Student profile
Our students all have Special Educational Needs (SEN) and have an EHCP in place. The range of needs that our students present with includes ASC, ADHD, OCD, Dyslexia, PDA, processing and communication difficulties. Some have associated learning and mental health difficulties and many of our young people may previously have encountered negative educational experiences, and consequently lack confidence in their own abilities.
How to make a referral
Discuss a referral
Enquiries to our Assessment, Referrals and Transition Lead – Daisy John
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.
FAQs
If your child has a learning difficulty or a disability which is holding them/you back at school or college, and you believe that the school or college may not be able to provide all of the help and support which is needed, then you should make a request to the local authority (LA) for an EHC needs assessment. You can do this at any time.
You can only ask for an EHC needs assessment if you/your child has, or may have, SEN.
For children of compulsory school age or younger, you as their parent or carer make the request.
You can speak to the school SENCO or the person responsible for SEN provision, and the head teacher or the principal.
You can still apply for an EHC needs assessment even if your child’s school does not agree that it is needed.
You should make a written request and keep a copy of your letter. Your letter should set out:
• why you believe your child has or may have special educational needs and
• why you believe they may need special educational provision to be made through an EHC Plan.
In other words, you need to explain why you believe the legal test for assessment is met.
You should write to your home LA (even if your child goes to school in a different LA). You can find details of your LA online. Your LA’s website should tell you how a request can be made. If it is not clear, you should write to the most senior person at the LA, usually called the Director of Education or Head/Director of Children’s Services. You can find out the name and contact details of the most senior officer on the Association of Directors of Children’s Services website, your LA’s website, by calling the LA or by asking at your child’s school or college.
The LA must reply within six weeks to let you know whether it agrees to carry out an EHC needs assessment. This is set out in Regulation 4 (1) of The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014. Your LA should always reply to you as a parent – even where the request was made by the school or college.
You should make a note of the six week deadline for your LA’s reply. If your LA does not respond in time, you can take action.
If your LA refuses to carry out an assessment, the refusal letter must give you certain information, including your right to appeal the decision to the SEND Tribunal and details of an independent mediation service for you to contact.
The deadline for appealing is two months from the date of the decision or one month from the date of the mediation certificate, whichever is the later.
If your LA agrees to carry out an assessment, various people will need to be asked for advice towards the EHC needs assessment.
An education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment is an assessment of your child or young person’s education, health and care needs. It is the first step to getting an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC plan). An EHC plan can result in additional support and funding for a child or young person with special educational needs (SEN).
If a LA is requested to carry out an EHC needs assessment by a parent, young person, school or college, it must consider:
• whether the child or young person has or may have special educational needs (SEN); and
• whether they may need special educational provision to be made through an EHC plan.
If the answer to both of these questions is yes, the LA must carry out an EHC needs assessment.
You can only ask for an EHC needs assessment if you/your child has, or may have, SEN.
For children of compulsory school age or younger, you as their parent or carer make the request.
You can speak to the school SENCO or the person responsible for SEN provision, and the head teacher or the principal.
You can still apply for an EHC needs assessment even if your child’s school does not agree that it is needed.
You should make a written request and keep a copy of your letter. Your letter should set out:
• why you believe your child has or may have special educational needs and
• why you believe they may need special educational provision to be made through an EHC Plan.
In other words, you need to explain why you believe the legal test for assessment is met.
You should write to your home LA (even if your child goes to school in a different LA). You can find details of your LA online. Your LA’s website should tell you how a request can be made. If it is not clear, you should write to the most senior person at the LA, usually called the Director of Education or Head/Director of Children’s Services. You can find out the name and contact details of the most senior officer on the Association of Directors of Children’s Services website, your LA’s website, by calling the LA or by asking at your child’s school or college.
The LA must reply within six weeks to let you know whether it agrees to carry out an EHC needs assessment. This is set out in Regulation 4 (1) of The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014. Your LA should always reply to you as a parent – even where the request was made by the school or college.
You should make a note of the six week deadline for your LA’s reply. If your LA does not respond in time, you can take action.
If your LA refuses to carry out an assessment, the refusal letter must give you certain information, including your right to appeal the decision to the SEND Tribunal and details of an independent mediation service for you to contact.
The deadline for appealing is two months from the date of the decision or one month from the date of the mediation certificate, whichever is the later.
If your LA agrees to carry out an assessment, various people will need to be asked for advice towards the EHC needs assessment.
An education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment is an assessment of your child or young person’s education, health and care needs. It is the first step to getting an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC plan). An EHC plan can result in additional support and funding for a child or young person with special educational needs (SEN).
If a LA is requested to carry out an EHC needs assessment by a parent, young person, school or college, it must consider:
• whether the child or young person has or may have special educational needs (SEN); and
• whether they may need special educational provision to be made through an EHC plan.
If the answer to both of these questions is yes, the LA must carry out an EHC needs assessment.
You can request Dovecote School when you receive a draft EHC plan or an amendment notice setting out proposed amendments to an existing EHC plan.
This might be when your child or young person is getting an EHC plan for the first time, if the EHC plan is being amended after an annual review, or if the EHC plan is being amended at any other time (for example, if your child or young person has to move schools and the EHC plan needs to be amended to reflect that).
If you ask your LA to consider naming Dovecote, your LA must take into account your views, wishes and feelings, and those too of your child if you are a parent making the request for your child. This is set out in section 19 Children and Families Act 2014 and includes where the child or young person wants to be educated.
This might be when your child or young person is getting an EHC plan for the first time, if the EHC plan is being amended after an annual review, or if the EHC plan is being amended at any other time (for example, if your child or young person has to move schools and the EHC plan needs to be amended to reflect that).
If you ask your LA to consider naming Dovecote, your LA must take into account your views, wishes and feelings, and those too of your child if you are a parent making the request for your child. This is set out in section 19 Children and Families Act 2014 and includes where the child or young person wants to be educated.
Section F should contain special educational provision to meet all of the needs specified in Section B of the EHC Plan.
The provision set out in the EHC plan must be detailed and specific and should normally be quantified, for example, in terms of the type, hours and frequency of support and level of expertise (Paragraph 9.69 of the Code). It should be clear from reading section F of the EHC plan “who, what, when and how long” in relation to each element of special educational provision listed
Paragraph 9.69 of the SEN and Disability Code of Practice states, “Provision must be specified [in Section F] for each and every need specified in Section B”.
The provision set out in the EHC plan must be detailed and specific and should normally be quantified, for example, in terms of the type, hours and frequency of support and level of expertise (Paragraph 9.69 of the Code). It should be clear from reading section F of the EHC plan “who, what, when and how long” in relation to each element of special educational provision listed
Paragraph 9.69 of the SEN and Disability Code of Practice states, “Provision must be specified [in Section F] for each and every need specified in Section B”.