SEND IASS - How to choose a school factsheet

You want to find out practical details, like class sizes and arrangements for extra support.

We would advise you pre-prepare some questions that might be relevant to your child specifically e.g. if your child has a physical disability you will probably want to find out about the layout of the building and what reasonable adjustments a school would make to include your child in all parts of school life (including school trips).

You can make notes to compare when choosing a school.

Possible key questions:

• how many pupils are in each class? How many support staff?
• how is the timetable organised?
• what subjects are offered?
• what are the approaches to teaching?
• what transition approaches are offered?
• how do you monitor progress / behaviours / needs?
• what are staff experiences or understanding needs of SEN children?
• what other agencies do you work with?
• do any staff have specialist training?
• how do you communicate with parents?

If considering special schools, you may want to ask:

• what range of difficulty or disability does the school cater for?
• will my child get help with social skills?
• what therapies are available?