Director of Education and Skills

Director of Education and Skills

The London Borough of Barnet,

Building 2, North London Business Park

Oakleigh Rd South,

London N11 1NP

Contact:Post-16 SEN Team

Tel:020 8359 7007

E-mail:

Date: 28 April 2016

Dear Young Person and Parent/Carer

This letter is being sent to all young people who are receiving additional support in college through a learning Difficulty Assessment (LDA). The Local Authority is required to engage directly with young people themselves, and has addressed this letter to young people and their parents and carers so that, if necessary, they can support their young person to understand the content and next steps.

Why the Local Authority is writing to you

According to our records, you are attending college or another further education setting and receiving additional support through an LDA. If you want to stay in education or training after August 31 2016 the Local Authority must consider whether to carry out an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHC Needs Assessment) under Section 36 of the Children and Families Act 2014. I am writing to let you know our procedures for this. Students who are moving on to University do not need to have an EHC Needs Assessment.

What is an EHC Needs Assessment?

The Assessment brings together all the information about your learning, health and care needs. It sets out what you want to achieve in the future and while you are in education or training and what you need to help you to achieve this. At the end of the Assessment, the Local Authority will issue an Education, Health and Care Plan if you need one.

How does the Authority decide whether or not to carry out an EHC Needs Assessment?

To do this, the Local Authority has asked the college or other setting to provide some information about your special educational needs, the support you require, and your progress. We will also write to the health service, social care and the Educational Psychology service to ask about the nature of their involvement, if any. If there is any further information that you would like us to take into account, please let me know as soon as possible.

The information requested must be sent to us within 6 weeks of the Authority asking for it. At the end of that time, or sooner if possible, we will decide whether or not it is necessary to carry out an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment and will write to you to let you know our decision.

Your views and those of your parents/carers are very important to us. We will ask you for these when we receive the attached sheet. If you want to tell us your views now, you can send them to us when you return the sheet to us. You and your parents and carers have the right to express your views in writing or by speaking to someone.

You can get advice and support from the Barnet SEND Information, Advice and Support Service. They can be contacted on 0208 359 7637 or by email at

Barnardos offer a service to young people with special needs and their parents and carers which includes support with new EHC Needs Assessments. You can contact them on 020 8551 1880 or by email to

The Authority can only carry out the EHC Needs Assessment if you tell us that you would like us to do this. Therefore, please complete and return the attached form within the next 4 weeks. If we do not receive the attached form by 27 May 2016 we will assume that you do not want an EHC Needs Assessment.

Next steps

1. Please answer the questions on the attached sheet and return the sheet to us at the above address as soon as possible.

2. Please send any other correspondence, including other information that you would like to be considered, to the above address, marked for the attention of the Post-16 Team.

Yours sincerely

Jacqueline Harniman
Interim SEN Casework Manager(Post-16)
SEND and Inclusion
C.c. College/other educational setting
Barnet with Cambridge Education
North London Business Park
Oakleigh Road South
London
N11 1NP
United Kingdom

Mott MacDonald Limited trading as Cambridge Education. Registered in England and Wales no. 1243967
Registered office: Mott MacDonald House, 8-10 Sydenham Road, Croydon CR0 2EE, United Kingdom

Please complete this form and return it by 27 May 2016 to:

SEN Assessment and Placement Team, Director of Education and Skills, The London Borough of Barnet, Building 2, North London Business Park Oakleigh Rd South, London N11 1NP

You can also send it by email to

Name

Date of Birth

Address

College/other setting attended

I want to stay in further education or training after 31 August 2016 / Yes/No (delete as appropriate)
I will be moving on to University from September 2016 / Yes/No (delete as appropriate)
I would like the Local Authority to carry out an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment ( if you do not want to remain in further education or training, or are moving on to University, you do not need to have an EHC Needs Assessment) / Yes/No (delete as appropriate)
Someone else has helped me to fill in this form / Yes/No (delete as appropriate)
The name and address of the person who helped me is
This person is my parent/carer/teacher/tutor/support work/other (please specify)