Information for Parents with School Aged Children

Every school has the support of an Educational Psychologist - a specialist on how children and young people develop and learn.

Part of the Educational Psychologists role is to assess the needs of children who may be having difficulty with their learning and development. We offer advice to the school, the local authority and the parents about their special educational needs.

If parents are concerned that their child may have special educational needs they should speak first to the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) at the school. They will be able to monitor progress, intervene and if the difficulties persist the SENCo , with parental agreement, will ask for further advice from the Educational Psychology Service.

• Informed Consent
  Educational Psychologists only work directly with children and young people with a parent/carers permission after agreeing the need to do so with the child’s pre-school/school.
  
  
• Parenting Courses
  Through some pre-schools and schools, parenting courses are run in conjunction with the Educational Psychology Team.

• Statementing process
  A statutory assessment of a child’s Special Educational Needs may be undertaken if there is evidence that the needs may exceed those that can be provided for within the school’s resources or expertise. The SEN department has specific criteria for deciding whether such an assessment should be undertaken. As a result of statutory assessment, the authority may decide to make additional provision in some cases. They will make a draft statement. Parents of children with Special Educational Needs have the same rights as other parents, to choose where their child should be educated. However, in deciding where needs are best met the SEN department of the local authority must consider the efficient use of resources. In most cases this means that children are educated in mainstream schools where their parents would normally have sent them, with additional resources or support provided by the local authority. However a very small minority of children will be offered places in specialist schools.