After the decision on whether to make a Statement or not has been made, there are a number of questions that you may have. We have tried to provide the answers below.

Can I disagree with the Final Statement?

You can contact the Officer at County Hall to ask for an opportunity to discuss the Local Authority’s final decision.
If you are still unhappy with the Final Statement, you can appeal to the Special Educational Needs Tribunal.

Can I disagree if the Local Authority tells me that my child does not need a Statement?

The Officer at County Hall will send you and your child’s school all the reports the Local Authority (LA) has received. You will be told why a Statement is not thought necessary. You and your child’s school will be able to use this information to continue to help your child. If you are still unhappy about no Statement being made, then you can appeal to the Special Educational Needs Tribunal.

What happens if my child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs and I move from one Local Authority to another?

Your old LA:

• Must send the new LA a copy of your child’s Statement and all the reports.

Your new LA:

• Must make sure your child gets all the special educational help set out in the Statement
• Must tell you within 6 weeks when they are going to review your child’s Statement of Special Educational Needs, whether they are going to make a new Statutory Assessment, or whether they will confirm the existing Statement.

You can help in the following ways:

• As soon as you know you are going to move to another part of the country, make sure the new LA knows about your child
• Ask your child’s Head Teacher to contact Inclusion and Engagement at County Hall about your move, or write, yourself, to the Service Director for Inclusion and Engagement at County Hall
• If you have moved quickly without the chance to plan ahead, tell the Head Teacher of the local school in your new area about your child’s Statement of Special Educational Needs, or get in touch with the Strategic Director for Children and Young People's Services.

What happens if my child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs and I move to a different address in Nottinghamshire?

You should contact your child’s school and the Service Director for Inclusion and Engagement at County Hall at the earliest opportunity to tell them of your new address.

What if I want to remove my child from the school named in the Statement?

You should not make any arrangements to remove your child from the school which is named on the Statement until you have discussed this with the Head Teacher or Educational Psychologist. They will advise the officer at County Hall.

What about the National Curriculum?

The 1996 Education Act says that all children should be taught the same subjects in the National Curriculum.

• Your child will be taught each of the subjects in the National Curriculum
• Your child’s progress will be assessed at certain 'key stages' by the teacher
• The school will be keeping a record of your child’s progress in each of the National Curriculum subjects.

In some exceptional circumstances, children with Statements can be 'exempted' or 'disapplied' from all or part of the National Curriculum. You must be told of any proposed changes to the National Curriculum, and you can disagree with them.

What can I do if I am unhappy about some part of the Assessment?

You have rights of appeal at the various stages of the Assessment. You will have read about them in this leaflet. As well as legal rights of appeal, you can make a complaint about the length of time the Children and Young People's department is taking to discuss your child’s educational needs. If you want to complain about a delay, it is best to talk first to the Named officer, that is the Educational Psychologist, dealing with your child’s case. The Named officer may be able to explain the reason for the delay.

If you are still unhappy and want to make a formal complaint, you can write to:
The Complaints Officer
Inclusion and Engagement
Children and Young People's department
County Hall
West Bridgford
Nottingham NG2 7QP

You can read in more detail about the County Council’s complaints procedure in their leaflet 'Listening to You'. You can get a copy of this leaflet free of charge from libraries and other County Council offices.