1. Speak to your child’s teacher

If you have concerns with regard to your child’s education and you feel that they are struggling with their school work, you should raise your concerns with your child’s teacher.

During this meeting, you and the teacher should try and work together to address any concerns and to decide whether any action needs to be taken. It is important that you make note of any recommendations made and any plan that is being implemented. You should then make another meeting date, to follow up on any implementations that have been suggested.

After this meeting, it is important that you keep track of how your child is progressing. If you do not feel that any progress has been made, you should meet with the teacher again or consider the next step.

2. Have a meeting with the SENDCo

The role of the SENDCo is to ensure that all the special needs provision are met at the school. If you and the school are concerned that your child is still not making any progress, a meeting with the SENDCo should be arranged. To make an appointment please speak to your child's class teacher or contact her directly using the email senco@berkswich.staffs.sch.uk.

When you have a meeting with the SENDCo, you will want to discuss whether your child has any special educational needs and the support that the school can provide for them. You will be asked if they can be placed on the SEND register and an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) will be created and you will be invited for termly progress review meetings.  

It will be at this point that additional SEND support could be discussed with you. You and the SENDCo should work together to put in place any targets or desired outcomes for your child.

If necessary, the school may suggest further assessments from outside specialists, such as Speech and Language Therapists or Educational Psychologists.

As discussed above, any support provided through additional SEND support should be reviewed regularly to ensure that outcomes are being met by your child and that they are receiving the support necessary. If this isn’t the case,  the next stage would be to consider applying for an Education Health and Care Plan Needs Assessment.

3. Education, Health and Care needs assessment 

If your child is not reaching any targets or outcomes set through additional SEND support, it may be necessary to apply for an Education, Health and Care needs assessment to the Local Authority.

This can be made by the school or by yourself. You should set out what your child’s SEND is, the difficulties that they are having, the current support that they are receiving and the evidence of additional support needed. The Local Authority will assess your child if they have or may have SEND and special provision may be necessary.

The purpose of the assessment is to establish whether your child’s SEND requires additional provision through an EHCP. If an EHCP is issued, this will set out the additional support for education, social care and health care and the budget provided for this.

For further information, please see our EHCP page by clicking the link below.

4. Appeals relating to an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

If an EHCP is made and parents have concerns with regard to the contents of the Plan, they can appeal to the first-tier tribunal.

An appeal can be made on the basis of: 

• a refusal to carry out an Education, Health and Care needs assessment or reassessment;
• a refusal to issue an EHCP;
• a refusal to amend an EHCP following reassessment or annual review;
• the content of an EHCP in:
  • Part B – a child’s SEN;
  • Part F – a child’s provision to meet their SEN;
  • Part I – the educational establishment named in the Plan;
• a Local Authority’s decision to cease to maintain a child’s EHCP.

For more information about the appeal process click the link below.