Any additional support a child or young person receives at school or college must be explained to parents/carers at the earliest opportunity.

For some parents/carers, learning that their child has been identified as needing additional support can be unexpected and may provoke worry or concerns. It is therefore important that all staff, led and supported by the SENCO, clearly explain to parents/carers what is being put in place and why. It is essential to be flexible in terms of offering support and go at a pace that is comfortable for the family (see Building Relationships section).

Having information about the support and intervention in place at school made easily accessible for all parents/carers (e.g. SEND displays in school, including on the school website) communicates that SEND provision is embedded within wider whole setting approaches that value and celebrate diversity and difference.

For children and young people identified as having SEND, parents/carers should have:

• Clear information about what this means (see the overviews of need for parents/carers within the Areas of Needs section of this toolkit). As well as a good understanding of what support is in place at school/college, when progress will be reviewed and with whom.

• An understanding of ‘who is who’ in school/college, as well as any supporting professionals. Learning about new terminology, acronyms and roles can be very daunting at first. A jargon-buster has been created to support parents/carers with the language and roles around SEND. Download the SEND jargon-buster in the 'related files' section.

• Information about local and online support and guidance for parents/carers of children and young people with SEND. This is available in the Signposting section. It is helpful to have this information readily available within school as well as on the school website. Some parents/carers may need support from a professional who can advocate for them.

• Information about the graduated approach and SEND processes. This can be found in the parent/carer and children and young people sections of this toolkit. A resource to support parents/carers to feel confident to ask questions about the graduated approach and the toolkit (Questions to support conversations with SENCOs) can be downloaded in the 'related files' section.

• Parents/carers, children and young people should be fully included in planning support and reviewing progress (see Participation, co-production and person-centred planning).