Parents' tips for requesting extra help in school

If you suspect your child needs extra help of any kind at school go and see the Head teacher and ask if she can be assessed. This is a formal process and one parent wrote this excellent introduction and advice:

Dear parent
At the end of the day, all of us want to get the best education for our children. We’ve just been through it – treat it like a challenge and you’ll come out with a feeling of achievement. But don’t expect it to happen over night – it does take time, energy and effort especially on the part of you, the parent. The more involved and informed you are in the whole process, the more confident you can be in your approach. Here are some tips:

• Have a positive attitude!
• Be firm
• Be fair
• Be clear
• Concise
• Polite and grateful for other people’s time, effort and support.
• Don’t forget that you know your child best and you need to be actively involved with decisions made about her.
• Always take the person’s name, date of call and short notes about what’s said.
• Ask for confirmation in writing when you are told something over the phone.
• Ask other parents for advice and help.
• Get lots of advice – don’t be afraid to ask, ask, ask.
• Involve yourself as much as you can with the professionals dealing with your child. Don’t be afraid of them – they are normal people not to be avoided – but they may need to be reminded how urgent your child’s schooling needs are.