Special Educational Needs Families Support Group

How can we help

Do you have problems?

We can give independent advice and support

Telephone the help line on 0161755-3482

Our strategic plan for 2012 is to:Deliver new services and increasing the geographical areas we have covered in the past. It’s has been very rare that families have contacted us regarding just one issue, it is usually multiple issues therefore we know from our monitoring and evaluation of the current project and the finding of the SEN commission that there is a real need to expand our services into these new areas of work .

We provide a well-run service meeting the need of our clients in a relevant way. We have proven that we are able to do this, our track shows we are affective and make a real difference to people lives. We are experts in our field of work. We have gained many skills from our current project and have built a network of support to help us benefit the clients and the communities they live. Our intervention is long lasting and builds strong families. The skills and advice we give can be transferred in to other areas of the client’s life. We are a vibrant.

We are very pleased to let you know about a new project that is being developed to work with young people with special needs and their families. We will be working with young people to increase their personal living skills, social interaction, welfare, confidence, family learning and support.

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Is someone bullying you or your child ?

If you think you are in immediate physical danger from bullying ring the police on 999.

If the threat is not severe enough to ring the police, you can do the following things:

Tell a responsible adult what you are worried about. Who you tell will depend on where you are. It could be a teacher, youth worker, leisure centre receptionist, shop keeper etc.

Get yourself to a safe place where there are other people about (preferably adults).

Contact your parent/carer as soon as possible and tell them where you are and what is happening. If you haven't got a phone with you ask one of the people above if they have a phone you can use.

If your parent/carer or another adult you trust can't come and get you and you feel you are still in danger ring the police on 999.

Remember - Don't suffer in silence, no one will mind you asking for help.

You can get advice on bullying without having to give your name by ringing Child line free on 0800 1111. The call won't even show up on your phone bill.

If you're 18 or over call the NSPCC helping on 0808 800 5000.

Hassle online

If you are being hassled, bullied, stalked or made to feel uncomfortable online you can do something about it.

Chat rooms
A lot of chat rooms have hosts or guides in the room. If someone does anything to upset you, report them to the room host/guide. Usually the person is thrown out of the room instantly and their details are logged in case it happens again. If there isn't a host or guide in the room get out of the room yourself and report the person to the chat room’s provider (most respectable chat rooms have an easy to find facility to do this).

Problems with adults
Report any activity which makes you feel uncomfortable. For example, this could be a conversation with someone online who you think might be an adult and is talking to you in a sexually explicit way or who is trying to meet you for sex. You can report them online at: www.thinkyouknow.co.uk . This website is run by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.

Phone, text and instant messaging
End the call, or put a block on more texts/messages getting through and then tell an adult you trust about it.

Remember if someone says or sends you something abusive or offensive keep a record of it so that if you have to report the person you have got some evidence to back up your complaint.

Are you scared?

If you’re scared and find yourself in difficulties there is always someone who can help no matter what the problem.

Under 18?

Visit the Childline website for help and advice.

18 or over?

Call the NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000.

If you need to talk to someone because you’re under stress call 42nd Street on 0161 832 0170 on Monday, Thursday and Friday between 12.30 to 4.30pm. Or visit the 42nd Street website. They offer counselling and psychotherapy, drop-ins, plus much more.

If you want to talk to someone in confidence about drug and alcohol issues, Salford SMART can help. Call 0161 743 0162, Monday to Friday. Alternatively call FRANK on 0800 77 66 00 or visit the website.

If you want to talk to someone in confidence about alcohol issues call Drink line on

0800 91 78 282.

If you want free and confidential advice on all aspects of sex and relationships talk to Brook Salford on 0808 802 12 34. Visit their website for your nearest centre. Alternatively, visit the NHS website.

If you need to talk to someone about domestic violence:

Salford Women's Aid Outreach
0161 793 3232
Talk in confidence, drop-in, crèche and counsellors.

Women's Domestic Violence Helpline
0161 636 7525
Monday to Friday, 10.00am to 4.00pm. Advice, support and referral to refuges.

Men's Advice Line
0808 801 0327
A service for men experiencing abuse in relationships.

Domestic Violence Helpline
01925 220 541
24 hour helpline for victims in the north west.

If you’re experiencing feelings of distress or despair and want confidential, non-judgemental emotional support, call The Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90.

If you need help immediately call the police - 999. If it is not so urgent you can visit the Greater Manchester Police website. Type in Salford in the search box and a list of your local police stations including telephone numbers will come up.

Q & A: Special Educational Needs

The government published a Green Paper in March 2011 which proposes changes to the provision for children with special educational needs (SEN) in England. What are SEN and how are children with them currently supported?

