Education
need to get good advice. Locally, we would recommend contacting the West Sussex Parent Partnership Service first. The Advisory Centre for Education run a national exclusions helpline too. Parents of children with special needs also find that schools ask them to collect their child early or send them home whenever there is a problem. Sometimes they suggest the child only comes to school part-time. Although the school does not call this a formal exclusion, it is excluding the child in practice. Frequent informal exclusions of this kind may be a sign your child is not getting the support they need and may be illegal. You should raise this with the school. Did You Know?
The West Sussex Parent Partnership run a confidential helpline for parents of children with special educational needs
Who can help with education matters? Because education is complex and often problematic for parents, it’s important you get independent help if you need it, especially if you are in disagreement with your child’s school or the LA. If you are on a low income, you may be able to get free legal advice from a solicitor. Locally, the West Sussex Parent Partnership Service offers support and information to parents who have a child with special educational needs. They are described as an “arms length” service which means although they are funded by West Sussex any advice they give is “impartial, confidential and free”. The Parent Partnership Service provide a range of services including a confidential helpline (during working hours), information about SEN processes, plus a small team of Independent Parental Supporters (IPS) who can attend meetings with parents and help them express their views in writing. - 95 -