible into mainstream schools as opposed to the few remaining deaf schools. Seems likely that your daughter is experiencing this cost cutting governmental effect.
Be interesting to find out how deaf aware Latymer (or any mainstream school) is before you make a decision to try her there, let alone the quality/quantity of any formal SEN provision that will hopefully be provided for her.
All the best to you and your daughter.
Be interesting to find out how deaf aware Latymer (or any mainstream school) is before you make a decision to try her there, let alone the quality/quantity of any formal SEN provision that will hopefully be provided for her.
All the best to you and your daughter.