What is a statutory assessment?
A statutory assessment is carried
out by the local authority Special Educational
Needs (SEN) Monitoring and
Assessment Team. An information
leaflet about the Team is attached to this page, and further
details of the statutory assessment process can be
found through the Department for Education website
link.
The SEN Monitoring and Assessment Team
writes to parents at every stage of the process to keep them
informed of how the assessment is
going. Parents can contact a named SEN
Officer and/or Administrative Assistant if they have any questions
or worries.
- The assessment collects information about the
child/young person’s educational,
psychological, medical and social needs.
- Parents and children/young
people are also invited to provide contributions.
There are special forms to help with this.
- When all the information is gathered, the
local authority will decide whether to create a Statement
of Special Educational Needs, or a Note in
Lieu.
What does a Statement of SEN do?
A Statement of Special Educational
Needs summarises the needs of the child/young
person, and what is needed in school to help
them.
The statement will list a range of programmes and
activities to help the child/young person make
progress, and may include some additional adult
help.
Most children/young people
have their special educational needs met in their
local mainstream school, but for some children/young
people with more complex needs, a special school setting
may be preferred.
Parents are asked to say what their choice of
school is for their child, and can visit schools
before making up their mind.
What is a Note in Lieu?
If the statutory assessment
shows that a child/young person does not need a
statement, a Note in Lieu is
drawn up. This is also a summary of all the information on
the child/young person, and sets out what help is
needed in school.
What happens if parents don’t agree with the Statement/Note in
Lieu?
The SEN Monitoring and
Assessment Team works with parents and schools throughout the
assessment process to reach agreement about what the statement
says.
The Parent Partnership Service is an independent
support service for parents of children with SEN This Service
can also arrange for an independent mediator to become
involved.
If a disagreement remains, Parents have right
of appeal to the SEN and Disability Tribunal.
What happens once the child/young person has a statement?
The statement is a legal
document and it must be reviewed at least every
year to look at the progress the child/young
person has made and whether the statement
needs to be changed. The review
meeting may be slightly different in some years, for example if a
child/young person is changing schools
