SEN and Decision Making

The request was successful.

Miss Marina Mulvihill

Dear Brent Borough Council,

I write with the following requests for information under the
Freedom of Information Act. The questions relate to your statutory
powers of decision-making under the Education Act 1996.

1. Who is the statutory decision-maker?

Please confirm who is responsible for exercising statutory
decision-making powers on behalf of your authority under the
Education Act. These powers include, but are not limited to, the
responsibility for agreeing to statutory assessments of SEN and for
making decisions on the issue of, or provision in, a statement.

2. Is information about the decision-maker shared with parents?

Please confirm whether the identity of the person/persons
responsible for decision-making under the Education Act is
explicitly communicated to the parents, i.e. are parents told that
a specific person or body will be responsible for making decisions
on behalf of the authority?
If it is, please confirm how this is done.
If it is not done, please explain why.

3. Do you have a SEN Panel?

If your local authority utilises a SEN Panel system, please confirm
its role and its place within the statutory SEN system.
Please confirm who sits on the Panel and how they are appointed.
Please also confirm whether the role of the SEN is communicated to
parents and, if so, how this is done.
If this is not done, please explain why.

4. Is your SEN Panel the statutory decision-maker?

Does your SEN Panel make statutory decisions about the provision in
or the issue of a statement?
If it does, is any oversight exercised in relation to the panel by
executive officers of the authority or by elected members?
Please confirm whether parents or parental representatives may
attend meetings which make decisions about their child.
If your SEN Panel has a decision-making role, please confirm
whether information about the identity of those making the
decisions is shared with parents.
Please confirm whether SEN Panel meetings are minuted. If they are
minuted, is the decision-making process or just the decision
recorded? Is this information available to parents? If so, how is
it made available, e.g. does it have to be requested under the FOI
Act?

f your SEN Panel exercises statutory powers of decision-making
under the Education Act but does not minute its meetings or record
its decision-making or share these decisions with parents, please
explain why.

5. Duty to explain decisions under the Education Act

Irrespective of the identity of the statutory decision-maker,
please confirm how decisions on SEN issues under the Education Act
(for example, about the quality or quantity of provision or
undertaking a statutory assessment) are recorded and whether
decision-making is then shared with parents. This question refers
not to the fact of the decision but the reason for it and relates
to the guidance set out in para 8.32 in respect of decision-making.

Para 8:32 of SEN COP, advises local authorities, in the event of a
dispute about the nature or quantity of provision, to
resolve and give reasons for their conclusions on the choice of
opinions or evidence. How does your authority comply with this
statutory guidance? If it does not, please explain why.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Marina Mulvihill

Sara Williams,

Information request
Our reference: 3168297

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Dear Sir/Madam
 
Thank you for your information request. We will forward it to the
relevant department who will contact you shortly.
 
Brent Council
Brent Civic Centre
Engineers Way
Wembley HA9 0FJ
[email address]
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.

Sara Williams,

Information request
Our reference: 3168297

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

 
Dear Sir/Madam
 
Freedom of Information Act 2000
 
Thank you for your request for information that was received on 26 March
2015, as follows:
Dear Brent Borough Council,

I write with the following requests for information under the Freedom of
Information Act. The questions relate to your statutory powers of
decision-making under the Education Act 1996.

1. Who is the statutory decision-maker?

Please confirm who is responsible for exercising statutory decision-making
powers on behalf of your authority under the Education Act. These powers
include, but are not limited to, the responsibility for agreeing to
statutory assessments of SEN and for making decisions on the issue of, or
provision in, a statement.

2. Is information about the decision-maker shared with parents?

Please confirm whether the identity of the person/persons responsible for
decision-making under the Education Act is explicitly communicated to the
parents, i.e. are parents told that a specific person or body will be
responsible for making decisions on behalf of the authority?
If it is, please confirm how this is done.
If it is not done, please explain why.

3. Do you have a SEN Panel?

If your local authority utilises a SEN Panel system, please confirm its
role and its place within the statutory SEN system.
Please confirm who sits on the Panel and how they are appointed.
Please also confirm whether the role of the SEN is communicated to parents
and, if so, how this is done.
If this is not done, please explain why.

4. Is your SEN Panel the statutory decision-maker?

Does your SEN Panel make statutory decisions about the provision in or the
issue of a statement?
If it does, is any oversight exercised in relation to the panel by
executive officers of the authority or by elected members?
Please confirm whether parents or parental representatives may attend
meetings which make decisions about their child.
If your SEN Panel has a decision-making role, please confirm whether
information about the identity of those making the decisions is shared
with parents.
Please confirm whether SEN Panel meetings are minuted. If they are
minuted, is the decision-making process or just the decision recorded? Is
this information available to parents? If so, how is it made available,
e.g. does it have to be requested under the FOI Act?

f your SEN Panel exercises statutory powers of decision-making under the
Education Act but does not minute its meetings or record its
decision-making or share these decisions with parents, please explain why.

