Preparing for Meetings with School

There may be a variety of reasons why you initiate a meeting with school, or why you are invited to one. It may be that:

• Your child has already been identified as having special educational needs (SEN), is in receipt of SEN support and you have a termly review upcoming as part of the graduated approach
• You have requested a meeting with the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) due to concerns about your child’s progress, SEN or behaviour he/she is displaying.

If you have requested a meeting with school, ensure that you have shared clearly why you would like the meeting. If a meeting has been proposed by school and you are unsure why, ask for clarity about its purpose so that you are able to consider any points/questions beforehand that may be relevant to the meeting.

Requesting a meeting?

In the first instance, it may be useful to meet with your child’s class teacher, but if you feel that your child is displaying some unmet special educational needs then you can request a meeting with the school’s SENCO. You can often find their name and contact details on the school’s website (in their SEND information report) or you can contact them via the main school’s phone number/email. There may be other professionals working with your child who you would like to be invited to the meeting, to input into discussions/problem-solving. If so, enquire whether it would be appropriate/possible for them to attend, based on your concerns.