Preparing for Meetings with School

During the meeting

• If there are new people around the table, ask for introductions so that everyone can get to know each other.
• Keep things friendly and be realistic – sometimes frustrations lie with something that the school has no control over.
• If anything is discussed that you don’t understand, ask for an explanation.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions. You may want to ask questions like:
  • What special educational needs have you identified for my child?
  • Where are you in the graduated approach (assess, plan, do, review process) for my child?
  • Is there a SEN support plan (or equivalent) in place for my child?
  • What SEN support is in place? (this is support that is additional to or different from what other children receive)
  • What outcomes is this support going to help my child achieve?
  • Can you show me my child’s attainment levels? Is my child making expected progress?
  • Can we set a date to review the SEN support plan and discuss next steps for my child?
• Go through the list of questions and points you prepared. Tick them off as you go, and before the meeting ends check that you have covered everything.
• Don’t feel pressured into agreeing to something if you’re unsure – ask for time to think about it and perhaps seek some advice from SENDIASS.
• Ensure that any agreed actions are written down with who is responsible for carrying them out, in what timescales and a date when these will be reviewed.

Agree a date to meet again to review how things are going.