It is important to share any worries or concerns you may have so that school or college staff can try to support you. This might involve having an informal chat with your child's teacher/tutor or the SENCo, and/or sharing concerns during a meeting.

Please see the section on Information Sharing and Who is who in schools and colleges?

Parents/carers tell us that attending meetings and sharing concerns with school staff can sometimes feel like an intimidating experience. Information in the Understanding SEND section will hopefully support you in understanding what happens in schools and colleges, and who key people are who may work with you and your child, so you can feel more confident and empowered to have conversations about your child’s SEND.

The language used when talking about special educational needs (SEN) can be confusing. There are lots of things to remember and understand. To support parents/carers with this, we have created a short jargon-buster of key terms. You can download the jargon-buster by clicking here.

We have also developed a resource with suggested questions about SEND support and provision – Questions to support conversations with SENCOs which can be found here, This may help you prepare for meetings in school/college by planning the types of questions you might want to ask.

A member of staff in school or college, such as the SENCo or Family Liaison Officer, should talk to you about any meetings that have been arranged about your child. It is important that you have the chance to ask questions if you are unsure about any meetings that are taking place. We have put together some prompt questions to help parents/carers understand what might happen at a school or college meeting:

• Where will the meeting take place, and at what time?

• What is the purpose of the meeting?

• Who will attend the meeting? Can and will my child be there?

• Will the meeting take place if I cannot attend?

• Can I contribute my views to the meeting in different ways (e.g. if I cannot or do not feel able to attend in person)?

• Can I bring someone to the meeting with me, such as a friend, family member, or advocate?

• Who will make notes or record the outcomes of the meeting? How and when will I get a copy of any notes taken?

• Who can I speak to if I am worried about anything, or I am having difficulties?

To download this question list, click here.

Parents/carers tell us that it can be difficult to remember everything that has been discussed at meetings about their child. To support this, we have prepared a basic template that you can use to record key information. This could be completed with the support of a staff member, friend, family member or advocate, during the meeting, or immediately afterwards.

You can download the meeting template here.