Who to speak to
When you know what school your child will be going to you should speak to the head teacher or the school SENCO about your child’s needs. This will help the school to decide how to best support your child to give them the best possible start to their education.
What is a SENCO and how can they help
A Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) is a staff member who’s responsible for making sure children with extra needs receive the help they need. They are your point of contact. They support with:
- the identification of children with special educational needs
- resources to help with individual needs
- speaking with parents to make sure children are receiving the right help for them
- speaking with providers outside of school, for example educational psychologists
A SENCO’s goal is to develop ways of overcoming barriers to your child's learning.
Find advice on how to speak to your SENCO on Scope's website.
How to prepare for a conversation with your school
It can help to write down a list of things you have noticed to speak to your school about.
This could include:
- what makes you think your child has special educational needs
- what people working with your child have noticed
- find out what you can do to help
- what the school can do to help
- any difficulties your child experiences outside of school
There is useful guidance on how to communicate with school on the Information, Advice and Support Service (IASS) webpage.