The Local Authority (LA) will write to you. If you have made the request for Assessment yourself, you will receive your first letter from the Special Educational Needs Officer or from one of her Assistants based at County Hall. If you, your child’ school and the Educational Psychologist (on behalf of the LA) have together felt an Assessment may be required, then your first letter will come from the Educational Psychologist. This letter will tell you:
- that they suggest they assess the needs of your child
- that the Assessment should normally be completed in 26 weeks
- that if the Assessment goes ahead, written information will be requested from your child’s teacher (or Early Year’s Special Needs teacher), a doctor, the Educational Psychologist and the Social Services Department
- the name of the LA Officer for you to contact for further information about the Assessment - in Nottinghamshire this is usually the Educational Psychologist who routinely visits your local school, or the school your child attends
- how you can get help and advice from someone who is independent of the LA - someone who can act as ‘Named Person’ to support you in decisions
- what range of provision for special educational needs is available in Nottinghamshire.
The letter from the LA will ask you to write back within 29 days from the date you received the letter.
To help you with your reply, Nottinghamshire LA will enclose a reply slip with the proposal letter. The reply slip has two tick boxes; one to be ticked if you agree that the Assessment should go ahead, the other to be ticked if you are unhappy with the proposal and do not want the Assessment to go ahead.
The LA will consider your views most carefully when deciding whether the Assessment should go ahead.
This reply slip asks for your written views and for any other written information which you may wish to enclose. Any comments which you make at this stage will be sent to people involved in the Assessment if it goes ahead. This gives you the chance to make people aware of anything which could affect their Assessment, for example if your child is anxious with unfamiliar people.
The LA really does want to know your views. If you want to discuss them first or if you want any help with making your views known to the LA, talk with your Named LA Officer (the Educational Psychologist). It is the Officer’s job to see that you understand what is going on and to make sure that you have the opportunity to make your views known.
The LA will write to the school doctor or paediatrician, the social services department and your child’s school (or the Early Years Special Needs Service) at the same time as you receive your first letter suggesting the Assessment. This is not to ask for any information or written advice. It is to give them some early warning so that they will be better prepared to provide written information within 6 weeks, if this is requested.
The LA has 6 weeks to tell you whether it is going to make an Assessment under the Education Act 1996. If you have not heard the LA’s decision within 6 weeks, you should talk to the officer about the delay.