What are special educational needs?

More than a fifth of children (21%) in England are said to have special educational needs (SEN) - about 1.7m children.

SEN refers to learning difficulties or disabilities which range from problems in thinking and understanding, to physical or sensory difficulties and/or difficulties with speech and language.

But they can also be social problems - how they relate to and behave with other people, or emotional and behavioural difficulties.

What types of SEN are most common?

The largest categories are "moderate learning difficulty" (24.2%), behaviour, emotional and social difficulties (22.7%) and speech, language and communications needs (16.3%). A much smaller proportion of pupils have physical disabilities (3.8%), visual or hearing impairments (3.4%), and autism spectrum disorders (8.1%).

What types of children have SEN?

Children from all backgrounds can have special educational needs, but they are more prevalent among some sections of society.

At secondary school, boys are three times more likely to have statements than girls. Black pupils are most likely to have SEN, while Chinese pupils are the least likely.

Pupils with SEN are much more likely to be eligible for free school meals - a measure of deprivation - than those without them.

How are special educational needs met?

It depends on the severity of the need. SEN are usually picked up when the school or the child's parents notice that a pupil is falling behind their classmates.

All state schools are required by law to ensure that special help is provided for children with SEN.

In most cases an assessment of the need and action plan will be drawn up by the individual school alone.

This is initially done under a programme called "school action", under which more than half of children with SEN are listed.

If more support is needed, the child is listed as "school action plus", which may involve the school bringing in specialist help from outside.

In more severe cases, local authorities will have to make a formal assessment of a pupil's needs based on specialist advice.

This is a statutory assessment, resulting in what is known as a statement of special educational needs.

It describes the child's need and defines the specialist help that they should get.

About 13% of children with SEN have statements, but the number of formal statements written by local authorities is falling, despite an increase in the proportion of children known to have learning difficulties.

Where do children get this extra help?

The Labour government had a policy of inclusion, under which the aim was to give any child with mild to moderate learning difficulties a place in a mainstream school.

The policy aimed to end the situation where children were effectively kept separate from their more able peers.

However, some children have learning difficulties or disabilities severe enough for them to be educated separately in special schools.

Some of these will be private schools specialising in certain kinds of special needs provision.

And local authorities are obliged to fund places for children who they have assessed as needing them.

Alternatively, parents unhappy with the school and the local authorities' response to their child's case may take the step of funding the place themselves - if they can afford it.

The Conservative-Liberal Democrat government says, in its coalition agreement, that it will "prevent the unnecessary closure of special schools, and remove the bias towards inclusion".

The number of state and private special schools in England has fallen from 1,197 in 2000 to 1,054 in 2010.

Does the system work well?

Parents have long complained that they had to battle hard to get statements of SEN for the children facing the most severe difficulties.

Special needs campaigners have said some local councils are unwilling to "statement" pupils because of the legal entitlement and possible extra costs that brings.

A Commons education committee report in 2006 found the system "not fit for purpose".

And despite attempts to improve matters, Ofsted in 2010 still concluded that the system is complex and widely perceived as "unfair", with parents who are able to make sense of it having quicker and greater access to resources and support.

At the other end of the spectrum, Ofsted said as many as half of the pupils listed on "school action" would not actually have required that designation if teaching in schools was better.

This was partly because schools were not picking up problems that could be solved through normal teaching methods early enough, and partly because they were inappropriately labelling pupils' problems, Ofsted said.

Is the government planning to make changes to the system?

The coalition government wants to change the way pupils with SEN in England are provided for. It published a Green Paper in March 2011, which set out a range of proposals.

Four months of consultation follows the publication of the paper and a period of testing proposals will run in local areas from September 2011.

Any changes that require new legislation to be implemented will not happen until May 2012 at the earliest.

What does the Green Paper propose?

The Green Paper proposes a new single category of SEN and a single assessment process. Children with SEN should be identified in both early-years settings and in schools.

By 2014, the government wants those identified with SEN to have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which will support them children from birth to the age of 25. This will replace the current statutory SEN assessment and statement and allow professionals from different social services areas to work together more closely.

The Green Paper proposes a personal budget, by 2014, for all families with children with a statement of SEN or Education, Health and Care Plan.

It also sets out to "remove the bias towards inclusion" and "prevent the unnecessary closure of special schools", giving parents the choice of a mainstream or special school for their child.

Do schools get extra money for pupils with SEN?

In some cases, schools can apply for extra funding. But for pupils on school action, the cases Ofsted flagged up as more likely to be over-diagnosed, schools are expected to provide support from their own resources.

