What should a parent/carer do if they think their child may have special educational needs?

When your child starts school you will have a home visit where we ask you to talk about your child and any difficulties you think they may have. Your main point of contact at school should always be your child’s class teacher (primary) or base group teacher (secondary).  You can start by contacting them and discussing your concerns.  If you need to speak with other staff members, the teacher will be able to help you arrange this. You are also, of course, able to contact them directly through the administration office.

How are parents/carers involved in the school’s life?

We encourage parents/carers to talk to their child’s class/base group teacher about any issues or concerns that they may have. The schools also have a school home support worker/pastoral support team to support parents/carers in all aspects of school life.

We hold workshops for parents/carers to support them in understanding the teaching and learning policies and the organisation of the curriculum. We encourage parents/carers to work as partners with the school in reviewing the support for all pupils with SEND, including active involvement in annual reviews and provision planning.

The SEND manager meets and talks to parents/carers of pupils with SEND regularly and is available to discuss any concerns. The specialists we use, such as the educational psychologist, also work with and support parents/carers.

As most deaf support base pupils have transport to and from school there is no daily face to face contact with the parents/carers. We therefore have home school books which the pupils take home every day, in which teachers and parents/carers can send messages. We also contact parents by telephone if English is not the home language.