Children with Special Educational Needs

Frequently asked questions

What can I do if I think my child has special educational needs?

We believe it is very important to work closely with parents and carers to achieve the best for children with special educational needs. You know your child very well.

You will be able to talk to your child's teachers about what you think your child's needs are. You will also be able to discuss what their strengths and difficulties are and ways they might find it easier to learn.

How schools can help

Teachers regularly check how well children are learning and will discuss with you and other teachers how they can change their teaching to help the children learn more easily.

If teachers see that your child is not progressing as expected, they will talk to you and to the school's Special Educational Needs Coordinator. The Special Educational Needs Coordinator may suggest other things the class or subject teacher can do.

They may decide that your child needs something extra or something different from the work provided for the other children in the class. This is called school action and may be described in an Individual Education Plan. This will be reviewed at least twice a year.

Parents will always be involved in the discussion about the arrangements being made for their child's special educational needs. You will have the chance to explain your views on what you think may help.

All schools have a special educational needs policy that explains how the school plans its support for children with special educational needs. The arrangements the school makes for children with special educational needs are usually called 'interventions'. The school will have these listed on a provision map. This map lists what extra support and programmes the school has in place to help children learn.

If your child does not make progress, following some extra intervention the Special Educational Needs Coordinator will ask for advice from outside the school. This may be an educational psychologist or advisory teacher from the Education Inclusion Team.

They will help the school to assess the child's difficulties and the way they learn best, and provide advice on the extra help the child may need. Help from outside the school, including from other agencies, is called school action plus and will be described in a new Individual Education Plan.

Contact

Jonathan Butler

Special Educational Needs Team

Town Hall

1 Town Square

Barking

IG11 7LU

Tel: 020 8227 3018

Fax: 020 8227 3307

Textphone: 020 8227 3180

Email: jonathan.butler@lbbd.gov.uk|