The
special educational needs of the great majority of children should be met
effectively within mainstream settings within the School Action or School
Action Plus system without the local education authority needing to make
a statutory assessment. In a very small number of cases the LEA will need
to make a statutory assessment of special educational needs and then consider
whether or not to issue a statement.
Code of Practice 7:1
A request for the LEA to
make a statutory assessment can be made by:
A child's:
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School
or Early Years Setting |
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Parents |
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Another
agency (e.g. Health Authority or Social Services, this is most likely
to be when a child is very young) |
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If your child's school
decides that a statutory assessment is needed for your child, they should
discuss it with you before making the request for assessment.
If you decide that you
would like to request an assessment for your child, it is advisable to
discuss this with the school before doing so.
All requests for
Statutory Assessment are considered by the Moderating Panel. This is
a multi-disciplinary team of professionals and their decision is made
according to the evidence and Croydon criteria, presented to them by the
school, parent and other agencies.
Before deciding whether
to assess a child, the LEA must:
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Write
to parents to give them notice that an assessment is being considered |
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Explain
to parents the procedures to be followed if an assessment is considered
necessary and the drawing up of a statement if it is considered necessary. |
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Tell
parents of the name of an officer of the LEA who they can contact
for further information (the named officer) |
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Tell
parents of their right to submit written or spoken evidence as to
why they believe their child should or should not be assessed. (There
is a time limit of 29 days for receipt of this information). Croydon
Parent Partnership Service is able to offer advice to (Croydon) parents
on this matter if they are uncertain as to how to complete this part
of the process. |
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Give parents
information about Croydon Parent Partnership Services. |
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Tell
Social Services and the Health Authority that if an assessment goes
ahead, they will be asked to provide advice. |
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The LEA should also:
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Explain
the precise timing of each of the various stages of the assessment |
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Encourage
parents to respond and submit evidence, pointing out the importance
of their contribution |
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Ask
parents whether they would like the LEA to consult anyone in the addition
to those whom they must approach for advice if they decide to proceed
with an assessment |
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Tell
parents that they may provide any private advice or opinions which
will be taken into account |
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Tell
the education psychology service and any other relevant educational
services that if an assessment goes ahead, they will be asked for
advice |
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Whoever
asks for the assessment, the LEA must make a decision about whether
to assess your child within 6 weeks. |
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For more information
on the subject of statutory assessment please refer to the Code of Practice
7:1 - 8:134
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