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Parent Views

What are parent views?

You may be asked on a few occasions to submit your parent views. This could be

  • When school is gathering information to submit an EHCP needs assessment request 
  • When you are submitting a parental request for an EHCP needs assessment 
  • Once the EHCP needs assessment has been agreed by the local authority 
  • If professionals ask under health or social care for your views

This is where your child’s or young person’s story is outlined. It is your chance to ensure your child’s personality is communicated to everyone. It also extends to their aspirations for the future, their friends and their education.

The parental contribution will be considered along with the evidence the Local Authority (LA) receives from school and other professionals involved with your child or young person, to help them to decide whether to issue an EHC plan and on the content of the plan.

At the bottom of this page are some brief examples of Parent views.

RIASS can advise and support you through the process of all EHCP applications. We can advise you about how to submit a parental request, what to expect from the schools’ application for a needs assessment and the timeline of applying for an EHCP needs assessment.

Forms

Each borough has a slightly different form to complete and you will find that the form changes from time to time, but as with any parental information requests the same information will need to be captured. Remember:

  • Any health needs will need to be supported with a diagnoses letter or report before it is included 
  • Social Care plans will only be added if there is a current one in place - the Local Authority will request confirmation of this from the Social Care team.

Below are some areas to think about when writing an effective contribution. It is your chance to share your views of your child or young person and their needs and your aspirations for their future. 

  • Talking to your partner, friends, relatives – anyone who knows your child and might have some useful suggestions. 
  • Talk with their education setting. They may be able to help you and the child/young person write down their views 
  • When thoughts come to mind, make a note, if possible. It may be helpful to use post-it notes or keep a small note book 
  • It’s important to be as detailed and as concise as possible- try not to repeat information. 
  • If you have a lot of information, use headings, bullet points and summarise key points.
  • It may help to write your views out in draft to begin with before completing the form. 
  • Your contribution can be typed or handwritten. You can continue to additional sheets of paper if needed. 
  • Wherever possible, use evidence from professionals to support your position. 
  • Be honest. As a parent you will want to celebrate your child’s successes and it is important to include these however, it is equally important to include all the areas of difficulty. 
  • Ask your Child or Young Persons their views if possible. The EHC plan is very much focused on your child or young person being heard and their views are very important and should be considered.

There are 3 key areas to focus on:

  1. Things you would like people to know about your child/young person
  2. Parents aspirations, hopes and wishes for our child/young person
  3. Developmental/Education History/Circumstances

1. Things you would like people to know about our child or young person

  • The family 
  • Major events that might have affected your child
  • What is your child like now 
  • What is your child good at/ most interested in? (e.g. tactile play, being outdoors/ inside, not getting messy, books, making things, jigsaws, numbers, words,etc) 
  • When is your child most vulnerable and at risk? (e.g. awareness of danger, running off, strangers, traffic, personal safety, being alone) 
  • How independent is your child at home? (e.g. dressing, feeding, toileting, washing, keeping room tidy, day to day routine, pocket money, responsibility for their own possessions, going out or attending clubs on their own) 
  • How would you describe your child's mood at home? (e.g. mostly happy/ sad, good/ bad, sulking, temper tantrums, affectionate, anxious, aggressive, frustrated - use examples to highlight your answer) 
  • General Health – Eating and sleeping habits: general fitness, absences from school, minor ailments – coughs and colds. Serious illness/accidents – periods in hospital. Any medication or special diet? General alertness – tiredness, signs of use of drugs – smoking or other substance abuse eg glue sniffing. 
  • Physical Skills – Walking, running, climbing – riding a bike, football or other games, drawing pictures, writing, doing jigsaws; using construction kits, household gadgets, tools, sewing.
  • Self-Help – Level of personal independence – dressing, etc making beds, washing clothes, keeping room tidy, coping with day-to-day routine, budgeting pocket money, general independence – getting out and about. 
  • Communication – Level of speech, explains, describes events, people, conveys information (eg messages to and from school), joins in conversations, use of telephones.
  • Playing and Learning at Home – How does he/she spend time, watching TV, reading for pleasure and information, hobbies, concentration, sharing. 
  • Activities Outside – Belonging to clubs, sporting activities, happy to go alone. 
  • Relationship – with parents, brothers and sisters; with friends; with other adults (friends and relations) at home generally, ‘outside’ generally. Is he/she a loner? 
  • Behaviour at Home – Co-operates, shares listens to and carries out requests, helps in the house, offers help, fits in with family routine and ‘rule’. Moods good and bad, sulking – temper tantrums; demonstrative, affectionate. 
  • At School – Relationships with other children and teachers. Does he/she enjoy school? What does he/she find easy or difficult (e.g lessons, playtime, changing class, school transfer)

2. Parents aspirations, hopes and wishes for our child/young person

  • What are your aspirations/hopes for your child as they grow up? 
  • What outcomes do you hope for? 
  • What support do you feel is needed for them to achieve these outcomes?

3. Developmental/Education History/Circumstances

The early years 

  • What do you remember about the early years that might help? 
  • What were they like as a baby? 
  • Were you happy about progress at the time 
  • When did you first feel things were not right? 
  • What happened? 
  • What advice or help did you receive and from who?

