Who should I talk to?

• If you have concerns about your child’s education you should talk to the class teacher first. Find out what difficulties are they seeing. Maybe they have similar concerns or they may reassure you that your child is progressing within what is considered normal for their age.

• If you are still concerned then talk to the SENCO. What have they already put in place? What could they do next?

• If your child is not at nursery or school then talk to your GP or Health Visitor about your concerns.

How to discuss your concerns with school or nursery

Good communication between schools and parents is always important, but even more important if your child is struggling. A good relationship with your child’s school depends on:

• Keeping the channels of communication going.
• Being solution-focussed and forward looking rather than problem focussed and dwelling on what has happened in the past.
• Flexible approach to solutions: school may well have different ideas to you about how to solve a problem.
• Mutual respect.

Many parents find it very difficult to ask questions about their children, especially if they are nervous, angry or upset. We have produced a factsheet on non-confrontational questioning.

Questions you could ask your school SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coorindator)