The first move: put the request in writing
Email the SENCO (or ask via the school office), stating your concern and requesting a meeting. Every mainstream school must have a SENCO, and a child on SEN support should be reviewed at least three times a year. The SENCO is the special educational needs coordinator, the member of staff who actually coordinates support for children with SEN. You do not need a diagnosis or an existing plan to ask for a meeting; any parent who is worried can request one.
Keep the email short and specific. Name your child and their class, say what you are seeing at home or hearing from school, and ask for a meeting to talk it through. A sentence you can use: “I'm concerned about how my child is getting on at school and I'd like to meet you to discuss their needs and what support might help.” Writing it down (rather than catching the teacher at the gate) gives you a dated record of when you asked.
How to find the SENCO's contact details
Every school publishes a SEN information report on its website (this is a legal requirement under regulation 51 of the SEND Regulations 2014). The report names the SENCO and sets out the best way to contact them, so it is the place to look first. If you cannot find a direct email or phone number, send your request to the school office and ask them to pass it to the SENCO by name.
Why a meeting is a right, not a favour
It helps to know the ground you are standing on before you send the email. Two things in the SEND Code of Practice 2015 sit behind your request:
- Every maintained mainstream school and mainstream academy must have a qualified teacher designated as SENCO, and that person is responsible for the day-to-day running of the school's SEN provision (paras 6.84 and 6.88).
- Where a child is on SEN support (or being considered for it), the school should talk to parents regularly and meet them at least three times a year, as part of the assess, plan, do, review cycle (para 6.65).
So a meeting to discuss your child's needs is part of how the system is meant to work. Asking for one is not pushy; it is the route the guidance expects you to take.
What to do if you get no reply
Give it a reasonable time, around two to three weeks. If you hear nothing, follow up in writing to the headteacher, attaching your original email and asking again for a meeting with the SENCO. You can also get free, independent help from your local SENDIASS service (Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service), which supports parents at no cost. Rules around SEN are under review and may change, but the duty to have a SENCO and your right to ask for a meeting apply now.
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.
Where the law comes from
Related
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.