If you are worried about your child’s progress at school -

Speak to your child’s teacher about your concerns. He/she may be able to reassure you or decide with you how best to help your child’s progress. He/she may suggest that your child may need some additional action or support to help them to progress.

If you are concerned about how your child’s school is helping them to progress then look at our factsheet: Working with your child’s school

If your child hasn’t started school yet, but you are worried about his/her development then you can contact one of these people to explain your concerns:
• Your health visitor;
• Your doctor;
• Pre-school or nursery groups;
• Your social worker (if you have one).

Your child’s progress

All children are different and learn in their own way. In any class of children of the same age a school will expect to find children with a wide range of abilities and skills. However, if your child has greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age then the teacher may suggest that he/she needs some additional or different support to help them to progress. If they are at school this is “School Action.” If they are in pre-school education this is called “Early Years (EY) Action.”

School Action/Early Years Action

The class teacher or the school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) will meet with you to discuss a detailed plan of action to meet your child’s needs. They may use educational advice or their own assessments to write this plan on an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or in a Group Education Plan (GEP), although some schools have a different way of planning. You can ask the school to show you these written plans if they have not done so, and also ask to be kept up-to-date about progress. and you can also talk to the school about how you can help your child at home.

The school should be planning to show:
• Your child’s difficulties
• Short-term targets (not too easy or too difficult)
• The extra help and support that the school will be giving your child (from the school’s own resources)
• Who will give the extra help and support
• Whether your child will get extra help on their own or in a group
• Ideas for help you can give at home
• A review date to check your child’s progress.
The may also include your child’s views. The school may ask for advice from other professionals to help them to plan.

The plan should be reviewed regularly, two or three times a year. At the review the school will decide if:
Your child has improved a lot and the school are not worried any more – then they will take your child off School Action/EY Action.

Or:
If your child is still having difficulties they will keep them on School Action. They may keep some of the same targets, or set new targets. If the targets are always the same then it may mean that the child is not making progress, or that the targets are too broad and new targets should be set. You should discuss this with the school.

If your child is on School Action/EY Action for a while (usually two or more reviews) then the school may move them to School Action Plus.

School Action Plus/Early Years Action Plus

School Action Plus/EY Action Plus is for children who:
• Have been on School Action/EY Action for a time but who are still having difficulties with learning or behaviour in school;
• Need special help straight away (for example after an illness).

The school will ask for your written consent for them to ask for regular involvement from a specialist. For example, they may get advice from:

• An Educational Psychologist (EP)
• A Learning Support Advisory Teacher (LSAT)
• A Behaviour Support Advisory Teacher (BSAT)
• A therapist that your child sees in or out of school such as an Occupational Therapist (OT), a Physiotherapist (PT), or a Speech and Language Therapist (SALT),
• A specialist teacher who is based in your child’s school.

If your child is seeing an Educational Psychologist or a Learning Support Advisory Teacher then they will meet your child in school. They will assess him/her to find out what difficulties he/she is having. You may be able to meet the Educational Psychologist or the Learning Support Advisory Teacher if the school has asked one to see your child, so ask your child’s teacher if you would like to do this.

They will write a report with the results of the assessment and advice for the school. You should get a copy of the report. Ask your child’s school to send you a copy if you have not received it.

The SENCO, class teacher and parents should meet to look at the report and write targets based on it. This plan should include the results of the assessment and the advice. It may show help that other education support services or professionals from outside school will give.

Make sure that you understand what help your child is getting, and what the school’s aims are for your child. The plan should be reviewed at least three times a year.

At the review the school will decide if:

Your child has improved a lot and the school are not worried any more – then they will take your child off School Action Plus and move them back to School Action (so that they can keep an eye on them).

Or

If your child is still having difficulties they will keep them on School Action Plus. They may keep some of the same targets, or set new targets. If the targets are always the same then it may mean that the child is not making progress, or that the targets are too broad and new targets should be set. You should discuss this with the school.

If your child does not seem to be making progress

If your child does not seem to be making progress, even though the school are following the advice, then you may want to talk to the school about possible options.

The options depend on your child’s difficulties, but may include:
• School asking for more advice from educational support services;
• School asking for more advice from health professionals (such as Speech and Language Therapist or Occupational Therapist);
• School providing more resources to give your child additional help and support;
• Asking the Local Authority (LA) to do an assessment of your child’s educational difficulties or needs to find out if he/she requires a Statement of Special Education Needs (see our booklet “Statutory Assessment”).

You may want to contact Parent Partnership Service and ask for advice or support to help you to put across your point of view.

Use these buttons to scroll up and down to read the whole of the text.

Parent Partnership Service - Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin
Telford & Wrekin CVS - Registered Charity Number 702589