Meeting the Special Educational Needs Coordinator

If your child has undergone any health assessments or received diagnoses, it’s really helpful to share that information with the SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator). They’re here to support your child’s educational journey!

You might also consider inviting someone who knows your child well, like their teacher. Having them at the meeting can help to discuss the next steps together.

Before the meeting

Gather any information about your child’s challenges, such as GP reports or test results. Feel free to take along anything you think might be useful for your discussion!

It’s a good idea to write down your concerns, too. Think about areas like your child's progress, work, concentration levels, relationships with peers, behaviour, and mood both in and outside the school setting.

Also, take a look at the school’s policies on special educational needs, equality, and behaviour to see how they support students with SEN.

During the meeting

Here are some questions you might want to ask:

• What have you noticed about my child? Have you done any assessments, and do you share my concerns?
• Is my child receiving extra support from a teacher or another adult, or perhaps in small groups? What kind of help are they getting? Is it on a daily basis, and how long does it last?
• How can I support my child at home?
• What will be the next steps if my child needs a bit more support, and how can we work together on this?
• How do you measure my child's progress?

By the end of the meeting, you and the education setting should agree on the next steps. Request that these actions be documented in writing and set a date for a follow-up meeting to review the progress of the agreed-upon support.

After the meeting

If it becomes clear that your child has special educational needs, the team will begin providing support step by step, reviewing regularly to see if things are getting better.

You have the right to be kept informed and to have your thoughts and feelings taken into account. In the meantime, you can explore the types of support available and how it will be introduced gradually at your child’s educational setting.