5. Duty to explain decisions under the Education Act

Irrespective of the identity of the statutory decision-maker, please
confirm how decisions on SEN issues under the Education Act (for example,
about the quality or quantity of provision or undertaking a statutory
assessment) are recorded and whether decision-making is then shared with
parents. This question refers not to the fact of the decision but the
reason for it and relates to the guidance set out in para 8.32 in respect
of decision-making.

Para 8:32 of SEN COP, advises local authorities, in the event of a dispute
about the nature or quantity of provision, to resolve and give reasons for
their conclusions on the choice of opinions or evidence. How does your
authority comply with this statutory guidance? If it does not, please
explain why.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Marina Mulvihill

-------------------------------------------------------------------
 
We are dealing with your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
and we aim to send a response by 27 April 2015.
 
In some case, a fee may be payable. If we decide a fee is payable, we will
send you a fee notice and we will require you to pay the fee before
proceeding with your request.
 
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 may restrict the release of some or
all of the information you have requested. We will carry out an assessment
and if any exemptions apply to some or all of the information then we
might not provide that information to you. We will inform you if this is
the case and advise you of your rights to request an internal review and
to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.
 
We will also advise you if we cannot provide you with the information
requested for any other reason together with the reason(s) why and details
of how you may appeal (if appropriate).
 
Yours faithfully
 
 
Sara Williams
Operational Director, Early Help and Education
Children & Young People
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.

Sara Williams,

Information request
Our reference: 3168496

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

 
Dear Sir/Madam
 
Freedom of Information Act 2000
 
Thank you for your request for information that was received on 26 March
2015, as follows:
r Brent Borough Council,

Sen Costs Could you please provide the following information for years
2013-2014 and 2014-2015 respectively in relation to your Local
Authority(LA) maintained/state-funded mainstream schools , special
schools, pupil referral units or out-of borough placements . Please
include both primary and Secondary Schools .

1) SEN WITHOUT STATEMENT & COSTS
a) your LA maintained/state-funded primary schools and
b) your LA maintained/state-funded secondary schools

and the financial cost to your LA in relation to providing additional
support for these pupils whether by the level of funding provided to
school budgets and/or the level of funding held centrally
a) your LA maintained/state-funded primary schools and
b) your LA maintained/state-funded secondary

2) SEN WITH STATEMENT & COSTS
a) your LA maintained/state-funded primary schools and
b) your LA maintained/state-funded secondary schools

and the financial cost to your LA in relation to providing additional
support for these pupils whether by the level of funding provided to
school budgets and/or the level of funding held centrally.

3. SEN WITH STATEMENTS & COSTS
a) your LA maintained/state-funded primary special schools
b) your LA maintained/state-funded secondary special schools

4. SEN WITH STATEMENTS & COSTS
a) your LA maintained Pupil Referral Units

5. SEN WITHOUT STATEMENTS & COSTS
a) your LA maintained Pupil Referral Units

6. SEN WITH STATEMENTS & COSTS
a) out of borough placements - primary school
b) out of borough placements - Secondary School

7. SEN WITHOUT STATEMENTS & COSTS
a) out of borough placements - primary school
b) out of borough placements - Secondary School

Yours faithfully,

Miss Marina Mulvihill
 
We are dealing with your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
and we aim to send a response by 27 April 2015.
 
In some case, a fee may be payable. If we decide a fee is payable, we will
send you a fee notice and we will require you to pay the fee before
proceeding with your request.
 
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 may restrict the release of some or
all of the information you have requested. We will carry out an assessment
and if any exemptions apply to some or all of the information then we
might not provide that information to you. We will inform you if this is
the case and advise you of your rights to request an internal review and
to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.
 
We will also advise you if we cannot provide you with the information
requested for any other reason together with the reason(s) why and details
of how you may appeal (if appropriate).
 
Yours faithfully
 
 
Sara Williams
Operational Director, Early Help and Education
Children & Young People
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.

Rebecca Simmons,

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Information request
Our reference: 3168496

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Attached is the information you requested.
Yours faithfully
 
 
Sara Williams
Operational Director, Early Help and Education
Children & Young People

Fran Reubens,

1 Attachment

Information request
Our reference: 3168297

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

 
Dear Sir/Madam
 
Thank you for your request for information received on 26 March 2015.
 
Please find attached our response to your request.
 
Yours faithfully
 
 
Sara Williams
Operational Director, Early Help and Education
Children & Young People
020 8937 3201
[email address]
 
NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email.