Making the assessment

The Formal Assessment

If the LA decides to proceed with a formal assessment, it will send you a letter telling you this and outlining the assessment process. The assessment should be completed within 10 weeks.

The LA will ask for reports from:

• You
• Your child’s school or early years setting and/or the specialist support teacher who has worked with your child
• The school doctor or paediatrician, who will collect reports from any other people who work for Health. This might include reports from speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational health reports, if these services have been involved with your child
• Children and Young People’s Services - to see if social workers have any information that relates to your child. If they do, they will send a report. If not, they will not be involved unless you wish them to be or without your knowledge
• The Educational Psychologist.

You will be told about any special arrangements which are being made to allow the above people to write reports on your child. For example, if they need to meet your child. You will be told why, where and when the person is seeing your child. You have the right to be present when your child is being seen, although you will probably already know most of the people involved. You will be sent copies of everyone’s report by the LA when the Assessment is complete.

The decision whether to issue a Statement

The LA will normally write to you two weeks after the formal assessment has been completed. This letter will tell you whether or not a Statement of Special Educational Needs will be issued for your child.

The decision not to issue a statement of Special Educational Needs

A named Assistant SEN Officer (ASENO) will write advising that having considered all the reports received the LA has decided not to make a statement. It will instead issue a 'Note in Lieu', which will describe your child’s special educational needs, explain the reasons for the LA’s decision and make recommendations about the appropriate provision for your child. It will also include details of your right of appeal. Copies of all assessment reports will be attached to the document.

Once you have received the Note in Lieu, you can discuss the outcome with the ASENO. You may wish to seek independent advice. The Parent Partnership Service can also help you with this. Additionally a mediation service is available, which can be contacted through the LA or Parent Partnership Service. These discussions do not affect your right to appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST), which can run alongside talks to resolve any disagreement at local level. Any appeal to SENDIST needs to be made within two months of you receiving the decision.