PAN-Westminster- A support group for Westminster Parents of children and students with learning difficulties, disabilities or special educational needs

PAN is an alliance of the Disability Action Westminster Parents’ Support Group, Westminster Dyslexia Support Group (part of the London Dyslexia Association, a registered charity No. 264486) and WASP (Westminster Association of SEN parents).

All parents are welcome at our meetings

Our next meeting will be on

Future dates for meetings are :
6th April, 18th May,July6th ,and December 10th.
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Pan Westminster. You can email us here.

PAN-Westminster sets out to provide information, help and support for all parents of children with SEN living in the City of Westminster and parents with children at school in the City of Westminster. We will do this by way of "enabling" parents. We, at present, provide regular drop-in "for help and information" sessions (which are increasingly well attended as we become better known), advocacy, an opportunity for parents to help each other, talks on subjects of interest, and we will occasionally accompany parents to meetings at schools.

We would like to engage more with our LEA and schools and be more a part of the SEN debate in our borough. We have been asked and already do sit on joint committees and forums, concerning education, health and social services, representing all parents of children with SEN. We hope to have an influence on developing future policies which affect our children, develop our own local "paper information", and give courses to parents on all aspects of SEN and procedures when appropriate, i.e. How the Code of Practice Works, Developing good relations between parents and schools, Preparing to go to the SEN Tribunal, etc

PAN estimates that that of the 17,762 pupils in City of Westminster schools, as many as 20% (around 3,500) will at one time or another during their school years, have special educational needs (SEN), (source: Warnock 78). Of the 20%, 2% (severe and complex SEN) will require statutory assessment under the 1996 Education Act to be carried out by the LEA and receive special educational provision (SEP) stated by means of a Statement of Special Educational Needs. The rest of these children will be on schools’ "Register of Special Educational Needs" at Stages 1-3, being provided with special educational provision from within schools’ SEN budget.

Special Educational Needs/difficulties and disabilities in our community/borough knows no cultural, religious or social boundaries. It is evident across the wide diversity of our society today.

PAN-Westminster campaigns for better rights and education for children with special or additional education needs and recently went with other national and local organisations to present a petition to Downing Street to ask for the law not to be weakened on entitlement to specific help in statements

Here are some useful sites for Parents and teachers
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