Statutory Assessment
A statutory assessment can be requested by:
you, as a parent;
the school or pre-school setting
health professionals.
You should always talk to your child’s teachers or SENCo before requesting an assessment from the LA. There are clearly defined criteria for going ahead with an assessment and schools will be able to provide evidence of the progress, or difficulties, being experienced by your child, which will help to decide whether or not the assessment should proceed. You may ask the school to help you write to the LA. The local Parent Partnership Service is also there to help you at this time(see Fact Sheet 10 of the Parents' Guide, for download below).
The SEN Panel
The decision whether to go ahead with an assessment is made by the SEN Panel. They will consider a request made for assessment, along with evidence that your child is not achieving at an appropriate level.
The panel considers a wide range of issues and concerns about the Special Educational Needs of children and young people aged 2 – 19. It consists of the Education Officer Special Educational Needs, the Principal Educational Psychologist and the Adviser for SEN and Disability. Head Teachers sit on the panel on a rotational basis.
The Pre-school Panel, which is a multi-disciplinary group, meets monthly to discuss children under the age of 5 years, and not in maintained educational provision. This panel can agree to suggest that statutory assessments are undertaken, but completed assessments are returned to the SEN Panel for a decision about whether or not to make a Statement.
If it is decided to proceed with the assessment, you will be asked for your views, as described in Fact Sheet 2(Parents' Guide - download below). You should also feel free to suggest any other people or organisations you know whose views may be helpful in the assessment of your child. You may also send the LA any private advice or opinions you have collected about your child and the LA should take these into account as part of the assessment.
The Assessment Process
A Statutory Assessment takes up to six months to complete, from the time of the initial request.
By the end of week* | What happens when a request is made |
2 | LA sends you information about the assessment. |
4 | You let the LA know what you think. |
6 | LA decides whether to go ahead with the assessment. |
16 | LA collects information from:·you·your child’s school or pre-school setting·a doctor·an Educational Psychologist·Social services·speech therapist or other people who have seen your child·other people who may be able to helpYour child may have to go to appointments to see these peopleLA decides whether or not to make a statement. |
18 | LA sends you copies of a proposed statement and all the information received.ORLA sends you a Note in Lieu of a Statement. |
21 | You let the LA know:·your comments about the proposed statement·the name of the school you prefer your child to attend. |
25 | LA considers your views and meets with you if necessary. |
26 | LA issues final Statement.
|
*These are the timescales by which the assessment should be completed, as recommended by the Code of Practice. Where possible, the LA will aim to complete the assessment more quickly.
For further information, please download the SEN Parents' Guide by clicking here( Microsoft Word, size 174kb) (MS Word).
Contact Us
Tel: 020 8583 2624/2673
Fax: 020 8583 2613
Minicom: 020 8583 2618
Special Educational Needs(SEN)
Children's Services and Lifelong Learning
London Borough of Hounslow
The Civic Centre
Lampton Road
Hounslow
Middlesex TW3 4DN