Swindon SEND Information, Advice & Support

When you ask for a meeting with a school, nursery or college it helps to be prepared.   Meetings should be positive, but they can also be confusing, nerve wracking or frustrating. 

Here are some tips to help you feel prepared and confident:

• Remember you have the right to be involved in decisions about your or your child's education and support, and to have your views heard.
• If the school have arranged the meeting ask for an agenda before the meeting.  This will let you know what is going to be talked about and let you think about what you want to say in response.
• Look at the Local Offer to see what type of support is available or might be appropriate for your or your child's needs.
• Make a list of the issues you want to talk about and send this to the school before the meeting so they can  collect any information that might be needed.
• Take this list with you to remind you, and make notes on. 
• Ask the school to minute (make formal notes of) the meeting and send you a copy.
• Ask if you can bring a supporter with you.  This could be a family member or close friend who can provide moral support or make notes for you.  The school does not have to agree to this.
• Remember that if a meeting gets difficult you can ask for a break, or to stop and rearrange for another time.

We always recommend that you ask the school to put any plan or agreed actions in writing to you (usually as an email) so you have a record of what has been agreed and when it is going to happen.  As part of the assess, plan, do, review cycle, a date for review should always be agreed at the end of the meeting.