There is, however, a 'get-out' clause which an LEA may well invoke if it gets behind in the process. On the basis of the advice received, the LEA considers whether there is need for a 'Statement of SEN'. If the child's difficulties are so great that very costly provision is needed, then the LEA becomes responsible and it may have to find the resources from its own funds rather than the schools. You might like to read paragraph lll 71-76 of the Code of Practice. This has to be included in the Governors' Annual Report and tells what services, if any, are provided for the disabled.
Great emphasis is placed on the importance of cooperating and consulting with parents.
It is encouraging to think that this kind of attitude is now the norm in schools. You may find it useful to be able to quote from the Code if you are unlucky enough to come up against any unhelpful professionals. It would appear that demands for the formal statementing procedure have in-creased greatly in the last 2 years. This is partly because if the 5 stages are begun, but the school is able to deal with the child up to stage 3, then the school has to meet the costs from its own budget. In this way, the LEA has to provide funds for the statemented child and not the school.