FEATURE FOCUS: SEND
Eight tips for communicating effectively with parents of SEND children
relating to the education of children with SEND. Information given to parents is always user friendly and we will be aware of the needs parents have in respect of a disability or communication and linguistic barrier. Action plans (and targets) are shared at our parents’ evenings in October.
• Make it a partnership approach We encourage an active partnership through an ongoing dialogue with parents. The home- school communications book allows us to track, and share with parents, what happened in any given day (positives and negatives). For children with behaviour issues we have extra communications in terms of reward and recognition. We also work closely with parents to be honest about their child’s needs and, if appropriate, the need to share these openly with others, including parents of other children.
Jonathan Clarke I
n our final look at SEND this month we hear from Jonathan Clarke, Head of School and Sian Talbot, SENDCo, at Somersham Primary School, who offer some practical advice on giving parents of SEND children a voice in their children’s learning.
At Somersham Primary School, part of Cambridge Primary Education Trust, we are committed to providing the best support we can for all learners. As an inclusive school that means meeting the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.
One of the stated aims in our SEND Policy Document is to ensure that parents have a voice in the process so we are always looking for ways to improve our communication – this is ongoing, and is never complete. Here are our eight tips for other schools on how they can communicate effectively with parents of SEND children:
• Listening, not just hearing Listening is key to all good communication. Without the ability to listen messages are easily misunderstood. In the past, parents of SEND children felt they were not always listened to. In a busy school environment, when teachers are faced with a number of responsibilities, it can be easy for us all to hear but not listen. We have undertaken some work with colleagues on the importance of listening and how we always need to listen to parents’ perspectives, even if we as professionals do not have the same concerns.
Sian Talbot
• Make sure you have the facts In July all the teachers have handover meetings with the staff member/s who will be teaching their class next year. This is still facilitated regardless of whether the staff member is already working in school or not. All the information about a child’s needs should be passed on at these meetings. In the event that anything is missed our SENDCo then meet meets with all the teachers separately to go through the child’s SEN folder. This takes place within the first two weeks of term enabling effective approaches to parental communication and ensuring teachers are fully informed when dealing with queries.
• Establish a clear point of contact Different to the process we have for class teachers, parents are given the email address of our SENDCo. We feel it is much easier for parents to have this and helps to ally many anxieties. It shows we are taking communications seriously and, because it acts as a ‘go-between’ teachers and parents, this has been a huge winner and relationships have improved all round. We plan for class teachers to informally ‘catch’ parents about the child’s needs so the parents know the teachers is aware and prepared.
• ‘Inform and share’ termly meetings We have regular meetings each term to update the progress of SEND children with parents. We inform the parents of any outside intervention, and share the process of decision-making by providing clear information
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• Utilising existing channels The school newsletter is a great platform to speak to parents. Some parents have enquired about how information regarding their child is passed on to their next teacher to facilitate a smooth transition for SEND children when they enter the next year group. We responded with a detailed update for parents within the first two weeks of term, highlighting in particular how handover meetings work and inform our action plans. We also proactively ask parents how we can further improve our communications.
• Visibility and approachability We do, where possible, make ourselves available to speak to parents in person if not over the phone. This can cut out a number of time-intensive email conversations, so it can be beneficial to be visible at the school gates every morning and afternoon and speak to parents on an individual basis as needed. Our SENDCo often stands on the gate in the morning which can help informally answering queries and being visible to the whole school community.
• Be flexible
The original lockdown period demanded an increase in correspondence with the most needy SEND children. Whilst anyone with an EHCP was invited back into school, those who were not valued the connection brought by email conversations and teachers phoning every child in their class on a two-week rota. One outcome of this is that we could check in with SEND children on their home learning, and we provided differentiated packs for some children that would benefit from a more individual approach.
October 2022
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