Funding systems vary between local authorities, and in some areas, even if a school takes a child with a statement, it may have to provide some of the help for that child from its own budget.

Ofsted said that funding could be an "obvious motivation" for schools to inflate SEN figures, but said that in its study it did not find evidence that this was happening.

Inspectors said some local authorities had reformed their funding systems, partly driven by concerns that they were creating incentives for schools to identify pupils as having special needs.

Does having a large number of SEN children boost league table positions?

School league tables look at the attainment of pupils in national curriculum tests, know as Sats, and GCSEs. They also feature a measure called "contextual value added" (CVA), which aims to rate schools on how much progress their pupils make, taking into account factors about the school's intake, such as the number of pupils on free school meals.

The proportion of pupils with SEN is one of the measures used in this calculation.

Ofsted said some schools it visited believed increased numbers of SEN pupils would boost CVA scores, and this had led to over-identification of SEN, and contributed to lowering expectations for children.

But it said the problem was not system-wide.

Schools also point out that all their pupils' achievements are taken into account in attainment data, so taking pupils with severe special needs can make them appear less successful in the tables.

What happens elsewhere in the UK?

The systems in Wales are Northern Ireland is broadly similar to that in England, although they both have their own codes of practice.

In Scotland, the concept of special educational needs has been broadened to "additional support needs" and includes factors affecting a child's learning such as bullying, bereavement, family being in care or being a teenage parent.

Local authorities must provide for all such needs, and a plan must be produced if the child needs support from different agencies - such as health or social services.

Common problems parents ask us for help with about special educational needs support for children and what you can do!

Assessment and statements of special educational needs: what you can do

Ask your LEA for a statutory assessment
Ask your LEA for a re-assessment
Ask for a meeting
Ask for the name of the school
Object to the amendments the LEA is proposing to make
Ask your LEA to arrange an early review
Complain when your child is not getting the special educational provision

If your problem does not fit any of these, ring Marsha to find out about other forms of action.

Ask for a statutory assessment
When should I ask?

If you believe:

that your child has a learning difficulty or a disability which is holding them back at school; and
that the school is not able to provide the help your child needs

You should also ask your LEA for a “statutory assessment” if your child is under school age, and you believe that they will need extra help when they start school.

Should I speak to the school first?

Yes, definitely. Speak to your child’s class teacher and the head teacher about your worries before writing to the LEA

What if the school offers to write on my behalf?

The Headteacher is able to write and ask for a 'statutory assessment', but if you do it yourself you can be sure that the request has definitely been made, and you will know when it has been made. However, if the Headteacher is willing, you could ask him or her to write a letter which supports your parental application.

Who should I write to?

Write to the top person at the LEA, usually called the Chief Education Officer or the Director of Education. You can find out what the top person is called in your LEA by asking at the school or the local library.

When should I hear back?

The LEA must reply within six weeks.

Remember: Always ask in writing. Keep a copy of your letter. Make a note of the six week deadline for the LEA’s reply. Ring use if you don’t get a reply after six weeks or if you want further advice.

Model letter

Dear Sir or Madam,

(child’s name) (date of birth)

Request for formal assessment

I am writing as the parent of the above child to request an assessment of his special educational needs under the 1996 Education Act.

(child’s name) attends ..................... school.

I believe that (child’s name)'s special educational needs are as follows:

My reasons for believing that the school cannot on their own make the provision required to meet my child’s needs are:

I understand that you are required by law to reply to this request within six weeks and that if you refuse I will be able to appeal to the Special Educational Needs Tribunal.

Yours sincerely,

Ask your LEA for re-assessment
When should I ask?

If you believe that your child’s needs have changed since the last Statement was issued; or
If you believe that a different kind of help, or more help, is needed, or

Should I speak to the school and the LEA first?

Yes, definitely. Speak to your child’s class teacher and the head teacher about your worries. When you write to the LEA asking for a re-assessment, explain why you think the current Statement is not good enough.

What if the school offers to write on my behalf?

The Headteacher is able to write and ask for a 're-assessment', but if you do it yourself you can be sure that the request has definitely been made, and you will know when it has been made. However, if the Headteacher is willing, you could ask him or her to write a letter which supports your parental request for a re-assessment.

Who should I write to?

When will I hear back?

Within six weeks.

Remember: keep a copy of any letter you send and make a note of the deadline for reply on your calendar and ring Special Educational Needs Family’s Support group 0161 755 4382 or email Marsha@senfsg.com if you don’t get a reply after six weeks or if you want further advice.

