I get really anxious in meetings and feel intimidated by the school
With the school’s permission you can bring a friend, or one of our SENDIASS Officers (school’s are usually fine with this)
Having that emotional support may help ease your anxiety
Remember! Though school staff can seem intimidating, they are ultimately there to help support your child!
I feel like the school are trying to ‘fob me off’ or take advantage of my lack of knowledge
With our support, you can educate yourself in the duties and law that schools are bound by. Whether through conversations with our SENDIASS Officers or through reading our factsheets or using the IPSEA website, you can be sure that you have the knowledge to back up your concerns
Remember! The school are there to help and support your child, not to hinder their progress. Go into every meeting/interaction positively and proactively
How do I know the school will do what they agree to?
In short, unfortunately, you don’t…but keeping track of agreed actions and communications will give you something to refer to if you need to chase things up (get everything in writing).
Review meetings are also very helpful, as they provide an opportunity to discuss progress since the previous meeting and refer back to those agreed actions