Perhaps your child is struggling at school – and you’re tearing your hair out about how you can best support them to achieve as much as they possibly can. Or maybe they’ve already been diagnosed with a specific learning difficulty and you need help untangling a knotty issue. Talk Education’s specialist SEND team has all the answers and is here to help: email your SEND-related questions to talk@talkeducation.com and we’ll publish the team’s response here (all questions will, of course, remain anonymous).
My son attends a mainstream school but has additional learning needs. What adjustments should I expect his school to make in order to support him in a mainstream environment?
We often see learners needing to leave a mainstream setting when there could have been much more done to help them thrive there.
It is important to recognise that there is always a balance. For some children, the sensory demands of a busy school environment are simply too great. In these cases, even significant support may not be enough without substantial changes to the environment. However, there are many situations where effective adjustments and targeted support can make a mainstream placement successful when it might otherwise have broken down.
Within the UK education system, specialist settings do not always offer an academic pathway that suits learners who are able to succeed with a mainstream curriculum. As a result, there are relatively few specialist schools offering this type of provision. This makes it particularly important to explore whether a mainstream setting can work well for your child where the right support is available.
There are many adjustments that can be made in mainstream schools – even without an EHCP. The key is ensuring that these adjustments are based on your child’s individual needs, rather than relying on standard approaches. What works for one child may not work for another, even if they share similar needs. It is also important to be aware that full-time attendance at a mainstream setting is not always the right target for each child. In these cases, appropriate support ought to be in place to wrap around what can be accessed in school.
How do you know what adjustments your child needs?
Evidence for adjustments can come from a variety of sources. Reports from educational psychologists, speech and language therapists or occupational therapists can provide helpful recommendations. Diagnostic reports may also include suggested adjustments.
But professional reports are only one part of the picture. School documentation such as previous support plans or reviews can offer valuable insights into what has worked (or not worked) in the past.
Most importantly, you as a parent have a key role in identifying your child’s needs. Your observations at home, and your understanding of what helps or causes difficulty, are essential. We always encourage families to share these observations with the school so that support can be developed collaboratively.
Key areas of support to consider
Below are key areas you may wish to discuss with your child’s school based upon their needs.
1. Adapted teaching and learning
A key element of support is ensuring that teaching is adapted to meet your child’s needs and strengths.
You might consider whether instructions could be broken down into smaller steps, whether instructions can be provided both verbally and in writing, if your child needs extra time to process information or complete work, and whether homework needs to be adjusted to focus on a manageable amount of meaningful work.
Where processing or cognitive load is a challenge, reducing volume and focusing on quality can make a significant difference.
2. Reasonable adjustments
Schools have a duty to make reasonable adjustments based on your child’s needs.
These adjustments could include access to a calm or quiet space, movement or sensory breaks, alternative seating or reduced distractions, use of a laptop or assistive technology and flexibility around workload or expectations.
In some cases, you may also wish to discuss more significant adjustments, such as studying a reduced number of GCSE subjects, where appropriate.
3. Emotional and relational support
Consistent and trusting relationships within school can be a powerful support for learners with additional support needs.
You might ask for a key adult your child can check in with, a safe space to talk through difficulties, support with friendships and social understanding and help with managing anxiety or distress.
When done well, this type of support creates a foundation where children feel safe, understood and able to engage. It can also help the school to know where there are challenges that they can seek to address with adjustments and additional support.
4. Targeted support
Sometimes additional support is needed beyond classroom adjustments.
This could include small-group support (such as for literacy or emotional skills), one-to-one sessions for specialist literacy and numeracy support, and input from speech and language or occupational therapists. The success of this support can be influenced by the skills and experience of those delivering it, as well as how your child responds to that person.
Importantly, these interventions should enhance classroom learning, not replace it. If your child is spending large amounts of time outside of the classroom, that should raise questions about the suitability of in-class adjustments.
Coordination of support and ongoing review
One of the most important aspects of effective support is good coordination and regular review. Support should not be static and needs to evolve over time, based upon your child’s needs and progress.
We recommend regular communication with the school, the involvement of parents in reviewing progress and suggesting targets, and sharing feedback about what is working and what is not working.
If progress is limited, it is important to continue the conversation with the school and consider whether further professional input may be needed. If the support needed is beyond what the school can offer, parents may need to consider seeking an EHCP.
Supporting a child in school is a process. It may take time to find the right combination of strategies, and adjustments may need to be adapted over time.
When you need further support
If you are finding it difficult to have adjustments put in place, or you are unsure what your child needs, it may be helpful to seek additional advice.
You are not alone in navigating this process, and support is available to help you advocate for your child effectively, including from
our specialist advisory team.