My Child Has A Statement Of Special Educational Needs - What Happens Next?
My Child Has A Statement Of Special Educational Needs - What Happens Next?
Your child's Statement of special educational needs (SEN) contains some long-term objectives to meet those education needs. These objectives have to be long-term because the Statement only has to be reviewed once a year.
It is your child's school that will set the short-term targets through an Individual Education Plan (IEP) which should be in place within two months of the issuing of the Statement.
What is an Individual Education Plan?
It is through the individual education plan that the school will set out how it intends to meet your child's special educational needs. The precise format will vary from school to school but the plan should contain details of short-term targets, the strategies to be used to meet those targets and who should be carrying out the tasks. The IEP has to be reviewed regularly and the school should discuss it with you.
The Local Education Authority (LEA) must review your child's Statement once a year and will let your child's school know the date by which this has to be done.
There are four stages to the Annual Review process:
1. Collecting and collating information:    
The Headteacher calls a meeting and must invite the following people to attend and to submit written reports before the meeting.
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 the parent/s or person/s responsible for the child
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 a representative of the LEA
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 a relevant teacher (the Headteacher will decide whether this should be the Class Teacher, Form or Year Tutor, or the school's SEN Co-ordinator)
Other representatives or professionals who are involved in meeting the child's special educational needs may also be invited to attend the review meeting. These might include:
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 the school's Educational Psychologist if there is a concern about the child's progress
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 a representative of Social Services
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 representatives of Health Services (this could be the Medical Officer, School Nurse, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, or Speech Therapist
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 an Advisory Teacher from the Learning Support Services
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 an Educational Welfare Officer
Your child may also attend all or part of the Review meeting as appropriate
As part of the Review process, the Headteacher will ask you to send in written comments on an official form. You may wish to comment on:
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 progress you feel your child has made over the year
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 areas where you feel special help might be needed in the year to come
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 your feelings about the way the school has supported your child
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 anything else you feel might help your child's progress
Your comments and any reports professionals wish to send in will have to be with the school two weeks before the date of the Annual Review. This is to give time for them to be circulated by the school to everyone who has been invited to attend and for further comments to be made.
2. The Annual Review Meeting:    
In the light of the reports, the review meeting should consider:
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 the pupil's views
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 the parents/carers' views
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 the pupil's overall progress over the past year, especially in relation to each SEN
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 the pupil's progress towards meeting the overall objectives set out in the statement
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 the successes the pupil has achieved in meeting the targets in the IEP and the objectives set out in the statement
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 National Curriculum levels including the most recent end of key stage assessment
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 the pupil's current levels of attainment in literacy and mathematics
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 comments upon any continuing difficulties, noting successful strategies
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 any significant changes in the pupil's circumstances
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 any changes in the pupil's special educational needs
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 any changes to requirements for equipment, aids and access
As the meeting can also make recommendations to the LEA, the following issues should be discussed. Recommendations should be recorded with reasons.
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Does the statement remain appropriate?
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 Is the pupil fully included within their school community? And if not how can it be accomplished?
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 If the pupil is currently in specialist provision - is the pupil ready to be included in a mainstream environment?
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 Is the statement still needed to achieve inclusion, either within the current school community or in mainstream?
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 What does the pupil need in order to be included successfully?
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 Is any further action required and if so, by whom?
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 Have the pupil's needs changed?
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 Should the LEA cease to maintain the statement?
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 Should the statement be amended? If so, why and how?
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 If the pupil is not placed in his/her chronological year group (usually because they were kept back a year), can he/she
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 be moved back to the correct year group?
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 Are there any other significant recommendations?
Your comments and any reports professionals wish to send in will have to be with the school two weeks before the date of the Annual Review. This is to give time for them to be circulated by the school to everyone who has been invited to attend and for further comments to be made.
If differing opinions are expressed at the meeting then these views should be recorded so that the LEA is aware of the views of all those present.
3. The Headteacher's report of the Annual Review Meeting:    
A review report will be prepared after the meeting by the Headteacher and sent to the LEA, and everyone who has been invited to take part, before the end of term or by ten school days after the meeting whichever is earlier.
4. The LEA reviews the Statement in light of the report of the Annual Review Meeting:  
If the Review Report makes any recommendations to the LEA for changes to the Statement, the LEA will consider these and write to let you, the school and other professionals involved know of their decision within one week of making it.
Can the Annual Review be held early?

Annual Reviews can be held early if:
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 it was recommended at the previous annual review
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 a school identifies that a pupil with a statement of SEN is at serious risk of disaffection or exclusion
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 a pupil has needs that are known to change rapidly
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 there is disagreement and parents/carers and professionals need reassurance
Points to Remember
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 the IEP is the responsibility of the school
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 you should be consulted about the IEP
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 your child should be consulted about the IEP
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 wherever possible you should be given plenty of notice of the date of the Annual Review
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 make sure you return your comments by the date given
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 try to attend any meetings to which you are invited
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 you can take a friend or your Independent Parental Supporter if you want to

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