If you think your child needs extra help, talking to their school is the right first step. This can be their class teacher, head of year/key stage leader, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator (SENDCo) or the headteacher.
The school might contact you first if they think your child needs extra support. Either way, you will typically meet to discuss any concerns and to agree on a way forward.
It is also a good idea to visit the school’s website to read about the SEND support on offer within your child’s school, you can find your school’s website by searching our school directory.
Before you meet with the school you may want to write a list of your concerns, for example:
- school work and behaviour at school
- concentration, physical skills, relationships
- behaviour and mood at home
- how your child feels about school
- any other issues such as bullying
You could also gather examples showing your child’s difficulties. This could include:
- schoolwork and homework, school reports, test results
- any professional reports
- details of support they may have had at a previous school
It’s also a good idea to write down any questions you might want to ask at the meeting, for example:
- what assessments have the school done to find out about my child’s difficulties?
- what extra help does my child get?
- how do you measure my child’s progress? Is he/she making the progress you’d expect?
- what can I do at home to help my child?
After this meeting, your school should be able to put a plan in place to support your child. The support your child gets will vary depending on the specific needs of your child, but should be designed to ensure they receive the help they need to achieve their full learning potential.