School-info4u.com is committed to helping you to become an advocate for your child in school. This involves speaking up for them.
Talk to teachers and discuss your child's progress with them. You don’t have to feel intimidated, your opinion does matter.
‘What the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve’. Napoleon Hill
A teaching style to suit your child’s needs
- If you feel that your child is having problems learning, you should try asking his/her teacher to use a different teaching method.
This will ensure that your child is given the opportunity to be taught in the way that best suits his/her needs.
- Arrange a meeting with your child’s teacher to discuss what teaching style will be most effective and beneficial for your child.
- Really try to emphasise the fact that in order for them to teach your child successfully they will need to know what what your child is receptive to.
- If your child is experiencing difficulties with their learning you should address this issue. Make your child's teacher aware of the problem so he/she can make changes.
‘Do the thing you fear to do and you will find the power to do it’. Earl Nightingale
Addressing a problem with your Childs learning
- Collect evidence to back up and support your concerns.
- Try to access further evidence from your child’s mentor- if they have one, or any other support staff, i.e. Learning support/teaching assistant or Connexions Personal Adviser.
- Express your concerns to the teacher in a calm, non-confrontational manner. This should lead to constructive communication, better understanding and positive action.
- If you think that the teacher is being unhelpful don't react to this by becoming confrontational with them, they could make a complaint against you.
A better way to deal with this situation would be to meet with the head of the school to talk through your concerns about that teacher.
- If this does not achieve a positive result, write a formal complaint to the head teacher and send a copy to the teacher concerned and the chair of governors.
- After you attend any meetings at your child's school, you should always write a letter describing your understanding of that meeting. Keep a copy for your own records too.
- You can request that your child be moved to another class if things don't improve.
Keep your files organised
- You should make sure that you keep copies of any documents and letters relating to your child's school.
- Request any copies of reports and documents that you don't have. Any written document that the school keeps about your child is a school record that you will definitely need to get access to.
- These come in very handy when you attend meetings at your child’s school. When you produce documents and letters as evidence it shows the school that you are efficient and determined to see that issues are addressed. The school will be forced to take your concerns seriously.
Be clear about what you want from your child’s school
Make sure you know what you want the school to do when you approach them with your concerns. Communicate your ideas and suggestions clearly and explain how you want them to be put in place.
‘Be absolutely clear about what you want, why you want it, when you want it and what you are willing to do to get it’. Brian Tracy
Communicating with your child’s school
- Keep a record of all phone calls, meetings and copies of letters you have written to the school.
- When you talk to your child’s teachers be sure to give them the opportunity to have their say as well.
- Don’t try to shift the focus on you, just try to address the issues that are affecting your child, by working with the teacher.
- If you come across as a ‘difficult’ parent or carer, people won’t want to deal with you.
- If your child’s teacher uses language that you are unfamiliar with you should ask them to speak to you in plain terms and explain what they mean.
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