Reply To: Advice needed – psychometric screening tests

[Amy]

From my point of view, yes, assessments and screens should not be completed close together and ideally at least 12 months would be left between although I have never seen this explicitly written anywhere, I have been told by professionals at points. However, if an assessment has been completed by an EP, then I would accept their assessment over one we would complete in school even if there are differences in results from one year to the next. Assessments are only a snapshot in time and therefore, it may have been that something was missed in the previous assessment or that, due to the child’s age, they did not meet the threshold for a diagnosis etc. EPs are the professionals who are always consulted for an EHCP and this creates a legal document, therefore as a school, we always accept their assessments over ours. EPs are also more qualified generally than staff in school to complete specialist assessments.

As a SENCo, I would have a conversation with your colleague about accepting the EP assessment. If you are still against a brick wall so to speak, I would talk to your line manager about how to approach the situation especially if you feel the reason behind her disagreeing could be due to parental relationships as that is unethical. As the SENCo, you should have the final say but if I was in this situation, I would consult with my head about this and get their advice too.