School Name:  XXXXXXXXX

CURRICULUM: What is appropriate for your child?

What you are looking for, is an individualized curriculum tailored to your child.

 

• Maths –
• Science –
• English
• PE /Hockey/Any sports –
• Religious and Moral Philosophical Studies–
• Philosophy/Psychology –
• Social/Modern Studies –
• History –
• Business and IT:
• French –
• Geography

How many children in the school have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and what range of needs do they have?

• Do you offer an induction package for children with SEND?

The answer clearly should be yes! Whatever the child needs to make the transition easier.  They may offer additional sessions or the opportunity to come with a known adult for support.  Some schools offer visual support such as leaflets about them with pictures of key members of staff and places your child will go e.g. classroom, toilets, lunch hall etc.  It’s the flexibility of the school here that is important.

• How do you involve parents in the monitoring and planning for children with SEND? What support do you offer families?
• How many children in the school have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and what range of needs do they have?

If you are speaking to the Head Teacher or the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo), they should know this information.  You can also now find out useful information about the schools SEND provision by looking at the local offer which should be available on every school’s website.

The answer will help you get an idea of the balance within the school.  A school that has a higher proportion of children with SEND are likely to have more experience and better understand the systems and procedures compared to a school that has very few children with SEND.  However, on the flip side of the coin, will a school with a high proportion of children with SEND have enough time for your child?  You need to be happy with the balance.

Other points to bring up with the New School:

 

Relationship with Staff – Vital to educate Staff on what XXXX needs are. Every child is different, however FHS children are unique and require different understanding. What can outside agencies provide?

Getting from class to class – He/She has no sense of direction; everything has to be routine and repeated. This is a daily task. Asking if he/she understands, is no good – she will agree. How can school help manage this?

Too many teachers? – How many teachers would he/she have in the first year?

Wellbeing – He/She has no comprehension of differences in human biology. Extremely vulnerable, given their immaturity in the area of adolescent development. How are you going to approach this?

Social interactions – He/She has little to no understanding of humour, including jokes. He/She thinks differently, and in their previous experiences in schools, they has been ridiculed, teased and abused. What are you going to put in place to prevent this from day 1.

Bullying – How does your anti-bullying directive protect children with Special Needs? Some AB organisations are run by volunteers with limited experience in what it is like for a child to be bullied. Can your child differentiate between types of bullying? Many children with ‘invisible’ disabilities, are unaware that they are being bullied. Teachers as well as pupils have been known to make fun of a child’s lack of understanding of life; how would you (the school) prepare your staff for our child, to ensure they are not treated unfairly?

Psychological factors: Who is the Ed. Psych for the school and ask for their input asap.

We have certain strategies that are used at home that have proved successful for managing her life. It is important that you, the school, work with us and reinforce these plans to ensure stability. How will you ensure that this is put in place from day one?

Traffic Lights system for rewards/understanding in class. Can this be put in place?

Strategies to help in cope in class: What can you offer?

Visual timetable and learning tools: What do you have ?

FHS and associated issues, which can include autistic tendencies. How can you support this?

Sensory issues – support from Day 1 – List all sensory issues to school.

Speech and Language – Can this be arranged via school?

Lunchtimes – when pupils go to local shops, how are you going to protect her ensuring he/she stays within the school?

Getting to and from school – What support will you provide? Check entitlement, as Special Needs children should have access to this service if in catchment.

 

(add/remove as each child is unique)