Special Educational Needs

What is a statement of special educational needs?

A statement will describe all of your child’s SEN and the special help your child should receive. The Local Authority (LA) will usually make a statement if it decides that all of the special help your child needs cannot be provided from within the school’s existing resources. These resources could include money, staff time and special equipment.

Before a statement can be written a statutory assessment must be carried out.

A statement of SEN is set out in six parts:

Part 1 gives general information on your child, that is name, address, date of birth.

Part 2 describes all of your child's special educational needs, as well as their strengths. It should contain details of your child taken from the reports of those people who have provided information for your child's assessments - these reports are included as appendices at the back of the proposed statement. The aim is to provide a clear summary of your child's needs based on all of the information and advice received, including your own contribution.

Part 3 describes:

  • all of the special help that the LA thinks your child should get to meet the needs listed in part two
  • what the long-term aims are; that is, what your child is expected to achieve over the duration of the statement
  • how your child’s progress will be recorded and monitored.

Part 4 tells you about the school your child will go to in order to get the help set out in part 3. This section is left blank when the statement is first drafted (proposed statement). You have a right to express a preference for the LA maintained school that you would like your child to attend, or make representations in favour of a non-maintained or independent school. The LA will send information on mainstream and special schools in Hampshire. They will also send a list of non-maintained special schools and independent schools specially organised to provide special educational needs.

Part 5 describes any non-educational needs your child has.

Part 6 describes how your child will get help to meet the needs detailed in part 5. This help is normally provided by other agencies such as health or social care services.

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