Transfer and Admission of Children with Statements - September 2008

This information relates to pupils due to transfer to a new school in September 2008. Special arrangements about school transfer apply to children with a Statement of Special Educational Needs apply. This MI sheet is to give you information about the process and to give you advance notice of the consultation period regarding pupils who we propose will transfer to your school in September 2008.

You will be aware that the Local Authority (LA) is required to make arrangements enabling parents to express a preference for a maintained school to be named in their child's Statement. This is a particular issue at phase transfer.

The LA is writing to the parents of all children with Statements who are due to transfer to a new school in September 2008, on 3rd September 2007. Parents will be asked to identify a preference for a transfer school for September 2008 and are asked to let us know their preferences by 24th September 2007.

The next step will be for the Authority to prepare a Proposed Amended Statement for each child and to consult schools on 30th November 2007. Schools will have 15 working days to respond. School responses must be made by 4th January 2008. Parents will also receive the Proposed Amended Statement on 30th November. The deadline for their responses is 18th December 2007.

The LA has a statutory duty to name the parents' preferred choice of school in the Statement unless:

a) the school cannot provide for the needs of the child
b) the child's attendance at the school would be incompatible with the efficient education of other children in the school
c) the placement is an inefficient use of the LA's resources

The LA has a responsibility to ensure that all statements of children transferring between phases of education are amended to name a school by 15th February 2008. This will enable adequate time for parents, where they are unhappy with their child's Statement, to appeal to the SEN & Disability Tribunal and to allow any school placement issues to be settled well before the start of the next school year. It is intended to issue the Final Statements on 8th February 2008 in order to ensure that they are with parents by the due date.

There is an expectation that where children have been educated within the mainstream sector for their current education, their next phase of education should continue also within the mainstream phase. Therefore the only ground upon which a school may object to a child's proposed placement is if the child's attendance would be incompatible with the efficient education of other children in the school (Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 8:64). Of course if schools feel that reasonable adjustments to assist with the inclusion of individual children require support, guidance and advice from the LA then these issues should be raised with the school's SEN Caseworker.

Parents will also receive a copy of the Proposed Statement on 30th November 2007 and will have 15 days to let us know if they want to talk to us or tell us about any amendments they would like made.

Parents of children with statements will not receive a letter from the Admissions Team about choosing a school for their child. (If one is sent in error, parents have been asked to return it uncompleted with a note to say that their child has a statement in the reply-paid envelope provided.) The Final Statement issued in February 2008 will name the child's school placement for September 2008 and parents will not receive a school placement letter later in the Spring Term from the Admissions Team.

Schools should contact their named SEN Caseworker regarding any concerns.