[senco-forum] Fw: [SENco-forum] Advice Please- use of EP service

Dear Mary

EP advice to SEN children in mainstream private schools only happened in English LAs (in my experience) if parents made an isssue of it -- and where a child had a statement. Even if it has occured -- with virtual (so called) total delegation of central SEN funds to schools nowadays becoming widespread -- it is then expected that schools buy in all external services (with the exception of the child who has a statement with he external service quantified specifically in the starement) and even including crucial EP provision. 

One way to get a "free" LA EP assessment (in any school state or private) when it is not being provided due to "shortage" of EPs -- or the school "can't afford" to buy the LA service in for a particular child needing a detailed individual assessment -- is for the parent to request a statutory assessment.

The request alone often triggers an EP assesment within the six weeks statutory "gathering evidence" period. And if no EP assessment occurs during that period -- but the LA agrees the statutory assessment -- then an EP assessment has to occur then. If the statutory assessment is refused without an EP assessing the child (as should have occured to enable the LA to make a sound determination) then parent can lodge an appeal. 

As sure as houses an EP will pop up to assess at some period prior to the hearng (if only to provide witness evidence for the LA at the Hearing. Parent can then decide (if the EP gives seemingly sounf advice that the parent can trust) whether to proceed with the appeal. If the EP assessment report is detailed and objective -- at least a "free" EP assessment has been obtained -- even if parent then withdraws the appeal. 

If it is clear that the EP's assessment has been rudimentary and may be bisaed unfaily in favour of the LAs decision not to assess -- and the reasons for the appeal / sound detailed EP assessment / stil seem valid -- at that point the parent may decide to pay for a private E -- as a last resort if it is clear the needy child's parent is never going to prise a thourough and sound EP assessment out of the LA. The above tactic is valid for private as well as mainstreal LA sectors. 

The motto is - if the LA drag teir heels unreasonably use the legal framework to take action -- that's what it's tere for.

Brendan King

-----Original Message-----

From: E Olson &lt;elzo15ns at dsl.pipex.com&gt;

To: senco-forum &lt;senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk&gt;

Sent: Mon, 7 Apr 2008 13:51

Subject: [senco-forum] Fw: [SENco-forum] Advice Please- use of EP service

----- Original Message ----- From: "E Olson" &lt;elzo15ns at dsl.pipex.com&gt; 

To: "Mary Kelly" &lt;mary.kelly4 at ntlworld.com&gt; 

Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008 1:51 PM 

Subject: Re: [senco-forum] [SENco-forum] Advice Please- use of EP service 

&gt; Dear Mary 

&gt; 

&gt; In our Scottish LA it was taken for granted that the children in private &gt; schools had rate-paying parents like everybody else and as such they were &gt; entitled to the advice of LA staff when needed. This of course meant that &gt; the private schools could call in EPs, and also ask for help from those &gt; running services for VI, HI and for children who needed specialised ICT &gt; equipment. ( The only difference was that kids who needed ICT equipment &gt; would have a trial of authority stuff if appropriate, but if it worked out &gt; private-school parents were expected to buy a set for them.) 

&gt; 

&gt; Made sense to me. 

&gt; 

&gt; Elizabeth 

&gt; 

&gt; 

&gt; ----- Original Message ----- &gt; From: "Mary Kelly" &lt;mary.kelly4 at ntlworld.com&gt; 

&gt; To: &lt;SEN at tringham.net&gt;; "'Becta Senco'" &lt;senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk&gt; 

&gt; Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008 9:23 AM 

&gt; Subject: Re: [senco-forum] [SENco-forum] Advice Please- use of EP service 

&gt; 

&gt; 

&gt; Dear All, 

&gt; 

&gt; I originally asked for advice about how to make best use if this service &gt; and 

&gt; I am grateful to those of you who responded. 

&gt; 

&gt; As it now seems to have become a request for me to justify why I have &gt; taken 

&gt; this route, I will respond as follows:- 

&gt; 

&gt; 1. I do have the training to understand the recommendations in an EP &gt; report, 

&gt; that's not a problem for me/us. 

&gt; 2. I have already established a local mutual support group of SENCos and 

&gt; SLTs and others in the independent sector, who meet half-termly to share 

&gt; ideas and support each other. 

&gt; 3. All or most of these people share my wish to have access to an EP who 

&gt; will come into school, employed by the school, and work closely with us. 

&gt; None of them have achieved it, I don't know the detailed reasons why. 

&gt; 4. I expressed this wish to the LA EP who comes in to work with us in 

&gt; connection with a child with a statement. This person has a private EP 

&gt; practice but felt that if we obtained private services then there could 

&gt; potentially be a conflict of interest. A discussion was had with the LA &gt; and 

&gt; my HT and an arrangement has just been made. 

&gt; 5. I am looking forward to being able to better support a greater number &gt; of 

&gt; children at a lesser cost by this route. 

&gt; 

&gt; That's probably all I want to say on the subject for now. 

&gt; 

&gt; Mary 

&gt; 

&gt; -----Original Message----- 

&gt; From: senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk 

&gt; [mailto:senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of 

&gt; SEN at tringham.net 

&gt; Sent: 07 April 2008 08:48 

&gt; To: Becta Senco 

&gt; Subject: Re: [senco-forum] [SENco-forum] Advice Please- use of EP service 

&gt; 

&gt; Perhaps we should approach the problem the other way round and ask EP's if 

&gt; they would be willing to spend 6 hours in school and write 3 reports for 

&gt; £600 a day and all could benefit. 

&gt; 

&gt; Currently around £400 per report if done independently by a parent and why 

&gt; it is not often done unless said parent is in pursuit of a statement. 

&gt; 

&gt; EP reports do not necessarily give all the detail one might hope for 

&gt; especially if you are hoping to get a simple list of all the support a &gt; child 

&gt; needs to access education on a equal footing with peers. Or they drop &gt; hints 

&gt; such as 'handwriting is untidy and referral to OT ....or any other 

&gt; agency...could be appropriate'. This ends up as being a multi agency task 

&gt; and why it is imperative that SENco's have better (and free) access to 

&gt; training on identification and assessment to rule out or support lesser 

&gt; problems. This way few actually need the services of an EP. 

&gt; 

&gt; Even if the report is excellent with a plethora of test results and &gt; encoded 

&gt; paragraphs of support needs I have found the schools do not know how to 

&gt; decode the report for detail or know how or what to implement unless it is 

&gt; spelled out in black & white - did I mention more access to training? 

&gt; 

&gt; If you are getting an EP in spread the cost and make it a SENco cluster 

&gt; training a day on EP report reading and then a 2nd one on assessment test 

&gt; application and interpretation. 

&gt; 

&gt; Sharon Tringham 

&gt; 

&gt; 

&gt; No virus found in this outgoing message. 

&gt; Checked by AVG. 

&gt; Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.8/1362 - Release Date: &gt; 06/04/2008 

&gt; 11:12 

&gt; 

&gt; 

&gt; 

&gt; 

&gt; 

&gt; 

&gt;  

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