Choosing a school for a child with SEND | Educational Settings (nurseries, schools, colleges etc)

It is important to remember that what you want for your child or young person with SEND may be different to what parents/carers of children or young people without SEND may be looking for in a school.

Choosing the right school for your child or young person with SEND can be difficult. This page can help you to know how to go about making sure you have made the best choice.

It is important to remember that what you want for your child or young person with SEND may be different to what parents/carers of children or young people without SEND may be looking for in a school.

All schools have a website which gives lots of information about what the school is like and what they offer. They also have to publish information about how they meet the needs of children and young people with SEND, this is called a SEND Report.

You can use the Local Offer Educational Settings directory (opens page in the same window) to find information about local schools, this includes links to the schools website.

The school’s website will also include a copy of its most recent Ofsted report or a link to the report on the Ofsted website. Ofsted inspections include looking at how a school is supporting children with SEN.

You can also look at school performance tables to see how well children and young people do academically. School performance tables (Gov.uk) - (opens link in new window)

Visiting a potential school is important. You will be able to see the school environment, meet staff, and see children learning.

Schools have open days for families of children starting primary or secondary school. You can find details of when these are on school websites.

You can also make an appointment to visit a school at a different time. You should call or email the school to arrange this. You may want to ask to meet the Special Educational Needs & Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCO) on your visit or speak to them before you go.

Special schools and Additionally Resourced Provisions do not tend to have open days. Instead, they show families around by appointment so it is best to contact the individual setting to arrange this.

During a school visit, you might want to:

Tell the SENDCO or teacher about your child’s needs and ask what kind of support they give to children with these needs.

Ask:

What experience does the school have in supporting children with similar needs?
What is the school day like? What happens at breaks and lunchtimes?
How do you support children to make friends and deal with friendship issues?
What’s the school environment like? Do you have any break-out rooms or quiet areas?
How do you stay in touch with parents?
How do you support particular needs? For example, behaviour, attendance, learning or physical needs.
How can you, as a parent, help the school understand your child’s needs?

It can be useful to make a list of questions you want to ask and to make a note of the answers.

Think about whether your child will come with you on the visit. This can be useful for your child and the school. But it can also lead to disappointment if they don’t get a place at a school they really liked. You may want to talk to the school about this in advance.

After the visit

Talk to your child and think about whether:

You felt welcome at the school
The children seemed happy
The school was able to answer your questions
You think your child would enjoy attending.

Talk to other parents whose children attend the school if possible. The school might have SEND coffee mornings that you could attend.

If you have any concerns

You can ask to speak to the head teacher or school SEND governor if, when you visit, you have any concerns that the school isn’t being supportive.

You can find details of support groups that may be able to help put you in touch with families that have children or young people who attend the school you are interesting in on the Local Offer Support Groups page (opens page in same window)

You can speak with Kirklees SENDIAS serves KIAS (opens page in same window) which offers independent advice and support around SEND issues and can be contacted on 07771977384.

You can also contact PCAN (Parents of Children with Additional Needs Making a Difference in Kirklees)

PCAN is an independent, parent led forum for all parents and carers of children/young people (aged 0-25 years) with additional needs in Kirklees.

PCAN provides information to help parents and their children, a chance to meet and network with other parents through events and social media, and works with local service providers to ensure that parents have their say in the design and delivery of local services for their children.

You can contact PCAN via their website, (opens a new page)

Email: info@pcankirklees.org

Tel: 07754 102336