Questions to Ask Your SENCO

Before the meeting

• Write down the one thing you most want to come out of the meeting.
• Pick your top three concerns, and for each one, an example from the last few weeks.
• Ask in advance for any documents you’d like to discuss, such as a support plan, provision map or recent assessment.
• Agree how long the meeting is, so the important questions aren’t left until the end.

Understanding the need

• What do you see as my child’s main areas of need in school?
• Where in the school day does my child find things hardest?
• Is what you see in school different from what we see at home? What might explain that?
• Is there anything we don’t yet understand about my child’s needs? How could we find out?

Understanding the provision

• What support is my child receiving at the moment, and which need is each part of it for?
• How often does it happen, for how long, and who delivers it?
• Is it happening as planned every week? What happens when staff are absent?
• Do all of my child’s teachers know about their needs and the agreed adjustments?

Reasonable adjustments

• Which reasonable adjustments are in place, and in which lessons or situations?
• How do we know they are removing the barrier they’re meant to remove?
• Does my child know about the adjustments, and feel able to use them?

Measuring impact

• What was the starting point before this support began?
• What would success look like, and by when?
• How is progress being measured, and can I see it?
• When will the support be reviewed? What happens if it isn’t working?

Next steps

• What will happen as a result of this meeting, and who will do it?
• When will we next review things together?
• Could you send a short summary of what we’ve agreed?