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A Panel System
In Nottingham City, all requests for statutory assessment of a child’s special educational needs (SEN) requested by parents/carers, school and Local Education (LEA) Officers, go to a panel of professionals to consider whether a recommendation to assess will be made to the LEA.
What does the Panel do?
The panel looks at all the information it has received and matches it against the criteria set out in the SEN Code of Practice before making a recommendation to the LEA. The LEA has a legal responsibility for deciding whether it needs to carry out a statutory assessment of a child’s needs and for notifying parents of this decision by letter.
Who will be on the panel?
The panel is chaired by an LEA officer, it will have representation from mainstream and special school staff on the panel. Other panel members might include staff from the Inclusive Education Service, Behaviour Support Service, Community Educational Psychology Service, Achievement Team and the Parent Partnership Service.
Panel members may not know the individual children for whom the assessments are being requested. Panel members are not there to support individual requests or advocate on behalf of individual children.
How it works?
Panel members will receive copies of all relevant paperwork to study. The chair of the panel, will then work through a list of criteria with panel members, encouraging discussion in order to arrive at a recommendation for the LEA to either proceed with a statutory assessment or to refuse it.
How are parents involved?
The LEA will write to you to ask for your views on your child’s Special Educational Needs, your views are then forwarded to the panel.
Is it Confidential?
Yes. All panel members are advised this is a confidential process. This means panel members will not talk about the meeting outside of the panel.
What can I do if I disagree with the panel or the LEA decision?
Your rights do not change. You can make your views known to the LEA officer that issued the decision. You can also use the Parent Partnership Service or a mediation service to support you in resolving the situation. You have a statutory right to appeal to the SEN and Disability Tribunal if you are unhappy with the decision.
All the agencies which work with parents and carers of children with Special Educational Needs are committed to helping you reach agreement and ensure that suitable provision is made for your child.
The Parent Partnership Service provides information, advice and support for parents of children with Special Educational Needs. For further information please contact the Parent Partnership Helpline on 0115 9482888 or write to them at Suite 5, Clarendon Chambers, 32 Clarendon Street, Nottingham, NG1 5LN
Copyright 1994
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