Teach Primary 18.8

www.teachwire.net | 33 HE A L TH & WE L L BE I NG S P E C I A L A good home-school relationship can make all the difference to a child with special educational needs, says Alison Eason A ccording to Teacher Tapp, nearly 90 per cent of us need more help to support our SEND learners ( tinyurl. com/tp-TTSEND ). Extra teaching assistants, time to plan, expert training and advice are all invaluable to ensure pupils with SEND thrive at school, but while schools can provide some of that, they can’t do it all. At Forest Lodge – the additionally resourced provision at Chalgrove Primary School – we have filled the gap by working closely with our families. By joining forces, we can ensure our pupils have the right tools and resources to succeed, and we’ve identified three key ways to make this collaboration work. Communicate well To build a good home-school relationship, you need compassion and understanding; if parents and carers feel judged, or not heard, they may quickly disengage. The best starting point is with home visits. These are a great way to meet families and hear about their experiences. We can also learn a lot from seeing a child in their home environment. During one home visit, I learned that a child had escaped from their previous school, so I was able to put safety measures in place before he started with us. At another, I could see that a family was struggling to accept an autism diagnosis. I connected them with the autism advisory team for expert support in understanding their son’s diagnosis. Through this process, we understand our families better and develop a partnership based on trust. Our regular parent coffee mornings are particularly useful for us to get to know families better. Parents can meet each other and share experiences, and we invite a SEND expert, such as a speech and language therapist, educational psychologist or autism advisor. Our expert guests can share advice and knowledge about relevant themes like understanding ADHD, developing social communication skills or supporting a child’s reading journey. These sessions build a strong connection with families. We also found that parents were asking for help with at-home routines, so we started sending out a SEND newsletter, which includes free resources and advice. Families can contact us at the provision by email, and book phone or face-to-face appointments. This keeps communication open all year round. Share information When families know what is happening at school, it’s easier to support their child. One way we do this is with an online learning journal, where we post photos of what pupils have been up to at school, such as assemblies and schoolwork. Parents and carers do the same at home – whether it’s going to the seaside or trying a new food for the first time. Thanks to the journal, we found out that a child had developed a new special interest over the summer: butterflies. We shared this in class and planned a trip to bring this interest alive. Another family asked for help in the run-up to their child’s first trip abroad. Together, we created a countdown calendar to use at school and at home so the student understood when she would be travelling. We also made a Story to Help that showed what would happen at the airport. The teachers and parents role-played what it would be like to board the plane and go on holiday. The hard work paid off – the whole family had a great trip. Prepare for change Times of transition can be anxiety-inducing for parents – whether it’s a change in teacher, classroom or year group. Our school helps families navigate change by creating personalised Stories to Help, transition books and visual timetables withWidgit symbols ( widgit.com ) . These have names and photos of staff in them as well as pictures of the new classroom, playground, sensory room and pupil’s desk area. They explain what will happen on the day in a visual way. These tools are invaluable in supporting our pupils when they spend time in the mainstream school – to attend maths or PE lessons, for example. Planning in advance reassures families of what is about to come, and builds trust. TP Partnering UP Alison Eason is head of the Additionally Resourced Provision (ARP) at Chalgrove Primary School. F EATURE S S END “Times of transition can be anxiety-inducing for parents”