Plan for Parents who think their children may have Special Educational Needs.
1. Parents should discuss their concerns with all or any of the following people:
- Class teacher
- Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)
- Head teacher
- Local Educational Authority (LEA)
3. Progress should then be monitored over a period of time.
4. If your child is still not making enough progress and requires a lot more additional help in school then:
- Parents or School may request the Local Educational Authority to carry out a statutory assessment of the child's needs. PLEASE NOTE: Documents for permission for professionals to see your child must be signed by you BEFORE visits occur.
6. If the LEA AGREES to a statutory assessment, parents will be entitled to submit parental evidence eg. Dyslexia report as part of the process.
7. After consideration of reports and evidence the LEA will send the Draft statement to parents who then have the opportunity to discuss the contents with the LEA or any other organisation they think would be helpful.
8. Final statement is issued when all parties are happy with the contents. The statement is a legal document and your child's needs should be described in detail and additional help needed should be quantified and specified.
Further advice is available from:
- Mr John Benbow SEN Manager, Pembrokeshire County Council.
- SNAP
- SEN Parents Support Group Tel: 01834 860099 or e-mail sensg_uk@yahoo.co.uk
- Mr Mike Charles, Sinclairs Solicitors Tel: 02920 706444.
Sinclairs information helpline 01834 860198
The above is a very simple outline of the assessment process further information can be obtained from reading the:
- Special Educational Needs Code of Practice for Wales available free of charge Tel: 02920 826078.
- Special Education Needs: information for parents and carers of children and young people who may have special educational needs (information document) also available from Tel: 02920 826078.
Children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.
Children have a learning difficulty if they:
- Have significantly greater difficulty learning than the majority of children of the same age; or
- Have a disability, which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the area of the local education authority.
- Are under compulsory school age and fall within the definition at 1) or 2) above or would so do if special educational provision was not made for them.