Model letter

Dear Sir or Madam,

(Child’s name) (date of birth)

Request for re-assessment

I am writing as the parent of the above child to request a “re-assessment” of his special educational needs under the 1996 Education Act. (Child’s name) has a Statement of Special Educational needs and attends .............. school.

I believe that (child’s name)'s special educational needs have changed as follows:

I believe that the provision in Part 3 of the Statement is no longer suitable because

I believe that the school is no longer able to meet his needs because

I understand that you are required by law to reply to this request within six weeks and that if you refuse I will be able to appeal to the Special Educational Needs Tribunal.

Yours sincerely,

Ask for a meeting on the proposed Statement and express a preference for a school

When should I ask for a meeting?

Within 15 days of receiving your copy of the proposed Statement.

Why should I ask for a meeting?

If you are not happy with any aspect of the proposed Statement or the reports atached. Once you have asked for this meeting the LEA cannot finalise the Statement until the meeting has taken place. Make your request in writing, not over the ‘phone. In the same letter, tell the Officer which school you want named in the Statement.

Do I have to give details of what I am not happy about?

Not if you don’t want to at this stage.

What if the LEA will not agree to a meeting?

The LEA have to agree to a meeting -- the law says they must after they have sent a parent a proposed Statement.

Who should I write to?

When will I hear back?

You should hear back within a week or two.

Remember: keep a copy of any letter you send and ring SEN-FSG if you don’t get a reply after two weeks or if you want further advice.

Model letter

Dear Sir or Madam,

(Child’s name) (date of birth)

Request for a meeting to discuss a proposed Statement

I am writing as the parent of the above child to acknowledge receipt of the proposed Statement of Special Educational Needs and to ask for a meeting with the Responsible Officer to discuss it.

Please note that the school we wish to be named on the Statement when it is finalised is ...................... school.

Yours sincerely,

Ask for the name of the school on your child's Statement to be changed

You use this procedure only for another maintained school (state school) of the same type: either mainstream or special. You cannot use this procedure if you want to change from mainstream to special or vice versa or to change from maintained to independent.

When can I ask this?

At any time, as long as it is not within one year of:

· the last time you asked
· the Statement being finalised
· the Statement being amended
· your last appeal to the Special Educational Needs Tribunal

Who should I write to?

When will I hear back?

Within eight weeks

Will the LEA agree?

The LEA should agree, provided that:

the school you want is suitable to your child’s age, ability, aptitude or to his special educational needs; or your child’s attendance at the school would not affect the education of other children

It is important to check that the provision described in Part 3 of your child's Statement can be made at the new school and that there will therefore be no need to change the wording of Part 3 of the Statement. If you are unsure of this, ask the head teacher of the school you want your child to attend and ring us for further advice.

Remember: keep a copy of any letter you send and make a note of the deadline for reply on your calendar and ring us if you don’t get a reply after eight weeks or if you want further advice.

Model letter

Dear Sir or Madam,

(Child’s name) (date of birth)

Request for a change of the school named on a Statement

I am writing as the parent of the above child, who has a Statement of Special Educational Needs and attends .................... school.

I am writing to request a change of the school named on my child’s Statement. At present his Statement names ................. school. I would like this changed to ................. school.

I understand that you have a legal duty to comply with this request unless you can show that either:

(a) the school I want is unsuitable to my child’s age, ability, aptitude or special educational needs; or
(b) that my child’s attendance at the school would affect the education of other children; or
(c) that my child’s attendance at the school would not be an “efficient use of resources.”

I do not believe that any of these is the case and therefore look forward to hearing back that you agree to this change of school.

Also, I understand that you are required by law to reply within eight weeks of receiving this request and that if you refuse I will be able to appeal to the Special Educational Needs Tribunal.

Yours sincerely,

What should I do?

Write to the LEA explaining exactly what it is that you are unhappy about with the amendments and ask for a meeting to discuss them.

When should I write?

Within 15 days of receiving the Amendment Notice.

Does the LEA have to agree to a meeting?

Yes, they do.

Should I speak to the school about this?

Yes, definitely. Speak to your child’s class teacher and the Headteacher about your worries as well as writing to the LEA.

What if the school offers to write on my behalf?

It is fine for the school to write as well as you if they believe that the amendments being proposed would not benefit your child. But it is more important that you write, as the parent.

Who should I write to?

Remember: keep a copy of any letter you send and ring SEN-FSG if you don’t get a reply after four weeks or if you want further advice.

Model letter

Dear Sir or Madam,

(Child’s name) (date of birth)

Representations on proposals to amend a Statement

I am writing as the parent of the above child, who has a Statement of Special Educational Needs and attends ................. school.

