Free printable PDF · 5 A4 pages
School or nursery statement template for a DLA claim
Someone who sees your child at school or nursery every week can back up what you write on the DLA form. This free template gives them clear prompts, so they describe the help your child needs compared with other children of the same age, not only the diagnosis.
The template follows the DLA form for a child under 16 used in England and Wales. In Scotland, new claims for children are Child Disability Payment, not DLA. In Northern Ireland, DLA for children is run by the Department for Communities (nidirect), with its own version of the form.
What is inside
A page for you
Who to ask, where a statement fits on the form (questions 32, 37 and 38) and a short note to hand over with it.
Prompts for the teacher
The child's needs compared with others the same age, communication, behaviour and safety, personal care, learning, moving around and friendships.
Support in place
The plans the form lists at question 37, one-to-one help and a recent example of a real day.
Signed and dated
Your child's name and National Insurance number on every page the teacher fills in, with space to sign and date each one, as the form asks for extra sheets.
Get the template free
Enter your email address and the download is ready straight away. We also email you the link, so you can find it later.
Occasional DLA guidance by email. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy
Your template is ready
Print it on A4. Page 1 is for you and ends with a short note you can hand over. Pages 2 to 5 are for the person at school or nursery.
We also email you the link, so you can find it again.
Why a statement from school helps
School and nursery staff may spend hours with your child every week, and they see your child next to other children of the same age. That is the comparison DLA makes: whether your child needs much more looking after than a child of the same age who does not have a disability.
The claim form has three places where school matters:
- Question 32 asks for the name of someone at the school or nursery the DWP can contact if it needs more information, for example a teacher or support worker who knows your child well.
- Question 37 asks whether your child has a plan such as an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) or an Individual Education Plan (IEP). If they have one, send a copy.
- Question 38 asks whether anyone else who knows your child can tell the DWP about their difficulties. A teacher is one of the form's examples. They write a statement on page 10 of the form and sign the declaration on page 11.
DWP guidance for decision makers says help at school can count when it is close and personal. Its example is a special needs helper in the classroom who keeps a child focused on the tasks the teacher has set.
Ask for facts, not a verdict
The most useful statement describes what help your child needs, how often, how long it takes and what happens without it. If the school says your child is doing well, ask whether that is because of the support they get, and ask them to describe that support.
Send a copy of the statement with the form and keep the original: the DWP cannot return original documents.
Make the form and the statement match
A statement works best when it backs up what the form says. See how one area of your child's DLA form reads when it is written question by question, the way the form asks for it. Free, no card.
Frequently asked questions
Is the school statement template free?
Yes. Enter your email address and the PDF is ready to download straight away. There is no payment and no card. We may send you occasional DLA guidance by email, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Who should fill it in?
Someone who knows your child well and sees the help they need, such as the class teacher, the SENCO, a support worker or the nursery key worker. The form itself gives a teacher or support worker who knows the child well as an example.
Does it replace question 38 on the form?
No. Question 38 has its own box on page 10 of the form and a declaration on page 11 for that person to sign. The template helps them plan what to write. If the box is too small, the form says to carry on at question 89 or on separate sheets with your child's full name and National Insurance number on each, signed and dated, and the template pages are set out that way.
Does my child need an EHCP to claim DLA?
No. Question 37 has a box for a child who has none of the plans it lists. If your child does have one, send a copy with the form: the form says it may help the DWP make a decision more quickly.
Will the DWP contact the school?
It may. Question 32 asks for the name of someone at the school or nursery the DWP can contact if it needs more information, so let that person know they might hear from the DWP.