Ask Us NottinghamShire Diane Robinson Denise Ashmore

Who are we ? Diane and Denise – Information and Support Advisors Part of Futures Group – moved from Nottinghamshire County council. Impartial and at arms length from local authorities. Contact Details We have a telephone advice line which is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9 to 1 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday 1 – 5 p.m. Have a call-back system

What we do We provide parents, carers, children and young people with free, confidential and impartial information, advice and support on children and young people’s special educational needs and disability matters. We support families across Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire.  

We want to ensure that the views of parents, carers, children and young people are taken into account when decisions are made around education or disability issues. Our aim is to help children and young people achieve the best possible outcomes and prepare well for adulthood.

We offer: Telephone advice (helpline)   Telephone advice (helpline) Face-to-face support at Drop-In sessions Support for meetings e.g. at school Support with paperwork e.g. requesting an Education, Health and Care needs assessment Support for EHC needs assessments or annual reviews of EHC Plans Signposting to specialist services or agencies Support for mediation/tribunals

Ground Rules Flip chart

Who is in the group Please introduce yourself. How long have you been coming to the group

School Meetings!

What sort of meetings are there in school - Complete flip chart Informal school meetings Parents evenings Exclusions / Reintegration Governors meetings Education Care Health Care plan reviews Mediation/ Tribunals Transition meetings

Who to contact The best place to start is with the class teacher, since they are responsible for delivering the day-to-day teaching for your child. For children with more complex needs and high levels of support in school, contact the school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator.

Who to contact in secondary schools Tutor , Head of Year or SENCO

If you want to arrange a meeting in school Consider writing or emailing the school Be clear about what you want to discuss and who you would like to be there. Once the meeting has been arranged ask for an Agenda so that you know exactly what will be discussed. Ask for the meeting to be minuted or if no one can take minutes at least ask for any agreed actions to be noted and circulated Do you need support of family, friend or Ask Us?

How can you make yourself feel more confident? Flip chart Consider where you sit What to wear Prepare by reading any reports, policies etc. Make notes to take to the meeting

Questions to ask What opportunities exist already for me to ask about my child’s needs and support? Can I get this information by telephone or by email if necessary? Can I have contact details for a key person involved with the provision for my child? (This is the person you would contact first if you have a query.) How do I know that all staff involved with my child understand his/her needs? (Tell them what would make you feel confident about this.)

Questions to ask What can I expect once my child is placed in the SEN Support category? Has my child had, or are they due to have, any additional screening or assessment? What training has school or setting had to help them understand the types of need that my child might have? Is any further training planned?

Questions to ask Does the school/setting have any support from a specialist? Are there strategies in place for my child? What are they? Are there outcomes designed for my child? What are they? What is the school’s (or the setting’s) standard offer? How is my child’s progress tracked and monitored?

Questions to ask Where can I find impartial and confidential information, advice and support? What is the Local Offer?

After the meeting Ask for minutes Take notes Write agreed actions

Annual Reviews Must be held annually - but you can ask for an early review An Annual Review will give you certain legal rights eg to ask for amendments to the EHC Plan You can then challenge at tribunal or mediation

Where a child or young person has an EHC plan, it must be reviewed annually by the LA. The first review of the EHC plan must be held within 12 months of the plan being finalised. Subsequent reviews must be held within 12 months of the previous review. The process the Local Authority must follow when reviewing an EHC plan is set out in law and is described in detail in the SEN and Disability Code of Practice 2015. The LA must consult with the parent of the child or young person (and with the school or institution being attended if there is one) about the EHC plan; Information must be gathered from parents and young people and from professionals about the EHC plan and then circulated two weeks before the meeting.

After the meeting a report of what happened must be prepared and circulated to everyone who attended or submitted information to be discussed. After the meeting the LA reviews the EHC plan, and decides whether to make any changes to the EHCP taking into account the views expressed at the meeting. The LA must notify the parent of the child or young person of their decision within four weeks of the meeting.

There are only three decisions the LA can make: (1)       To leave the EHC plan alone; (2)       To amend the EHC plan; (3)       To cease the EHC plan if they think it is no longer necessary for it to be in place (4)       In each case, even if the LA decides to do nothing, there is a right of appeal to the Tribunal about the education contents of the plan.

When can I ask for an early review? At any time, as long as you have a good reason. What would be a good reason for asking for an early review? If you believe: that your child/young person’s education, health or social care needs have changed and are no longer accurately described in the EHC plan; or that the education, health or social care provision in the EHC plan is no longer meeting your child/ young person’s needs.

Prepare beforehand Complete your parent’s view form Make sure you note what is working what is not working Think about what you want your child to achieve over the next year Look through the EHCP – highlight anything you think needs changing Look at Section A - this is your and your child's section Is there anyone you think should be invited?

Prepare Check progress made Medical changes

Who should attend reviews Any professionals working with your child should be invited/and or asked for reports (SALT, Social Care, Residential care, befrienders. O.T, Physio). School staff ICDS/SEN team if it is felt necessary ie that required AskUs can provide support if required If a transition review new college or school staff

Next meetings – what subjects would you like? Children missing school