I acknowledge receipt of your Amendment Notice and wish to request a meeting with an Officer to discuss the changes being proposed. I wish to make the following comments:

(Note: If the Amendment Notice is proposing a change to the school named in Part 4 then you can also express a preference for the maintained school you wish to be named on the Statement.)

I understand that I will be able to appeal to the Special Educational Needs Tribunal if you amend the Statement and I remain unhappy, and I hope that by meeting to discuss this matter we will be able to avoid involving the Tribunal.

Yours sincerely,

Object to the amendments the LEA is proposing to make to your child’s Statement

What should I do?

Write to the LEA explaining exactly what it is that you are unhappy about with the amendments and ask for a meeting to discuss them.

When should I write?

Within 15 days of receiving the Amendment Notice.

Do the LEA have to agree to a meeting?

Yes, they do.

Should I speak to the school about this?

Yes, definitely. Speak to your child’s class teacher and the Headteacher about your worries as well as writing to the LEA.

What if the school offers to write on my behalf?

It is fine for the school to write as well as you if they believe that the amendments being proposed would not benefit your child. But it is more important that you write, as the parent.

Who should I write to?

Remember: keep a copy of any letter you send and ring SEN-FSG if you don’t get a reply after four weeks or if you want further advice.

Model letter

Dear Sir or Madam,

(Child’s name) (date of birth)

Representations on proposals to amend a Statement

I am writing as the parent of the above child, who has a Statement of Special Educational Needs and attends ................. school.

I acknowledge receipt of your Amendment Notice and wish to request a meeting with an Officer to discuss the changes being proposed. I wish to make the following comments:
(Note: If the Amendment Notice is proposing a change to the school named in Part 4 then you can also express a preference for the maintained school you wish to be named on the Statement.)

Yours sincerely,

Ask your LEA to arrange an early review of your child’s Statement

When can I ask for an early review?

At anytime, as long as you have a good reason. The LEA must arrange a review of the Statement at least once every year. But if you believe that there is an urgent need for a change to your child’s Statement you should ask for a review to be arranged as soon as possible.

What would be a good reason for asking for an early review?

You should ask for an early review if you believe:

that your child’s needs have changed and are no longer accurately described in Part 2 of the State

Should I speak to the school first?

Yes, definitely. Speak to your child’s class teacher and the Headteacher about your worries as well as writing to the LEA.

What if the school offers to write on my behalf?

It is fine for the school to write as well as you if they believe that an early review is needed. But you should also write, as the parent.

Who should I write to?

Remember: keep a copy of any letter you send and ring SEN-FSG if you don’t get a reply after four weeks or if you want further advice.

Model letter

Dear Sir or Madam,

(Child’s name) (date of birth)

Request for an early review of a Statement

I am writing as the parent of the above child, who has a Statement of Special Educational needs and attends .............. school.

I would like the LEA to arrange an immediate review of the Statement. My reasons for making this request are:

I look forward to an early reply.

Yours sincerely,

Complain when your child is not getting the special educational provision on their statement

How do I know what my child should be getting?

This should be ‘specified’ in Part 3 of the Statement.

Does the LEA have to “arrange” this help?

In law, the LEA must “arrange the special educational provision” specified in a Statement.

When should I complain?

If you discover that your child is not getting the special educational provision specified in Part 3 of the Statement or that the provision is being removed or reduced without the Statement being amended.

Should I speak to the school about this?

Yes, definitely. Speak to your child’s class teacher and the Headteacher about your worries as well as writing to complain to the LEA.

What if the school offers to write on my behalf?

It is OK for the school to write as well, but the most important thing is to write yourself. You, as a parent, are the only one who can take legal action in order to ensure that your child receives the provison specified in her Statement. The head can't do this, even if he or she wants to!

Who should I write to?

Remember: keep a copy of any letter you send and ring SENFSG if you don’t get a reply after two weeks or if you want further advice.

Model letter

Dear Sir or Madam,

(Child’s name) (date of birth)

Complaint that special education provision is not being made

I am writing as the parent of the above child, who has a Statement of Special Educational needs and attends .................. school.

Under Part 3, the Statement specifies the special educational provision my child should receive and I understand that you have a legal duty to “arrange” this provision.

I am sorry to have to inform you that you are in breach of this duty, on the grounds that the following provision is currently not being made: Please reply to this letter as soon as possible, but in any event within 5 working days of receiving it, confirming the steps that you will take to ensure that the special educational provision specified in my child’s Statement will, in fact. be made.

I look forward to an early reply and trust that it will not be necessary to take this matter further.

Yours sincerely,

Please contact us now on 0161 755 3482 or

07990 594060 and we will do everything we can to help you.

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