Remote learning: how to support parents of pupils with SEND

It’s going to be harder for some pupils to access your remote learning without support from their parents. Here are some suggestions for helping these families, while remembering that parents are not teachers.

Last reviewed on 23 February 2021
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 42137
Contents
  1. Give parents a clear way to contact relevant members of staff
  2. Provide reassurance and set realistic expectations
  3. “It’s taking all day to get through the tasks that have been set”
  4. “Your lessons are just too hard for my child to understand”
  5. “All my child cares about is dinosaurs”
  6. “I can’t get my child to do any work, they just want to play”
  7. “What can I do with my child who is unable to…”

Give parents a clear way to contact relevant members of staff

Parents are going to need support from your SENCO, or their child’s teacher, in order to help their child effectively at home. 

However, make sure you set and provide clear guidelines on:

  • Who they can contact for help
  • How they can contact them
  • When they can contact them

Springwell School, a special primary school in Southampton, is making sure that every family is contacted on a weekly basis, mostly to provide reassurance to parents that they're doing a good job.

After this, the school also made sure that

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