My son has got Noonan Syndrome but his situation is complex. I am getting him ready to go to a special school for reception in September but I do not know what is or what isn’t the right funding for him. I am trying to understand what is the right type of support that my son needs and I am worried about the views of my local authority. Should I pay for an expert second opinion?
If you are going through the education health and care plan you have to have an education psychologist report and if necessary, speech and language report and / or OT reports which are all funded through the local authority. As some parents worry that the local authority is only putting in their reports what they think they can provide parents often do go for private assessments and get somebody from another organisation to come in and assess the child to see what they think professionally they need. The local authority has to look at those reports, however they don’t have to act upon them. If a family feel they have not been awarded adequate provision then the process would be to enter a tribunal. It shouldn’t cost anything to go to tribunal, there are lots of organisations that can support parents through the process, but it is a court of law. It is a stressful situation; it takes lot of work to put your case together and it is not an easy solution. It can be a challenging situation. There the funding cuts that are happening nationally, but most schools will try to do the very best for the children. However, it is important that your voice is heard and that you keep your voice heard.