School 

  • What schools have your child attend? Special or mainstream?  
  • Relationships with other children and teachers,
  • Progress with reading, writing, number, other subjects and activities at school. 
  • How has the school helped/not helped with your child. Have you been asked to help with school work, hearing your child read – with what results. 
  • Do they enjoy school?
  • What do they find easy or difficult (e.g lessons, playtime, changing class, school transfer) 
  • How are they progressing with reading, writing, numbers, other subjects and activities at school. 

Your general views

  • What is important to your child?
  • What is your child good at or what does he/she enjoy doing? 
  • What do they worry about – are they aware of difficulties? 
  • What do you think your child’s special educational needs are? 
  • How do you think these can be best provided for? 
  • How do you compare your child with others of the same age?

Brief example of Parents Views 

Bobby was diagnosed with Dyspraxia September 2012. He was also diagnosed with ADHD in November 2017. He is currently waiting for an ADOS assessment.

Bobby is on SEN Support and has some support from an LSA within the school’s SEN provision. Bobby also receives input from outreach service as well as many other interventions such as social skill groups, handwriting programmes and the use of an exit card. These interventions have enable for Bobby to achieve in his education although he is still about 3 years behind his peers.

The school are fully supportive of this request for an EHC assessment. The school had said that the only way they can support and meet Bobby’s needs is with the backing of an EHC plan.

Bobby has started a social skills group with his peers for 30 mins a week and finds writing more than 2 lines of work difficult due to his co-ordination difficulties. OT is fully aware of his needs and have given school and home suggestions for helping him.

Bobby does not stay within a class for a whole lesson as he cannot handle the pace of the work or the environment. He not only finds it hard to concentrate and needs continually prompting to stay on task, but finds the work difficult. He has his work differentiated by the teachers but without the help of an LSA he cannot focus or understand the task.

Bobby needs his work to be broken down into manageable steps but there is very minimal LSA support to do this. We feel he needs: 

  • To repeat instructions back to the LSA to make sure he has understood them 
  • Pre -teaching of subjects 
  • Work differentiated 
  • Task Board 
  • Exit Card 
  • Visual aids 
  • Daily exercise and programmes to promote fine-motor skills 
  • To use typing as a form of recording as much as possible 
  • Social Skills groups
  • Specialised teacher to support emotional support needs

School lessons overwhelm Bobby. He becomes emotional when he cannot work. He cries and this has an impact on others in the class. Bobby is taken to the SEN Team office and spends most of the school day in there.

There is no support in school to meet Bobby’s emotional needs. The class teachers seem unaware of how best to support him when he becomes overwhelmed. He is currently spending more time out of the class room and in the SEN Support office. This is impacting on his learning with the missing of the lessons and when in lessons he is unable to keep up without the constant reminder to stay on task and refocus and the recording and understanding of the work although this is differentiated.

The lack of the right support at school is impacting his emotional wellbeing at home. He becomes over whelmed and often refuses to go to school. We have days when we need to drive into the school grounds in the morning and encourage him into the school.

Bobby can be very sociable and enjoys sharing information on subjects he enjoys. He does not understand social cues and how to react to situations in an appropriate manner. He cannot understand why people act as they do. He cannot cope with people crying or laughing around him and does not know how to handle this situation. Bobby does not understand jokes at times and has little empathy for others. He can come across as being rude.

Bobby wants to learn and will try to start a task independently before asking for help. He needs continued prompting to stay on task. He struggles to focus on a task for more than a few minutes without someone with him.

Bobby works well with a strict routine. He has anxiety when things change and takes time to accept the change. He can often have meltdowns.

Bobby cannot hold a pen well and only manages to complete two lines of work. He has only recently learned to tie his laces which we are very proud of him

Brief example of a Part A

Bobby is a very loving child. He can be very witty and very tactile. He is very cheeky and very matter of fact. He enjoys spending time together as a family, either playing board games or going for walks. He lives at home with his mum and has one brother who is older than him who is very close too. He also has a dog which who he adores.

We are a very close family. Bobby sees his dad 2 nights a week and every weekend and has a great relationship with him. Bobby loves spending time with his grandparents and they collect him from school most days.

Bobby can become very obsessive over things and has always struggled with his emotions for as long as we can remember. He can become very short tempered and can lash out, although the lashing out has improved over the years. Booby can be very clumsy. We have been working closely with OT. Who have helped us as a family to put in place strategies to help with his handwriting. Bobby finds writing a real challenge.

Bobby likes a quite environment to work in with very little destraction. He is not happy in loud situations and can easily get distracted by others. Bobby does not like big crowds and rather be somewhere quieter. He also needs time to process what is being asked of him. He can also be forgetful and not remember instructions.

Although Bobby has many struggles, there is not a day that passes that we do not laugh together and we always end the day with hugs. Our aspirations, hopes and wishes for Bobby are to get the right support for his emotional, physical and learning needs. For him to be happy and content within the school and at home.

Bobby’s Developmental/Educational History/Circumstances

Bobby was diagnosed with Dyspraxia in September 2012. He was also diagnosed with ADHD in November 2017. He is currently waiting for an ADOS assessment. Bobby met all his milestones in his Early Years but had support from SALT when he was 3 years as he was delayed with his talking.

We started to notice that Bobby was not happy within school at nursery. We worked very closely with the nursery for Bobby to have a smooth transition into reception.All of Bobby’s teachers have commented on his support needs and we have had great relationships with the SENCo’s who have put in a lot of help for Bobby. Bobby is currently in mainstream school and attended a mainstream nursery.