Parent Resources: Tips and Advice: Statementing
STATEMENTING TIPS [Back to Tips and Advice]
by Owen Kellie-Smith
- Write out the statement yourself. i.e. what do you want it to say? Use this as a basis for discussing things with the LEA.
- Get anything that's on the statement QUANTIFIED. e.g. is it always clear:
WHO is going to do WHAT and HOW often?
If it isn't clear, consider dropping it, as it's just more words to wade through. e.g. "If the radio aid is faulty, the qualified teacher of the deaf will replace it within 24 hours" rather than "the radio aid will be kept in good repair". Our LEA wasn't conspiring to make the statement vague - it just is a bit of a team effort. They were usually happy to swap their phrases for ours provided we spelt out (literally) what we wanted the statement to say.
- Be clear if you want the LEA to:
- advise you on what's necessary
- provide what's necessary
or both!
- We found it easiest to treat the LEA just as providers. We wrote the statement and haggled with them over the details.
- If you lose your temper (like me) - don't worry - the LEA probably have thick skins!
- Ask the LEA to provide you with a schedule. There are certain time limits that both you and them have to stick to. E.g. from the date you request assessment for a statement, by when must they decide whether to
assess or not, by when must they assess, draft statement, invite comment.... and by when must you give your reports, feedback, and by when must you appeal. The timescales are binding on you as well as the LEA so get your feedback in early!
Some more questions
Q: Was the first statement important? A: Yes
Q: Was it relatively straightforward to get extra items included at the
yearly review? A: No
Q: Who else can help you get what you want on a statement? A: IPSEA
Why was the first statement important?
Basically, it set the precedent for the later statements.
We helped draw up the first statement (which stated goals, objectives etc) when Nadia was 2. At that time, a teacher of the deaf was visiting at home, and we were taking Nadia to an independent parent/toddler group (at the Elizabeth Foundation). We assumed that all the goals and objectives were short term i.e. we imagined that the whole statement would be rewritten, when say, Nadia moved into the very different environment of nursery school and later reception.
Not so! Come the review, the LEA wanted to keep the statement "jacket" (the goals, the generalities) as unchanging! They just wanted to change a few of the details (e.g. the name of the school, adding information about the radio aid). When I asked other people about the "jacket" they'd never heard of this jargon - LEAs can develop their own traditions (i.e. be a law unto themselves) ... Having said that, discussions with the LEA became much more productive when they got detailed. i.e. when we stopped saying "we're not happy with ..." and started saying "we want to delete this line and that word and replace it with these words ..."
Was it relatively straightforward to get extra items included at the
yearly review?
No. Definitely not.
a) The LEA had a pre-determined notion of what was appropriate (i.e. at what age). For example, it was quite a struggle to get the radio aid put on the statement before Nadia was age 5. The LEA kept repeating the mantra 'radio aids start from age 5'. Another 'expert' repeated the slogan 'first they must learn to localise sound - then get a radio.' This was a mistake.
b) The first statement set a precedent.
For the first statement, we tried (briefly) to get AV therapy paid for by the LEA. The LEA didn't accept this and we thought "oh, well, we'll try again next time". But come the review, it was like "that battle's over - that's already established - parents pay for AV therapy."
Who else can help you get what you want on a statement?
The Burwood Centre for Childhood Deafness can do an independent assessment of your child. www.burwoodcentre.org
I believe they helped at least one family get the LEA to pay for a place at an independent school, with technical & LSA assistance.
See also: http://www.ipsea.org.uk/sevenfixes.htm (IPSEA model letters)
See also: http://www.topica.com/lists/OxfordAVcircle/read/message.html?mid=1606024854&
sort=d&start=105 for Dominic's message saying how they got AV therapy included on a statement.
