| home |  |
SEN articles & info | |
catalogue | |
search | |
downloads | |
contact us |
|
|
||||||||||
|
22. We believe that, when a statement is reviewed, greater consideration should be given to whether it continues to be appropriate for the child. A pupil should not necessarily need a statement for his or her whole school career. But, currently, very few statements are discontinued; of those in force in January 1996, fewer than 3,000 - around 1% of the total - were discontinued in the following 12 months for children below statutory school leaving age. We propose that statements should include a greater emphasis on expected educational outcomes, and that in appropriate cases they should say that they would end on the achievement of specified outcomes. Too often, at present, parents and schools fear the cessation of a statement. We need to move to a situation where the achievement of the objectives in a statement is seen for the success it is, permitting the child to move to support at stage 3 of the Code: a stage 3 in which parents would have confidence following the changes proposed in this chapter.
QUESTION: What changes should be made to the contents of, or monitoring and review arrangements for, statements of SEN?
Time limits for producing statements
23. Alongside the other measures proposed in this chapter, we shall press LEAs
to complete assessments within the set timescales. Some LEAs have excellent
records. But Audit Commission figures for 1995-96 showed that only 40% of draft
statements in England and Wales were prepared within the statutory eighteen week
limit. Parents do not find this acceptable. We will expect to see substantial
improvement so that pupils with the most significant SEN can have their needs
met promptly. We will investigate the causes of delay, identify good practice,
promulgate it, and challenge those LEAs with poor performance to improve.
home . special
needs . search .
catalogue . contact
© Inclusive Technology Ltd
23/10/97